High Wind, Niihau
- When
- January 30, 11:30 AM HST to 6:00 PM HST
- Where
- Niihau forecast zone
- Measured
- 80 kt (92 mph)
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Hawaii, January 30 to 31, 1996
Strong south and southwest winds ahead of low pressure and a cold front approaching the Hawaiian Islands produced winds to 90 mph over the summits and upper slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. High winds also buffeted Waimea and Kamuela where winds accelerated between the Kohala Mountains and Mauna Kea.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
Strong south and southwest winds ahead of low pressure and a cold front approaching the Hawaiian Islands produced winds to 90 mph over the summits and upper slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. High winds also buffeted Waimea and Kamuela where winds accelerated between the Kohala Mountains and Mauna Kea.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Kauai Mountains
- When
- January 30, 1:00 PM HST to January 31, 11:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kauai Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 80 kt (92 mph)
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Cold in Wisconsin, January 30, 1996
- Cold in Washington, January 30, 1996
- Cold in Wyoming, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Hawaii, January 30, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, January 30, 1996
- Cold in Wisconsin, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Cold in Iowa, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Blizzard in Wyoming, January 30, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Cold in Montana, January 30, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 30 to 31, 1996
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, January 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5544294, 5544293.