High Wind, Island of Hawaii
- When
- November 19, 9:00 AM HST to November 20, 6:00 PM HST
- Where
- Island of Hawaii forecast zone
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Hawaii, November 19 to 20, 1997
The combination of a surface low to the west of Kauai and an associated upper level trough brought inclement weather to the Hawaiian Islands from the 18th through much of the 20th. This included scattered thunderstorms over the islands from the 18th through the early morning hours of the 19th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 1
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.
Southwest winds of 60 to 80 mph buffeted the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.The combination of a surface low to the west of Kauai and an associated upper level trough brought inclement weather to the Hawaiian Islands from the 18th through much of the 20th. This included scattered thunderstorms over the islands from the 18th through the early morning hours of the 19th. Lightning strikes caused one slight injury and limited property damage on the Island of Hawaii and in Maui. Also, a thunderstorm dropped 3/4-inch hail, a rare event in the state, on two communities in the southwestern part of the Island of Hawaii. The surface low moved north and then east before dissipating north of the island chain on the 19th. The upper level trough finally moved east of the islands late on the 20th, allowing the winds near the volcano summits on the Island of Hawaii to abate.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Ice Storm in Montana, November 19, 1997
- High Wind in Oregon, November 19, 1997
- High Wind in Oregon, November 19, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Utah, November 19 to 20, 1997
- Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 19 to 20, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, November 19 to 20, 1997
- High Wind in Nevada, November 19, 1997
- High Wind in California, November 19, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, November 19 to 20, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, November 19 to 20, 1997
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, November 1997
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: 5625670.