A strong high pressure area was centered north of Hawaii and was responsible for a tight pressure gradient across the island chain. This caused the very strong east to east/northeast trade winds that pummeled the state.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
A strong high pressure area was centered north of Hawaii and was responsible for a tight pressure gradient across the island chain. This caused the very strong east to east/northeast trade winds that pummeled the state. The highest wind gust during the 3-5 Dec period was 69 mph, or 60 kt, at Kawaihae on the Island of Hawaii.The high wind event caused sporadic power outages on all the islands, with power lines and poles being felled by strong gusts. Also, trees and branches landed on power lines and across roadways, creating temporary problems around the state. On Oahu, a two-car accident was caused by a tree falling across Pali Highway in the early morning hours of 4 Dec. In Maui, a downed power line triggered a fire that burned about five acres of brush at the former Olowalu landfill.Some roofs on Oahu were torn off structures, including a refuse station in Kalihi and homes in Nanakuli, Manoa Valley, Kaimuki, and Waialae Nui ridge.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 1998
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: 5675396, 5675397, 5675398, 5675399, 5675400, 5675401.