Hawaii, 2001

Winter Storm in Hawaii, December 12 to 14, 2001

December 12 to 14, 2001 · NWS HFO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An upper-air low passing south of the islands produced east to southeast winds of 60 to 80 mph, with gusts to 100 mph, near the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. The system dumped up to two feet of snow over the two days above the 12 thousand-foot level, and dropped wind chill temperatures well below zero degrees Fahrenheit.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

An upper-air low passing south of the islands produced east to southeast winds of 60 to 80 mph, with gusts to 100 mph, near the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. The system dumped up to two feet of snow over the two days above the 12 thousand-foot level, and dropped wind chill temperatures well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. However, there were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 12, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 12, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST WED DEC 12 2001

SUMMARY...TRADE WINDS WILL REACH THEIR PEAK TODAY AND TOMORROW.
POSSIBLE HEAVY RAINFALL BEGINNING TONIGHT THRU FRIDAY.

DISCUSSION...THE FOCUS OF OUR ATTENTION CONTINUES TO BE THE UPPER
LEVEL LOW EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. ITS MOVEMENT CLOSE TO THE ISLANDS
TONIGHT THRU FRIDAY WILL GENERATE SOME INCLEMENT WEATHER IN THE WAY
OF STRONG TRADE WINDS AND INCREASED RAINFALL..AND BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS FOR THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. THE COMBINATION OF A STRONG
HIGH CELL NORTHEAST OF THE STATE AND THE UPPER LOWS PASSAGE TO OUR
SOUTH SHOULD REINFORCE TRADE WIND SPEEDS MORE THAN USUAL. THE LOWS
INSTABILITY WILL ALSO ENHANCE SHOWER ACTIVITY BRINGING IN ITS CLOUD
MASS WHICH IS NOW 150 MILES EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. THE LOW IS
PROJECTED TO DISSIPATE THIS WEEK END. A FOLLOWING TROUGH..ALSO AT
UPPER LEVELS..COMING IN FROM THE WEST DURING THE WEEK END IS NOT
CONSIDERED A STRONG ONE...ITS RAINFALL ENHANCING CAPABILITY
SHOULD BE SLIGHT.  MATSUDA

.PHFO.....WARNINGS.....WINTER STORM BIG ISLAND SUMMITS
.                 .....GALE ALL CHANNELS
.         WATCHES......FLOOD MAUI AND BIG ISLAND
.         ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF EAST SHORES
.                   ...WIND MAUI AND BIG ISLAND

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, North and East Hawaii

When
December 12, 10:00 AM HST to December 14, 3:30 PM HST
Where
North and East Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, South Hawaii

When
December 12, 10:00 AM HST to December 14, 3:30 PM HST
Where
South Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Winter Storm, West Hawaii

When
December 12, 10:00 AM HST to December 14, 3:30 PM HST
Where
West Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 2001

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: 5275708, 5275709, 5275710.