High Wind in Hawaii, December 28 to 31, 2001

Name: High Wind in Hawaii, December 28 to 31, 2001
Start: 2001-12-28T17:00
End: 2001-12-31T05:00
Location: Hawaii

December 28 to 31, 2001 · NWS HFO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Southwest winds ahead of an advancing cold front were in the 30- to 40-mph range near the end of the month across the Hawaiian Islands. However, there were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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.

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 28, 4:00 PM HST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 28, 4:00 PM HST, 1 hour before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
4 PM HST FRI DEC 28 2001

SUMMARY...A FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH KAUAI AND OAHU TONIGHT...THEN
MOVE DOWN TO MAUI BY MORNING...SPREADING SHOWERS ACROSS THE STATE
AS IT GOES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD BE LIGHT TO MODERATE OVER
SOUTHWEST SECTIONS...WITH ONLY LIGHT AMOUNTS ELSEWHERE. SUNNY SKIES
WILL FOLLOW FOR KAUAI AND OAHU ON SATURDAY...THEN FOR ALL ISLANDS
ON SUNDAY AS WINDS TURN SOUTHWEST ONCE AGAIN AHEAD OF THE NEXT
FRONT.

DISCUSSION...THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT...FROM A TRIPLE POINT NEAR
24.5N 162W SOUTHWESTWARD TO 19.5N 170W AT 2PM HST...IS GENERATING
CONVERGENCE BANDS OUT AHEAD OF IT. ONE BAND EXTENDS SOUTHWESTWARD
FROM THE KAUAI CHANNEL AND WILL BE AFFECTING OAHU THIS EVENING. THE
FRONTAL BAND ISELF WILL MOVE THROUGH KAUAI EARLY THIS EVENING...WITH
ORGANIZED SHOWER ACTIVITY FOCUSING ON SOUTHWEST FACING SLOPES. THE
FRONT WILL THEN MOVE DOWN THE CHAIN THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO EARLY
SATURDAY...LIKELY STALLING OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND. FAIRLY
BRISK SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL PRECEDE THE FRONT... BRINGING SHOWERS TO
MAINLY SOUTHWEST FACING SLOPES OF THE ISLANDS AS IT GOES. WINDS WILL
SHIFT TO NORTHWEST AND LIGHTEN UP A BIT BEHIND THE FRONT. FORECAST
MODELS INDICATE THE SUBTROPICAL HIGH PRESSURE SURFACE RIDGE WILL
REMAIN WELL SOUTH OF THE STATE THROUGH THE NEXT WEEK OR LONGER...
WITH A SERIES OF THESE FRONTAL PASSAGES EVERY FEW DAYS THROUGH THIS
FORECAST PERIOD. SURF HAS DECREASED AND THE ADVISORY HAS BEEN
CANCELLED AT 4 PM HST. THE NEXT LARGE SWELL IS DUE TO ARRIVE EARLY
ON SATURDAY. FARRELL

.PHFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE
.         WATCHES......NONE
.         ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT DUE TO INCREASING SOUTHWEST WINDS
.                      HIGH SURF CAMCELLED AT 400 PM HST

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kauai

When: December 28, 5:00 PM HST to December 31, 5:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lanai

When: December 28, 5:00 PM HST to December 31, 5:00 AM HST
Where: Lanai forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Maui

When: December 28, 5:00 PM HST to December 31, 5:00 AM HST
Where: Maui forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Molokai

When: December 28, 5:00 PM HST to December 31, 5:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, North and East Hawaii

When: December 28, 5:00 PM HST to December 31, 5:00 AM HST
Where: North and East Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Oahu

When: December 28, 5:00 PM HST to December 31, 5:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, South Hawaii

When: December 28, 5:00 PM HST to December 31, 5:00 AM HST
Where: South Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, West Hawaii

When: December 28, 5:00 PM HST to December 31, 5:00 AM HST
Where: West Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5275767, 5275768, 5275769, 5275770, 5275771, 5275772, 5275773, 5275774.