Waterspout, Honolulu
- When
- February 26, 3:20 PM HST to 3:45 PM HST
- Where
- Honolulu County, 1 mi NNE of Waimea
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Waterspout in Hawaii, February 26, 2001
A waterspout came ashore near Ehukai Beach on the North Shore of Oahu. The phenomenon dissipated on the rocks as it pushed inland.
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.
A waterspout came ashore near Ehukai Beach on the North Shore of Oahu. The phenomenon dissipated on the rocks as it pushed inland. No property damage or injuries were reported.
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 Feb 26, 3:13 PM HST, 7 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 3:13 PM HST, 7 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 4 PM HST MON FEB 26 2001 SUMMARY...GENERALLY CLEAR SKIES WITH LIGHT WINDS TONIGHT...BUT THE TRADES WILL BE RETURNING ON TUESDAY ALONG WITH A FEW NIGHT AND MORNING SHOWERS WINDWARD AND MAUKA. DISCUSSION...A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH...ALL THAT REMAINS OF THE OLD FRONT THAT BROUGHT RAINS TO KAUAI YESTERDAY...OVERLIES THE CENTRAL HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. AT THE MOMENT...ONLY KAUAI HAS TRADES AND THEY ARE REALLY QUITE WEAK EVEN THERE. ON THE OTHER HAND...THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS MOVING MORE RAPIDLY THROUGH THE STATE AND IS SPAWNING SOME AFTERNOON CONVECTIVE SHOWERS OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND. ALL THIS CONVECTION WILL BE DYING DOWN AFTER SUNSET...AND SKIES WILL CLEAR WITH MOSTLY LIGHT WINDS OVERNIGHT. THIS WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR THE RETURN OF LIGHT TO MODERATE TRADE WINDS ON TUESDAY...AS THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE REBUILDS TO THE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS. THIS HIGH IS FORECAST TO REACH 1024MB ON WEDNESDAY...PUMPING OUR TRADES UP A NOTCH BRIEFLY TO 10 TO 25 MPH...BUT THESE WILL WEAKEN AGAIN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS THE SHORT-LIVED SUBTROPICAL RIDGE RETREATS TO THE NORTHEAST AND WEAKENS AGAIN TO OUR NORTH. ANOTHER FRONT IS FORECAST TO APPROACH THE ISLANDS AS A SHEAR LINE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY ...BRINGING MORE SHOWERS AND STRONGER TRADES IN ITS WAKE. THIS MAY PROVIDE SOME WET TRADES FOR THE COMING WEEKEND. FARRELL .PHFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE . WATCHES......NONE . ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF NORTH AND WEST SHORES
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Waterspout
- A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Rip Current in Guam, February 26, 2001
- Heavy Snow in California, February 26 to 27, 2001
- Winter Storm in Kansas, February 26 to 27, 2001
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 26 to 28, 2001
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 26 to 27, 2001
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, February 26 to 28, 2001
- Winter Storm in Kansas, February 26 to 27, 2001
- High Wind in Alaska, February 26 to 27, 2001
- Flash Flooding in Texas, February 26, 2001
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 26 to 27, 2001
- Dense Fog in Florida, February 26, 2001
- Flooding in California, February 26, 2001
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 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: 5233021.