Drought in Hawaii, January 1 to 31, 2001

Name: Drought in Hawaii, January 1 to 31, 2001
Start: 2001-01-01T00:00
End: 2001-01-31T23:59
Location: Hawaii

January 1 to 31, 2001 · NWS HFO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Unofficial gage reports from Wainiha in North Kauai and Kula in Upcountry Maui suggested that records may have been broken at these locations as well.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 unusually dry weather pattern over the state of Hawaii produced an all-time record for lowest January rainfall at Kahului Airport on Maui and helped tie the record at Honolulu Airport.Unofficial gage reports from Wainiha in North Kauai and Kula in Upcountry Maui suggested that records may have been broken at these locations as well. Jan 2001 January Previous Location Total (inches) (Average) Record Year Kahului Airport 0.03 4.14 0.12 1977 Honolulu Airport 0.18 3.55 0.18 1986 Wainiha 1.34* 12.60 1.50 1986 Kula 0.14* 3.70 0.25 1983 * = Unofficial rain total

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 31, 8:30 PM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 8:30 PM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST SUN DEC 31 2000

SUMMARY...A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL SPREAD SHOWERS FROM KAUAI LATE
NEW YEARS DAY TO MAUI TUESDAY MORNING. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL PREVAIL
AHEAD OF THE FRONT BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AGAIN TUESDAY.

DISCUSSION...MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT IN HANDLING THE COLD FRONT
PRESENTLY ABOUT 275 MILES NORTHWEST OF KAUAI. THEY ALL PREDICT THAT
THE FRONT WILL REACH KAUAI LATE NEW YEARS DAY...OAHU MONDAY NIGHT
AND MAUI TUESDAY. WHETHER IT REACHES THE BIG ISLAND IS PROBLEMATIC.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE UNIMPRESSIVE BOTH AHEAD OF AND ALONG THE
FRONT. MODERATE SOUTHWEST WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL GIVE WAY TO
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS AS THE FRONT FALLS APART AND THE WEAK
SURFACE RIDGE SOUTH OF THE STATE MOVES OVERHEAD TUESDAY. THE RIDGE
AND LIGHT WINDS WILL STAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK
OF 2001.

SURF...ANOTHER NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED MONDAY NIGHT LASTING INTO
WEDNESDAY. CRAIG.

.PHFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE
.         WATCHES......NONE
.         ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF CANCELED AT 830 PM.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Kauai

When: January 1, 12:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Kauai forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Maui

When: January 1, 12:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Maui forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Oahu

When: January 1, 12:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Oahu forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

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, January 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: 5227613, 5227614, 5227615.