Lightning, Hawaii
- When
- February 20, 6:00 AM HST to 1:45 PM HST
- Where
- Hawaii County, Countywide
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Hawaii, February 20, 2002
Lightning struck in various locations on the Big Island of Hawaii, especially in the Puna and North and South Kona districts. Power lines were hit and several trees were downed, causing more electrical outages.
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.
Lightning struck in various locations on the Big Island of Hawaii, especially in the Puna and North and South Kona districts. Power lines were hit and several trees were downed, causing more electrical outages. More than 25,000 residents of the isle were without power for at least a part of the day. There were no reports of serious injuries, however.
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 20, 5:00 AM HST, 1 hour earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 20, 5:00 AM HST, 1 hour before
NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR WAKE ISLAND THE SURFACE RIDGE WAS ANALYZED ABOUT 300 MILES NORTH OF WAKE AT 200600 UTC. THE RIDGE IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE MOVING SOUTH SLOWLY TO ABOUT 150 MILES NORTH OF WAKE BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT EASTERLY THROUGH TODAY BECOMING LIGHT NORTHEASTERLY TONIGHT AS A HIGH TO THE NORTHWEST OF WAKE BEGINS TO MAKE ITS INFLUENCE KNOWN. SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS AND DRY WEATHER WILL PREVAIL THROUGH TONIGHT.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, February 20, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Ohio, February 20, 2002
- Damaging Winds in Ohio, February 20, 2002
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, February 20, 2002
- Hail in Kentucky, February 20, 2002
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 20 to 21, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 20, 2002
- Winter Storm in Colorado, February 20 to 21, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, February 20, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Kentucky, February 20, 2002
- Flooding in Indiana, February 20 to 27, 2002
- Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 20 to 23, 2002
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 2002
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: 5281085.