High Wind in Hawaii, January 18 to 19, 2002

Name: High Wind in Hawaii, January 18 to 19, 2002
Start: 2002-01-18T10:00
End: 2002-01-19T18:00
Location: Hawaii

January 18 to 19, 2002 · NWS HFO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

An area of strong high pressure north of Hawaii generated east and east/northeast winds of 35 to 45 mph, with gusts to 60 mph, on the island of Hawaii and Maui. However, there were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 4

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 Jan 18, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 18, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST FRI JAN 18 2002

SUMMARY...A KONA LOW WILL FORM OVER THE ISLANDS THIS WEEKEND...
CONTROLLING ISLAND WEATHER. A STRONG SURFACE HIGH NORTH OF THE STATE
WILL KEEP TRADES STRONG AND GUSTY THROUGH SATURDAY...BUT THE KONA
LOW DEVELOPMENT WILL DISRUPT THE TRADES AND DESTABLIZE THE AIRMASS
BY SUNDAY. SHOWERS WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES WITH AN INCREASING
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY AROUND THE BIG ISLAND. SNOW
LEVELS WILL BE COMING DOWN TO 10,000 FEET BY SATURDAY.

DISCUSSION...INJECTION OF A COLD POOL OF AIR AT MID-LEVELS OF THE
ATMOSPHERE OVER THE STATE THIS WEEKEND WILL RESULT IN DEVELOPMENT OF
A KONA LOW THIS WEEKEND. AVIATION MODEL FORECAST CHARTS INDICATE LOW
PRESSURE FORMATION AT 500MB OVER THE CENTRAL ISLANDS ON SATURDAY...
WITH THE LOW REMAINING OVER OR NEAR KAUAI INTO MONDAY. THIS
PLACEMENT OF COOLER AIR OVER THE WARM MOIST AIR NEAR THE SURFACE
OVER THE STATE WILL RESULT IN INCREASING INSTABILITY THROUGH THE
DEPTH OF THE ATMOSPHERE...AND THUS INCREASINGLY HEAVY SHOWERS WITH
THE POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS BY SATURDAY OVER THE BIG ISLAND...
AND STATEWIDE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. INITIALLY...THE STRONG TRADE
WINDS WILL KEEP MOST OF THE HEAVIER SHOWERS BRIEF AND OVER WINDWARD
AND MAUKA SECTIONS. BUT AS THE MID-LEVEL LOW DEVELOPS...CONVECTIVE
CELLS WILL BECOME LARGER IN EXTENT...AND MAY BECOME ANCHORED OVER
CERTAIN LOCATIONS FOR AN EXTENDED LENGTH OF TIME. THIS MAY WELL
RESULT IN HEAVY RUNOFF AND FLASH FLOODING. THE INFLUX OF COLDER AIR
ALOFT AND DEEP CONVECTION OVER THE BIG ISLAND WILL ALSO LIKELY
RESULT IN BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS OVER
THE SUMMITS OF MAUNA KEA AND MAUNA LOA...WITH POSSIBLE HEAVY SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS BY SUNDAY. COMPUTER MODELS ARE INDICATING FREEZING
LEVEL DOWN TO 10,000 FEET OR SO...WITH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS LIKELY
DOWN TO THAT LEVEL ON THE BIG ISLAND...AND PERHAPS ALSO ON
HALEAKALA. THE FETCH OF STRONG SURFACE WINDS THROUGH SATURDAY TO
THE EAST OF THE ISLANDS WILL ALSO DEVELOP A LARGE OPEN OCEAN
SWELL...WHICH WILL KEEP HIGH BUT STORMY AND DANGEROUS SURF POUNDING
THE EAST AND NORTHEAST SHORES OF THE ISLANDS THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
LONGER RANGE FORECAST CHARTS ARE SHOWING THIS KONA LOW LINGERING
JUST WEST OF THE ISLANDS INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE COMING WEEK...WITH
MID-LEVEL TROUGHING AFFECTING THE ISLANDS WITH POTENTIALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL RIGHT THROUGH THE COMING WEEK. FARRELL

.HFO.....WARNINGS.....GALES ALL CHANNELS
.        WATCHES......WINTER STORM WATCH BIG ISLAND SUMMITS
.        ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT REMAINING WATERS
.                     WIND ALL ISLANDS
.                     HIGH SURF EAST AND NORTHEAST FACING SHORES

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Maui

When: January 18, 10:00 AM HST to January 19, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Maui forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, North and East Hawaii

When: January 18, 10:00 AM HST to January 19, 6:00 PM HST
Where: North and East Hawaii forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, South Hawaii

When: January 18, 10:00 AM HST to January 19, 6:00 PM HST
Where: South Hawaii forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, West Hawaii

When: January 18, 10:00 AM HST to January 19, 6:00 PM HST
Where: West Hawaii forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, January 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: 5278514, 5278515, 5278516, 5278517.