Funnel Cloud in Hawaii, January 8, 2002

Name: Funnel Cloud in Hawaii, January 8, 2002
Start: 2002-01-08T11:15
End: 2002-01-08T11:21
Location: Hawaii

January 8, 2002 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An official in the tower at the Honolulu International Airport spotted a funnel cloud east of his location. However, there were no reports of injuries or property damage.

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.

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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.

An official in the tower at the Honolulu International Airport spotted a funnel cloud east of his location. However, there were no reports of injuries or property damage.

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 8, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 8, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST TUE JAN 8 2002

.SUMMARY...TRADE WINDS WILL RETURN BEHIND THE NEXT FRONTAL PASSAGE.
SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL CONVERGE OVER THE
ISLANDS...CAUSING BANDS OF SHOWERS TO FORM AND OCCASIONALLY AFFECT
THE ISLANDS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A MORE CONCENTRATED SHOWER BAND WILL
ACCOMPANY THE FRONT...AS IT MOVES DOWN THE ISLAND CHAIN LATE
WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL BRING COOLER AIR AND
DIMINISHING SHOWERS BEHIND THE FRONT...BECOMING TRADES BY FRIDAY.

.DISCUSSION...BANDS OF CLOUDS AND SHOWERS ARE FORMING IN THE
CONVERGING FLOW AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT...SOME 175 MILES
NORTHWEST OF KAUAI THIS MORNING. THESE WILL OCCASIONALLY BRING
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS TO THE ISLANDS THROUGH WEDENESDAY...WHEN THE MORE
ORGANIZED BAND OF SHOWERS ACCOMPANYING THE WELL ORGANIZED FRONTAL
BAND REACHES KAUAI. THIS FRONT IS EXPECTED TO REACH KAUAI BY LATE
AFTERNOON...MOVING DOWN THE ISLAND CHAIN THROUGH THURSDAY. BEHIND
THIS FRONT A STRONG WIND SHIFT TO THE NORTH WILL BRING COOLER AND
DRYER AIR INTO THE STATE...WITH THE FLOW TURNING TO A NORTHEASTERLY
TRADE DIRECTION STATEWIDE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THE TRADE WINDS
ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY AT LEAST. FARRELL

.PHFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE
.         WATCHES......NONE
.         ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Honolulu

When: January 8, 11:15 AM HST to 11:21 AM HST
Where: Honolulu County, 2 mi WNW of Waikiki
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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: 5278495.