Waterspout in Hawaiian Waters, September 17, 2002

Name: Waterspout in Hawaiian Waters, September 17, 2002
Start: 2002-09-17T07:10
End: 2002-09-17T07:30
Location: Hawaiian Waters

September 17, 2002 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Police officers spotted a large waterspout offshore from Lydgate Beach Park. However, the waterspout apparently did not make landfall.

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.

Police officers spotted a large waterspout offshore from Lydgate Beach Park. However, the waterspout apparently did not make landfall. There were no reports of injuries or property damage.

Event by event

1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.

Waterspout, Channels Between the Islands

When: September 17, 7:10 AM HST to 7:30 AM HST
Where: Channels Between the Islands marine zone, 3 mi SSW of Kapaa
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

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

Every storm in Hawaiian Waters in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5325055.