High Wind in Hawaii, January 19 to 21, 2003

Name: High Wind in Hawaii, January 19 to 21, 2003
Start: 2003-01-19T13:30
End: 2003-01-21T10:00
Location: Hawaii

January 19 to 21, 2003 · NWS HFO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An approaching cold front and its associated upper trough caused west to southwest winds of 45 to 60 mph, with gusts to 70 mph, near the summit of Haleakala in East Maui, and the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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

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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.

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 19, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 19, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST SUN JAN 19 2003

SUMMARY...A WIDE STATIONARY FRONTAL BAND LIES ACROSS THE NORTHERN
ISLANDS THIS MORNING...KEEPING WINDS LIGHT AND SKIES CLOUDY.
ANOTHER STRONGER FRONTAL SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL
REGENERATE STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT.
THIS WILL ALSO REGENERATE THE FRONTAL BAND OVER THE AREA...PRODUCING
SHOWERS THAT WILL MOVE DOWN TO MAUI BY MONDAY MORNING. CLEARING
SKIES AND COOLER AND DRIER CONDITIONS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT MONDAY.

SATELLITE...A BAND OF LOW LEVEL SHOWERY CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH A
VERY SLOW MOVING FRONT ARE NOW AFFECTING THE NORTHERN ISLANDS. THE
LEADING EDGE OF THIS BAND HAS MOVED OVER THE WESTERN END OF MOLOKAI
AND COVER ALL OF KAUAI AND OAHU WHERE SKIES ARE PARTLY TO MOSTLY
CLOUDY. THIS BAND OF CLOUDS IN THE VICINITY OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
IS ABOUT 200 MILES WIDE AND IS MOVING VERY SLOWLY TOWARD THE EAST.
THIS FRONT EXTENDS FAR TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS. ON THE
SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE FRONT THERE IS LOW LEVEL CYCLONIC TURNING
INDICATING THAT THERE MAY BE A WEAK LOW ON THE FRONT. ITS POSITION
CURRENTLY PLACES THIS LOW ABOUT 500 MILES SOUTHWEST OF KAUAI. THIS
LOW IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT ABOUT 10 MILES PER HOUR. THE
LEADING EDGE OF CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH ANOTHER FRONT ARE LOCATED
ABOUT 700 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF KAUAI. THIS FRONT IS MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST AT ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR. THIS FRONT IS ABOUT 200 MILES
WIDE AND CONSISTS OF LOW AND MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS. A BAND OF HIGH
CLOUD IS ALSO MOVING OVER THE ISLANDS FROM THE WEST AND WILL KEEP
SKIES MOSTLY CLOUDY ALL DAY.

DISCUSSION...A 200 MILE WIDE STATIONARY FRONTAL ZONE IS OVER THE
ISLANDS OF KAUAI AND OAHU. THIS FRONT EXTENDS NORTHEASTWARD...
BECOMING A COLD FRONT NORTH OF ABOUT 27N...AND SOUTHWESTWARD INTO A
SMALL ELONGATED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SOME 500 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
KAUAI. THE PRESENCE OF THIS STATIONARY FRONT AND ITS ATTENDANT WEAK
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD FROM KAUAI AND OAHU WILL
KEEP THOSE ISLANDS CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS THROUGH TONIGHT. A
COLD FRONT...NOW SOME 700 MILES NORTHWEST OF KAUAI...WILL MOVE
THROUGH KAUAI TOWARD MONDAY MORNING...AND THEN CONTINUE DOWN THE
ISLAND CHAIN...BRINGING SHOWERS AS IT MOVES THROUGH...THEN CLEARING
AND COOLER WEATHER BEHIND IT. FORECAST MODELS ARE CALLING FOR A
REPEAT OF THIS FRONTAL PASSAGE SCENARIO AGAIN ABOUT FRIDAY OR FRIDAY
NIGHT. FARRELL

.HFO...WATCHES......NONE
.      WARNINGS.....HIGH SURF NORTHWEST FACING SHORES OF ALL ISLANDS
.      ADVISORIES...WIND FOR HALEAKALA SUMMIT
.                   SMALL CRAFT FOR SW WINDS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Maui

When: January 19, 1:30 PM HST to January 21, 10:00 AM HST
Where: Maui forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
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 19, 1:30 PM HST to January 21, 10:00 AM HST
Where: North and East Hawaii forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
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 19, 1:30 PM HST to January 21, 10:00 AM HST
Where: South Hawaii forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, January 2003

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: 5328546, 5328547, 5328548.