Strong trade winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts to as high as 60 mph, affected the South Kohala District on the Big Island of Hawaii. However, there were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
Strong trade winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts to as high as 60 mph, affected the South Kohala District on the Big Island of Hawaii. However, there were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.
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 Nov 14, 4:00 PM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 4 PM HST FRI NOV 14 2003 .SYNOPSIS...A LARGE HIGH TO THE NORTH WILL MAINTAIN BREEZY TRADE WINDS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. PASSING SHOWERS WILL WET WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS...BUT A FEW WILL BE BLOWN OVER TO LEEWARD SECTIONS OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS. && .DISCUSSION... THE TASK AT HAND IS TO DETERMINE HOW STRONG THE TRADE WINDS WILL BE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. IN A FEW DAYS...WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO ZERO IN ON WHEN AND TO WHAT EXTENT THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH. THE FIRST TASK IS RELATIVELY STRAIGHT FORWARD. A SOMEWHAT LARGE HIGH NORTH OF THE BIG ISLAND NEAR 35N 140W WILL REMAIN STATIONARY THEN BEGIN TO WEAKEN AS IT MOVES EAST SUNDAY. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT SOUTH OF THIS HIGH WILL BE STEEP ENOUGH TO SUPPORT 15 TO 25 MPH TRADES THIS WEEKEND. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT AND THE TRADES WILL SLACKEN MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH THE DEPARTURE OF THE HIGH AND THE ARRIVAL OF A RIDGE TO OUR NORTH. AS THE FIRST HIGH LEAVES...A SECOND VERY LARGE HIGH WILL CROSS OVER THE DATELINE ENDING UP NORTH OF HERE BY NEXT WEDNESDAY. AS IS OFTEN THE CASE...PROGS DIVERGE AT THIS POINT. THE NOGAPS MODEL DEVELOPS AN UPPER LOW DUE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WHICH WOULD KEEP THE TRADE WINDS LIGHTER THAN ONE WOULD EXPECT SOUTH OF SUCH A LARGE HIGH. THE CONSENSUS OF MODELS...ON THE OTHER HAND...DEVELOPS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW NORTHEAST OF HERE LEAVING THE PRESSURE GRADIENT SOUTH OF THE HIGH UNTOUCHED AND VERY STEEP. WILL GO WITH THE MAJORITY AND BOOST THE TRADES UP TO 20 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WEDNESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THE WINDS WILL BE EVEN STRONGER...PUTTING US IN A WIND ADVISORY OR EVEN A HIGH WIND WARNING. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A HUGE HIGH HERE. THE SECOND TASK...NAMELY WHEN AND TO WHAT EXTENT WILL THE TRADES DIMINISH...IS NOT SO STRAIGHTFORWARD. THIS IS BECAUSE THE WINDS AT THE SURFACE WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON WHERE THE UPPER LOW ENDS UP RELATIVE TO THE ISLANDS. IF THE LOW STAYS TO OUR NORTHEAST...THE WINDS WILL REMAIN VERY STRONG. IF THE LOW MOVES NORTH OF HERE...THE WINDS WILL BACK OFF DRAMATICALLY. MODELS DO NOT AGREE ON WHERE THE LOW WILL GO. WILL...FOR NOW...STAY WITH THE LOW MOVING FAR ENOUGH TO OUR NORTH TO TURN DOWN THE TRADES THURSDAY THEN SHIFT THE WINDS OUT OF THE NORTHWEST FRIDAY. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL DRY OUT AT THAT POINT. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... . WATCHES......NONE . WARNINGS.....NONE . ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT ALL WATERS . ...HI SURF EAST SHORES && CRAIG
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, November 2003
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: 5327809.