Thunderstorm Wind, Hawaii
- When
- February 27, 11:30 PM HST to 11:40 PM HST
- Where
- Hawaii County, Milolii
- Measured
- 78 kt (90 mph) estimated gust
- Crop damage
- $750,000
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 19.183, -155.900
Damaging Wind in Hawaii, February 27, 2004
Strong downburst winds from a thunderstorm destroyed three homes, severely damaged two others, and caused minor damage to two other residences in the southwest part of the Big Island of Hawaii, from Milolii to Papa. Many carports and storage sheds were destroyed or damaged as well.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- $750,000
- 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.
Strong downburst winds from a thunderstorm destroyed three homes, severely damaged two others, and caused minor damage to two other residences in the southwest part of the Big Island of Hawaii, from Milolii to Papa. Many carports and storage sheds were destroyed or damaged as well. The stormy conditions also damaged or destroyed many macadamia nut trees, with agricultural losses topping $750 thousand. (As an aside, agricultural losses for the entire state for the last several days of February as the cold front moved through the islands were estimated at between $1.5 and $2 million by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.) The area damaged was along a 3-mile path, up to 800 feet wide in places. No damage estimates were available for the destroyed and damaged homes and other personal properties. Lastly, no serious injuries were reported.
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 Feb 27, 8:40 PM HST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 27, 8:40 PM HST, 2 hours 50 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 840 PM HST FRI FEB 27 2004 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT BETWEEN OAHU AND MOLOKAI SEPARATES THE HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE EAST OVER MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND FROM MODERATE SHOWERS TO THE WEST. THE FRONT AND ALL THE BAD WEATHER WILL MOVE TO THE EAST...ENDING UP EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND SATURDAY NIGHT. UNSTABLE AIR WILL REMAIN OVER THE ISLANDS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...PROMOTING SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH A CHANCE OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. TRADES ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN BY MIDWEEK. && .DISCUSSION... JUDGING BY THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND OVER OAHU AND MOLOKAI...THE COLD FRONT IS OVER THE KAIWI CHANNEL. IT IS MOVING TO THE EAST AND SHOULD REACH THE ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL SATURDAY MORNING. PROGS THEN SHOW THE FRONT EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND SATURDAY NIGHT. HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND STRONG SOUTH WINDS WILL SHIFT EASTWARD AHEAD OF THE FRONT...TO BE REPLACED BY THE DRYER AND LESS WINDY WEATHER BEHIND THE FRONT. THE FRONT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A SURFACE LOW NOW ABOUT 225 MILES NORTH OF KAUAI. AN UPPER LOW LOCATED ABOVE THE SURFACE LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTH OVER KAUAI SATURDAY THEN LIFT OUT TO THE NORTHEAST SUNDAY. COLD TEMPERATURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW ALOFT WILL KEEP THE AIRMASS UNSTABLE...RESULTING IN THE FORMATION OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER LAND IN THE AFTERNOON. THE COLD TEMPERATURES WILL LIFT OUT TO THE NORTHEAST WITH THE LOW...REDUCING THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY. && .MARINE... SWELL DATA FROM BUOY ONE INDICATE THAT SURF ALONG THE NORTH SHORES OF KAUAI AND OAHU WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE 25 FEET FORECAST FOR TONIGHT. THE HIGH SURF WARNING WILL BE ADJUSTED UPPER AT 9 PM PROBABLY TO 20 TO 35 FEET FOR KAUAI AND OAHU. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING MOLOKAI TO THE BIG ISLAND FLASH FLOOD WATCH OAHU TO THE BIG ISLAND WINTER STORM WARNING FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS THROUGH SATURDAY HIGH SURF WARNING NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF ALL ISLANDS BUT LANAI THROUGH SATURDAY CRAIG
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 27 to 29, 2004
- Winter Storm in Colorado, February 27 to 28, 2004
- Debris Flow in American Samoa, February 27, 2004
- Winter Storm in Colorado, February 27 to 29, 2004
- Winter Weather in Colorado, February 27 to 29, 2004
- High Wind in Hawaii, February 27 to 28, 2004
- Storm Surge and High Wind in North Carolina, February 27, 2004
- Winter Storm in Utah, February 27 to 29, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, February 27, 2004
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, February 27, 2004
- Flash Flood in Hawaii, February 27, 2004
- Heavy Rain in Hawaii, February 27, 2004
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 2004
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: 5431176.