Hawaii, 2004

Winter Storm in Hawaii, February 28 to 29, 2004

February 28 to 29, 2004 · NWS HFO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A cold front moving through the Hawaiian Islands helped generate winter storm conditions at and near the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii, and at and near the summit of Haleakala in Maui. More than 6 inches of snow fell within 12 hours in each locale, and southwest winds were sustained at over 40 mph for long stretches of time.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
4

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.

A cold front moving through the Hawaiian Islands helped generate winter storm conditions at and near the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii, and at and near the summit of Haleakala in Maui. More than 6 inches of snow fell within 12 hours in each locale, and southwest winds were sustained at over 40 mph for long stretches of time. Thus, visibilities were reduced below a quarter of a mile for periods that exceeded 3 hours. However, no serious property damage or 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 28, 3:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 3:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before
NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR AMERICAN SAMOA AND THE INDEPENDENT
STATE OF SAMOA

TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A CONVERGENCE ZONE REMAIN
250 TO 300 MILES NORTH OF SAMOA THIS MORNING. WEAK TROUGHING ALOFT
HAS TRIGGERED AN AREA OF ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER AND
JUST NORTHWEST OF TUTUILA...BUT A SURFACE RIDGE TO YOUR SOUTH KEEPS
WEAK EASTERLY TRADES BLOWING. GFS SHOWS THAT THE CONVERGENCE ZONE
WILL DRIFT SOUTH AS TC IVY MOVES AWAY INTO THE MID
LATITUDES...RESULTING IN MUCH WETTER WEATHER BY LATE SATURDAY AND
INTO SUNDAY. EXPECT PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES TODAY BECOMING MOSTLY
CLOUDY THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING BY
TONIGHT AND INTO SATURDAY. WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT IN THE 10 TO 15
MPH RANGE EXCEPT NEAR THUNDERSTORMS.

NO SIGNIFICANT SWELL IS EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY.

OUTLOOK FOR MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
THE CONVERGENCE ZONE WILL REMAIN NEAR THE ISLANDS THROUGH WEDNESDAY
WHICH WILL PRODUCE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS.

NARRATIVE DISCUSSION FOR TUVALU

TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY...TUVALU TIME...
SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW A GAP IN THE CONVERGENCE BAND CONVECTION OVER
MOST OF TUVALU THIS MORNING...LEAVING SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS
AND OVERCAST HIGH CLOUDS IN YOUR AREA. ANOTHER CONVERGENCE BAND LIES
SOUTHWEST OF TUVALU...BUT THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE
ARE MOVING AWAY TOWARDS THE WEST. THE RESULT IS A SHORT BREAK FROM
DEEP CONVECTION FROM FUNAFUTI NORTHWARD. HOWEVER...MODELS SHOW THE
CONVERGENCE ZONE WILL REMAIN IN THE AREA...KEEPING THE THREAT OF
DEEP CONVECTION ALIVE FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. EXPECT SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS TO REFORM DURING THE TIME PERIOD.

POWELL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Maui

When
February 28, 3:00 AM HST to February 29, 10:30 AM HST
Where
Maui forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, North and East Hawaii

When
February 28, 3:00 AM HST to February 29, 10:30 AM HST
Where
North and East Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, South Hawaii

When
February 28, 3:00 AM HST to February 29, 10:30 AM HST
Where
South Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Winter Storm, West Hawaii

When
February 28, 3:00 AM HST to February 29, 10:30 AM HST
Where
West Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

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: 5431065, 5431066, 5431067, 5431068.