Funnel Cloud in Hawaii, November 5, 2004

Name: Funnel Cloud in Hawaii, November 5, 2004
Start: 2004-11-05T13:43
End: 2004-11-05T13:55
Location: Hawaii

November 5, 2004 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Observers on the isle of Molokai spotted a funnel cloud west of the airport. However, the funnel dissipated without incident.

Where it happened

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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.

Observers on the isle of Molokai spotted a funnel cloud west of the airport. However, the funnel dissipated without incident.

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 Nov 5, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 5, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 43 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST FRI NOV 5 2004

.SYNOPSIS...
A FRONT WEST OF KAUAI IS MOVING SLOWLY EASTWARD. AN AREA OF HEAVY
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONT IS CURRENTLY
AFFECTING THE WESTERNMOST MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...MOVING UP FROM THE
SOUTHWEST. THE FRONT IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE SLOWLY EASTWARD AND
WEAKEN OVER THE WESTERN ISLANDS OVER THE WEEKEND...THUS CONTINUING
THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL FOR MAINLY THE WESTERN ISLANDS THROUGH
THE WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A FRONT 160 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF BARKING SANDS ON THE WEST COAST
OF KAUAI IS MOVING EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD AT ABOUT 12 MPH. AN AREA OF
HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WHICH DEVELOPED LAST NIGHT IS
MOVING OVER THE WESTERNMOST MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THIS MORNING...
AND HAS PROMPTED THE ISSUANCE OF A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR NIIHAU...
KAUAI AND OAHU THROUGH 4PM TODAY. AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD
ADVISORY ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH SIDE OF OAHU AT 1000
AM.

ANALYSES AND SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW A TROUGH ALOFT WEST OF THE
STATE...WITH THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE SHIFTED SOUTHWARD AHEAD OF THE
FRONT TO THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. WITH THE RIDGE OVER THE
ISLANDS...TRADE WINDS HAVE TURNED SOUTHEASTERLY TO SOUTHERLY OVER
THE ISLANDS...BRINGING DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE UP FROM SOUTH AND
SOUTHEAST OF THE STATE. SOUNDINGS SHOW A HIGHLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS
OVER THE WESTERN END OF THE STATE...GRADUALLY STABILIZING FROM WEST
TO EAST...WITH A RATHER STABLE AIRMASS OVER THE BIG ISLAND OF
HAWAII.

THE GFS MODEL SHOWS THE COLD FRONT MOVING TO KAUAI ON SATURDAY AND
DISSIPATING IN PLACE OVER THE STATE. THUS OUR SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL
BECOME MORE LIGHT AND VARIABLE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY... THEN
RETURN TO SOUTHEASTERLY BY MONDAY IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT FRONT
APPROACHING THE STATE FROM THE NORTHWEST. WITH THE MOIST SOUTHERLY
FLOW AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH
ALOFT...EXPECT LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AROUND KAUAI
AND OAHU...WITH SOME CHANCE THESE WILL EXPAND TO COVER MAUI COUNTY
OVER THE WEEKEND. AS THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN MUCH MORE STABLE
NEAR THE BIG ISLAND THAN NEAR KAUAI...RAINFALL WILL BE PROGRESSIVELY
LIGHTER TOWARDS THE BIG ISLAND. AS THE FRONT BREAKS UP RAINFALL WILL
DECREASE...ALTHOUGH RESIDUAL INSTABILITY MAY ALLOW FOR DEVELOPMENT
OF AFTERNOON THUDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY ON KAUAI AND OAHU...THROUGH
THE WEEKEND.

&&

.HFO
.WATCHES...FLASH FLOOD KAUAI AND OAHU UNTIL 400PM HST.
.WARNINGS...NONE.
.ADVISORIES...FLOOD ADVISORY OAHU UNTIL 115PM HST.

&&

FARRELL

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 5, 1:43 PM HST, 0 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
143 PM HST FRI NOV 5 2004

HIZ013-060030-

MOLOKAI LEEWARD-
143 PM HST FRI NOV 5 2004

...FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED OVER MOLOKAI LEEWARD...

AT 145 PM HST...WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD
NEAR THE MOLOKAI AIRPORT.

WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUNNEL
CLOUDS THROUGH ABOUT 300 PM HST.

IF FUNNEL CLOUDS EXTEND TO THE GROUND...THEY CAN PRODUCE DANGEROUS
WINDS. REMAIN ALERT FOR CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND STAY TUNED TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR LOCAL MEDIA SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

THIS WILL BE THE FINAL STATEMENT UNLESS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

FARRELL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Maui

When: November 5, 1:43 PM HST to 1:55 PM HST
Where: Maui County, 2 mi W of Molokai Airport
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 20.868, -156.617 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Hawaii in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, November 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: 5431999.