Waterspout, Oahu Leeward Waters
- When
- February 2, 8:45 AM HST to 9:00 AM HST
- Where
- Oahu Leeward Waters marine zone, 6 mi W of Barbers Point
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 21.317, -158.183
Waterspout in Hawaiian Waters, February 2, 2005
A waterspout was sighted off the southwest coast of Oahu, west of Kalaeloa. Its movement was unknown.
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
- 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.
A waterspout was sighted off the southwest coast of Oahu, west of Kalaeloa. Its movement was unknown. The waterspout dissipated, with no reports of serious injuries or property damage.
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 2, 4:00 AM HST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 2, 4:00 AM HST, 4 hours 45 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 400 AM HST WED FEB 2 2005 .SYNOPSIS... A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE STATE TODAY. TONIGHT...THE THREAT OF HEAVY SHOWERS WILL CONCENTRATE OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND. A TROUGH BOTH AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL LINGER NEAR THE ISLANDS THIS WEEK...MAINTAINING A THREAT OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM MAINLY NEAR THE BIG ISLANDS. COOLER AND DRIER AIR WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD FROM KAUAI SOUTHWARD LATER THIS WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS NORTHWEST OF THE STATE. TRADES MAY POSSIBLY RETURN TO THE STATE OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE PASSES NORTH OF THE STATE. && .DISCUSSION... THE HEAVY RAINS AND THUNDERSTORMS RETURNED EN MASSE TO THE ISLANDS OVERNIGHT...PROMPTING URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORIES FOR MOST EVERYWHERE...AND EVENTUALLY A FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE ISLAND OF KAUAI JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. AS EXPECTED...A SURFACE TROUGH HAS FORMED OVER THE ISLANDS AND THE AXIS OF THE TROUGH IS CURRENTLY OVER MAUI COUNTY. OVER KAUAI AND OAHU...THE SHOWERS ARE CONCENTRATED ACROSS WINDWARD SECTIONS DUE TO THE NORTHEAST FLOW ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE TROUGH. GAGES INDICATE RAINFALL TOTALS ACROSS THE NORTH AND EAST SECTIONS OF KAUAI OF 1 TO 3 INCHES BETWEEN 11PM AND 3AM. IN SOME AREAS WITHOUT RAIN GAGES...RADAR ESTIMATES PLACED ONE HOUR TOTALS NEAR 6 INCHES DURING THE SAME TIME PERIOD. THOUGH THESE ESTIMATES ARE LIKELY A BIT ON THE HIGH SIDE...THEY ARE NOT OUT OF THE REALM OF POSSIBILITIES. THE HANALEI BRIDGE WAS REPORTED CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING AT 210AM...AND REMAINS CLOSED AS OF 330 AM. LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE CURRENTLY AFFECTING MAUI COUNTY THE WESTERN HALF OF THE BIG ISLAND. AT UPPER LEVELS...THE MAIN TROUGH OVER THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS CONTINUES TO DEEPEN AS A SHORTWAVE COZIES UP TO KAUAI. THE DEPTH OR STRENGTH OF THE TROUGH OVER THE STATE WILL PEAK TODAY...THEN GRADUALLY FILL IN WHILE STARTING A SLOW DRIFT TOWARD THE EAST. THAT SAID...WILL INCLUDE KAUAI IN THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY. THE EASTWARD MOVEMENT WILL CONCENTRATE THE THREAT OF HEAVY SHOWERS OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND TONIGHT...THUS THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THESE ISLANDS HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH TONIGHT. AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE STATE...COOLER AND DRIER AIR WILL RIDE IN WITH NORTHERLY FLOW STARTING WITH KAUAI THURSDAY...AND SPREADING SOUTHWARD OVER THE REMAINING ISLANDS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. IT APPEARS TRADES MAY RETURN OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK AS THE HIGH PASSES NORTH OF THE ISLANDS. BUT WE HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE...ONLY TO GET DISAPPOINTED LATER ON. WILL OPTIMISTICALLY KEEP THE TRADEWIND FORECAST OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. MODELS ARE HINTING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF YET ANOTHER FRONT TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...BUT WILL TAKE A WAIT AND SEE APPROACH. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR KAUAI OAHU MOLOKAI LANAI THROUGH TODAY. FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MAUI KAHOOLAWE AND THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH TONIGHT. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS THROUGH TONIGHT. && TANABE
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Waterspout
- A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Georgia, February 2, 2005
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 2 to 3, 2005
- Winter Weather in Georgia, February 2, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, February 2, 2005
- Dense Fog in California, February 2, 2005
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 2 to 3, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Arkansas, February 2, 2005
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 2, 2005
- Sleet in Georgia, February 2, 2005
- Flash Flood in Hawaii, February 2, 2005
- Winter Weather in Georgia, February 2, 2005
- Waterspout in Hawaiian Waters, February 2, 2005
More
Every storm in Hawaiian Waters in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather history
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5441520.