An upper trough close to the Aloha State caused warning-level south to southwest winds at the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
An upper trough close to the Aloha State caused warning-level south to southwest winds at the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. 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 Mar 15, 4:00 AM HST, 5 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 400 AM HST SUN MAR 15 2009 .SYNOPSIS... A LOW FAR NORTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS WILL MOVE CLOSE TO KAUAI LATER TODAY AND SLOWLY DISSIPATE IN THE VICINITY BY MONDAY. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE MAINLY OVER OAHU AND MAUI COUNTY THIS MORNING...WITH IMPROVING WEATHER IN THE AFTERNOON. A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL LINGER NEAR THE ISLANDS THROUGH TUESDAY WITH SEA AND LAND BREEZES BECOMING MORE PRONOUNCED. TRADES WILL SLOWLY RETURN BEGINNING WEDNESDAY. && .DISCUSSION... THE NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST ORIENTED LINES OF RAIN CLOUDS DEVELOPED OVERNIGHT NEAR THE CENTRAL ISLANDS. HEAVY SHOWERS ONCE AGAIN AFFECTED OAHU AS WELL AS WEST MAUI THIS MORNING. THESE RAIN CLOUDS ARE MOVING RATHER SWIFTLY NORTH NORTHEASTWARD...UNDER A MODERATE SOUTHWEST WIND FLOW...THOUGH LINES OF THESE CLOUDS ARE TO PASS THROUGH OAHU AS WELL AS MAUI COUNTY AT LEAST THROUGH THE MORNING. HAVE ISSUED FLOOD ADVISORY FOR BOTH OAHU AND WEST MAUI AT TIME. DUE TO YESTERDAYS HEAVY RAIN...AREAS ON OAHU WILL BE PARTICULARLY PRONE TO FLOODING. HAVE TO KEEP A CLOSER WATCH ON THIS SITUATION. SOUNDINGS FROM LIHUE AND HILO SHOWED A DRIER BUT STILL UNSTABLE AIR MASS. BELIEVE BOTH OF THESE SOUNDINGS WILL BE A LITTLE UNDER REPRESENTING THE AVAILABLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. THUS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FAR NORTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS CONTINUE TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE ISLAND WEATHER TODAY...STILL BRINGING UNSETTLED WEATHER WITH MODERATE SOUTHERLY WINDS. WINDS AT THE SUMMITS OF HALEAKALA AND THE BIG ISLAND CONTINUE TO BE STRONG THIS MORNING. FORECAST CHARTS INDICATE THE WINDY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT LEAST THROUGH THIS EVENING. SHALL NOT BE SURPRISED IF THE A WIND ADVISORY WILL BE EXTENDED ONCE AGAIN FOR THE SUMMITS THEN. THE LOW THAT BROUGHT THE UNSETTLED WEATHER AS WELL AS THE MODERATE SOUTHWEST WINDS IS STILL ABOUT 350 MILES NORTHWEST OF KAUAI THIS MORNING. ITS MOVEMENT HAS TURNED SOUTH AT ABOUT 15 MILES PER HOUR. THIS LOW IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY WEAKEN THROUGH THE DAY. EXPECT SLOW IMPROVEMENT IN THE WEATHER OVER THE ISLANDS THIS AFTERNOON ...WITH LESS SHOWERS AS WELL AS LESS WIND. THIS LOW WILL PROBABLY DISSIPATE WEST OF KAUAI BY MONDAY...THOUGH A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL LINGER IN THE VICINITY OF THE ISLANDS THROUGH TUESDAY. LOOK FOR WINDS TO BECOME LIGHT SOUTHEAST WITH LAND AND SEA BREEZES BECOMING MORE PROMINENT. A MORE CONVECTIVE WEATHER REGIME WILL SET IN...WITH CLOUDS AND SHOWERS DEVELOPING OVER THE ISLANDS MAINLY DURING THE DAY TIME HOURS...WHILE SOME CLEARING WILL OCCUR OVERNIGHT. FORECAST CHARTS INDICATE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN MARGINALLY UNSTABLE THUS EXPECT MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION TO AFFECT THE ISLANDS. IT LOOKS LIKE TRADE WINDS WILL RETURN A LITTLE EARLIER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT...AS THE SURFACE TROUGH DISSIPATES IN THE VICINITY BY WEDNESDAY. FORECAST CHARTS INDICATE TRADES WILL REMAIN OVER THE ISLANDS THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK...AND MAY EVEN REACH MODERATE LEVEL BY NEXT WEEKEND. && .MARINE... LINGERING SWELL CONTINUES TO DECLINE THIS MORNING...THOUGH SURF HEIGHTS FOR EAST FACING SHORES ARE STILL ELEVATED ENOUGH TO WARRANT A HIGH SURF ADVISORY THROUGH THIS EVENING. THUS HAVE EXTENDED THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR EAST FACING SHORES ONLY FOR MOST OF THE ISLANDS TODAY. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS EVENING FOR KAUAI WINDWARD-OAHU KOOLAU-OLOMANA-MOLOKAI WINDWARD-MOLOKAI LEEWARD-MAUI WINDWARD WEST-MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY-WINDWARD HALEAKALA-BIG ISLAND NORTH AND EAST. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST SUNDAY FOR HALEAKALA SUMMIT-BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. && HUI
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 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 2009
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: 153939.