Hawaii, 2009

Drought in Hawaii, May 1 to 31, 2009

May 1 to 31, 2009 · NWS HFO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Dry weather continued through May, so water restrictions remained in place over parts of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

Dry weather continued through May, so water restrictions remained in place over parts of the Big Island of Hawaii.

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 Apr 30, 7:50 PM HST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 7:50 PM HST, 4 hours 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
750 PM HST THU APR 30 2009

.SYNOPSIS...
AN EAST TO WEST ORIENTED RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE CLOSE
TO THE ISLANDS OVER THE WEEKEND. THIS WILL CAUSE THE WINDS TO BEND
TO THE SOUTHEAST AND SPREAD THE VOLCANIC HAZE TO THE SMALLER ISLANDS
OVER THE WEEKEND. CONDITIONS WILL BE DRY AS WELL.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A GENTLE NORTHEAST WIND FLOW IS BLOWING THROUGH THE MAIN HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS THIS EVENING...THANKS TO A MODEST 1023 MILLIBAR SURFACE HIGH
LOCATED 800 MILES NORTHWEST OF KAUAI. THE GFS MODEL HAS THIS HIGH
PASSING 200 MILES NORTH OF OAHU SATURDAY BEFORE RACING OFF TO THE
EAST. THERE WILL BE A TRAILING RIDGE EXTENDING FROM THE HIGH THAT
WILL STAY CLOSE TO THE ISLANDS...ABOUT 200 MILES NORTH OF OAHU OVER
THE REST OF THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE FIRST HALF OF THE NEW WORK
WEEK. THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE RIDGE TO THE ISLANDS WILL USHER A
LIGHT SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW TO ESPECIALLY THE SMALLER ISLANDS BY
SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS WIND PATTERN FAVORS THE VOLCANIC HAZE OR VOG
FOR THE SMALLER ISLANDS SUNDAY THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY.

BESIDE THE LIGHT WINDS...THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A
VERY STABLE AIR MASS WITH AN INVERSION AROUND 8000 FEET...AND
LIMITED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. THEREFORE EVEN WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND
SEA BREEZES...THE RESULTANT AFTERNOON CLOUDS WILL BE RESTRICTED TO
LOCALLY CLOUDY ESPECIALLY OVER THE SMALLER ISLANDS. WITH NO WEATHER
DISTURBANCES INSIGHT...THIS PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO LAST INTO
WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK.

IN THE MEANTIME...LIGHT TRADES AND A STABLE AIR MASS MEANS A QUIET
EVENING AHEAD. THERE ARE SOME PATCHES OF STABLE LOW CLOUDS SITUATED
OVER KAUAI COUNTY AND THE WINDWARD WATERS OF EAST OAHU AND MOLOKAI
AND OFF THE HAMAKUA COAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. ANY SHOWERS WILL BE
LIGHT AND BRIEF.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

H LAU

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, South Big Island

When
May 1, 12:00 AM HST to May 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Drought, Big Island North and East

When
May 1, 12:00 AM HST to May 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Drought, Kohala

When
May 1, 12:00 AM HST to May 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Kohala forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Big Island Interior

When
May 1, 12:00 AM HST to May 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Big Island Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, May 2009

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: 163825, 163826, 163827, 163828.