Drought in Hawaii, March 1 to 31, 2010

Name: Drought in Hawaii, March 1 to 31, 2010
Start: 2010-03-01T00:00
End: 2010-03-31T23:59
Location: Hawaii

March 1 to 31, 2010 · NWS HFO · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Parts of the Aloha State continued to see little significant rainfall. Water restrictions remained in force in these areas.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 11

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.

Parts of the Aloha State continued to see little significant rainfall. Water restrictions remained in force in these areas.

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, 8:50 PM HST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 8:50 PM HST, 3 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
850 PM HST SUN FEB 28 2010

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH OF THE STATE WILL BRING STRONG TRADES TO
THE ISLANDS THROUGH MONDAY. THE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN A BIT
ON TUESDAY...BUT STAY BREEZY THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. CLOUDS AND
SHOWERS WILL TEND TO FAVOR SELECT WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS...WITH
MORE SHOWERS EXPECTED DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
CLOUDS REMAIN OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS AS A RESULT OF A DYING
FRONT NEARBY. THE HIGH PRESSURE NORTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS IS EXPECTED
TO CONTINUE TO BUILD AND MOVE EASTWARD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
THE STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE FRONT AND THE HIGH HAVE
RESULTED IN THE STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS BEING FELT ACROSS THE ISLANDS
TONIGHT. WE ARE EXPECTING THESE WINDS TO CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY. AS
THE HIGH BEGINS TO MOVE TO A MORE NORTH POSITION FROM THE ISLANDS ON
TUESDAY...WE SHOULD START TO SEE THE WIND SPEEDS BACK OFF A BIT.
THAT BEING SAID...WINDS WILL REMAIN ELEVATED THROUGH THE END OF THE
WEEK.

DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK...THE GFS SHOWS AN INCREASE IN
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE RIDING IN ON THE TRADES. AS SUCH...THERE WILL BE
MORE SHOWERS DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK.

THE SHORT TERM GRIDS APPEAR TO BE IN LINE SO DO NOT ANTICIPATE AN
UPDATE TO THE FORECAST TONIGHT. WILL LIKELY BE TWEAKING THE LONGER
RANGE GRIDS FOR THE 4 AM PACKAGE.

&&

.MARINE...
BUOY 51101 INDICATES SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS OF 15 FEET WITH A
PERIOD OF AROUND 16 SECONDS. NIIHAU AND KAUAI ARE LIKELY SEEING A
RAPID RISE AT THE PRESENT TIME WITH LONG PERIOD FORERUNNERS LIKELY
BEING EXPERIENCED ON OAHU AS WELL. THIS SWELL WILL PEAK ON MONDAY
THEN GRADUALLY LOWER INTO MID WEEK. THE INITIAL DIRECTION WILL BE
FROM AROUND 320 DEGREES BUT WILL SLOWLY SWING AROUND TO A MORE
NORTHERLY DIRECTION WITH TIME.

TRADE WINDS WILL REMAIN QUITE STRONG FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WITH
THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED IN THE CHANNELS AND WELL AS NEAR
EXPOSED HEADLANDS. THE STRONG TRADE WINDS WILL ALSO CAUSE AN
INCREASE IN SHORT PERIOD CHOPPY SURF ALONG EAST FACING SHORES.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST MONDAY FOR NIIHAU-KAUAI-OAHU-
MOLOKAI-LANAI-KAHOOLAWE-MAUI-KONA-SOUTH BIG ISLAND-BIG ISLAND
NORTH AND EAST-KOHALA-BIG ISLAND INTERIOR.

HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 6 AM HST TUESDAY FOR NIIHAU-KAUAI
WINDWARD-KAUAI LEEWARD-WAIANAE COAST-OAHU NORTH SHORE-OAHU
KOOLAU-MOLOKAI-MAUI WINDWARD WEST-MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY-WINDWARD
HALEAKALA.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST TUESDAY FOR KONA-KOHALA.

WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST MONDAY FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST TUESDAY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN
WATERS-
&&

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Kauai Windward

When: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency

Drought, Molokai Leeward

When: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency

Drought, Lanai Makai

When: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Lanai Makai forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency

Drought, Lanai Mauka

When: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Lanai Mauka forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 21.027, -156.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Maui Windward West

When: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Maui Windward West forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 21.027, -156.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Maui Leeward West

When: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Maui Leeward West forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 21.027, -156.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Maui Central Valley

When: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency

Drought, Leeward Haleakala

When: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Leeward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency

Drought, South Big Island

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

Drought, Kohala

When: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 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: March 1, 12:00 AM HST to March 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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, March 2010

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: 214351, 214352, 214353, 214354, 214355, 214357, 214358, 214359, 214360, 214361, 214362.