An upper low passing north of the islands produced strong west winds across the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. Wind chill temperatures were as low as 0 degrees F, and occasional snow showers reduced visibility.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
An upper low passing north of the islands produced strong west winds across the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. Wind chill temperatures were as low as 0 degrees F, and occasional snow showers reduced visibility. However, no significant injuries or property damage were reported.
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 Jan 7, 4:27 PM HST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 427 PM HST FRI JAN 7 2011 .UPDATE... RAPIDLY COOLING CLOUD TOPS NEAR THE BIG ISLAND INDICATE THAT AN AREA OF SNOW WILL AFFECT THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS INTO THE EVENING. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED. && .SYNOPSIS... AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE SLOWLY PASSING 600 MILES NORTH OF THE STATE WILL MAINTAIN A COOL AND RATHER DRY AIR MASS OVER THE ISLANDS INTO SUNDAY. INSTABILITY GENERATED BY THE LOW WILL MAINTAIN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS OVER THE ISLANDS THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI THIS EVENING. COOL AND RATHER DRY WESTERLY WINDS ARE IN STORE SATURDAY AFTERNOON...SHIFTING OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST SUNDAY AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT WILL BRING SHOWERS TO THE STATE MONDAY. FAIR WEATHER TUESDAY WILL BE FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER FRONT WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. && .PREV DISCUSSION... A REX BLOCK ACROSS THE CENTRAL PACIFIC...FEATURING STRONG HIGH PRESSURE OVER ALASKA AND DEEP LOW PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES NORTH OF HAWAII...WILL CONTROL THE WEATHER OVER THE ISLANDS THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK. A SHORTWAVE ALOFT IS CURRENTLY PASSING OVER THE ISLANDS AS IT DIVES INTO THE REX BLOCK...THOUGH IT HAS HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME TRIGGERING SHOWERS DUE TO THE DRY AIR MASS IN PLACE OVER THE STATE. THIS IS IN SPITE OF VERY COLD 500 MB TEMPERATURES OF -19 C OBSERVED IN THE LIHUE SOUNDING THIS AFTERNOON. ONLY A HANDFUL OF REPORTING SITES HAVE MEASURED A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN IN THE PAST 3 HOURS...BUT THE SHORTWAVE MANAGED TO GENERATE AN ISOLATED CONVECTIVE CELL OVER UPCOUNTRY MAUI. REPORTS FROM OLINDA AND KULA INDICATED THAT THIS CELL DUMPED ICE PELLETS UP TO THE SIZE OF A PEA. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN IN THE FORECAST THROUGH THE EVENING...ALONG WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS...FOR THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI. ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IS IN STORE FOR THE REST OF THE STATE...WHERE THE SHORTWAVE HAS CLEARED. PARTIAL CLEARING WILL SPREAD TO MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND OVERNIGHT. WESTERLY WINDS OVER THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS WILL INCREASE RAPIDLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE SHORTWAVE ALOFT PASSES BY. AS A RESULT...WE HAVE ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS TONIGHT. SUMMITS WINDS WILL DECREASE ON SATURDAY...BUT WILL LIKELY REMAIN STRONG ENOUGH TO REQUIRE A WIND ADVISORY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. THE HALEAKALA SUMMIT MAY ALSO NEED TO BE ADDED TO THE ADVISORY AT THAT TIME. IN ADDITION...WITH THE EXCEPTIONALLY COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT SPREADING OVERHEAD UNDER THE STRONG WESTERLY WINDS...WIND CHILL READINGS MAY DIP BELOW 0 DEG FAHRENHEIT ON THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS TONIGHT...WHERE A WIND CHILL ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED. A COOL AND RATHER DRY WESTERLY...LOW LEVEL FLOW IS EXPECTED TO DOMINATE INTO SUNDAY. KAUAI...AND POSSIBLY OAHU...MAY SEE ANOTHER WEAK BAND OF SHOWERS PASS BY EARLY SATURDAY...BUT OTHERWISE... SHOWERS WILL BE LIGHT AND ISOLATED. DEW POINT TEMPERATURES WILL HOLD IN THE UPPER 50/S...LEADING TO COOL TEMPERATURES WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS DIPPING INTO THE UPPER 50/S AT SEA LEVEL. WINDS WILL BACK OUT TO THE SOUTHWEST AND INCREASE LATE SUNDAY AS ANOTHER FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. A PAIR OF FRONTS WILL PASS OVER THE STATE NEXT WEEK. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL STEADILY INCREASE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MAY GET QUITE GUSTY OVER WINDWARD AREAS PRONE TO DOWNSLOPING WINDS. THE FRONT WILL BRING SHOWERS DOWN THE ISLAND CHAIN FROM THE WEST MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...FOLLOWED BY A PERIOD OF FAIR WEATHER TUESDAY INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER FRONT IS FORECAST TO ARRIVE WEDNESDAY NIGHT OR THURSDAY. && .AVIATION... WITH THE SHORTWAVE ALOFT PASSING OVER THE ISLANDS...AIRMETS FOR MID TO HIGH LEVEL TURBULENCE AND ICING ARE IN PLACE. LOOK FOR THE TURBULENCE AIRMET TO REMAIN INTO THE EVENING...WHILE THE AIRMET FOR ICING WILL LIKELY BE SCALED DOWN TO THE EASTERN END OF THE STATE. && .MARINE... THE WAIMEA BUOY AND BUOYS NORTH OF THE ISLANDS ARE REPORTING THAT THE NORTH SWELL PEAKED EARLIER TODAY. THE WAIMEA BUOY AND BUOY 51101 ARE SLOWLY DROPPING...COMING IN AT 10 TO 11 FT AT 12 TO 13 SECONDS...WHILE BUOY 51100 IS 1-2 FT LARGER. THE NORTH SWELL WILL SLOWLY DECLINE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. AS A RESULT...THE HIGH ADVISORY REMAINS IN PLACE FOR NORTH FACING SHORES OF KAUAI...OAHU... MOLOKAI...MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH TONIGHT. SURF IS FORECAST TO DECLINE BELOW THE ADVISORY LEVEL BY SATURDAY MORNING. THE RESULTING COMBINED SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO HOVER AROUND 10 FT THROUGH TONIGHT...REQUIRING A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS. IN ADDITION...A MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED TO HIGHLIGHT HARBOR SURGE POTENTIAL FROM THE NORTH SWELL AT HILO AND KAHULUI HARBORS. A NORTHWEST SWELL DUE ON SUNDAY WILL PRODUCE SURF BRIEFLY APPROACHING ADVISORY LEVELS FOR NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES. A MUCH LARGER NORTHWEST SWELL MAY CREATE WARNING LEVEL SURF MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 6 PM HST TODAY THROUGH 6 AM HST SATURDAY FOR THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM HST TODAY THROUGH 6 AM HST SATURDAY FOR THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST SATURDAY FOR NORTH FACING SHORES OF KAUAI OAHU MOLOKAI MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY FOR ALL WATERS AND CHANNELS EXCEPT MAALAEA BAY. && WROE
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 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, January 2011
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: 274108.