High Wind in Hawaii, May 21 to 28, 2012

Name: High Wind in Hawaii, May 21 to 28, 2012
Start: 2012-05-21T14:49
End: 2012-05-28T22:10
Location: Hawaii

May 21 to 28, 2012 · NWS HFO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An upper low east of the state brought high winds to the upper elevations in Maui and on the Big Island of Hawaii. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

An upper low east of the state brought high winds to the upper elevations in Maui and on the Big Island of Hawaii. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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 May 21, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 21, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours 49 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST MON MAY 21 2012

.SYNOPSIS...
TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO PICK UP TODAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN
NORTHEAST OF THE STATE. THE TRADE WINDS WILL PICK UP A BIT FURTHER
TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS THE HIGH STRENGTHENS. EXPECT SHOWERS
TO CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS WITH JUST
ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER SELECT LEEWARD LOCATIONS. THERE WILL ALSO BE
SOME SHOWERS OVER THE KONA SLOPES DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
HOURS.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
HIGH PRESSURE WILL STRENGTHEN FAR TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE STATE
PLACING THE ISLANDS IN A TRADE WIND ENVIRONMENT. WINDS WILL BE ON
THE INCREASE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH RATHER BREEZY CONDITIONS
EXPECTED. WINDS AT THE HIGHER SUMMITS ON MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND
CONTINUE TO HOVER NEAR ADVISORY LEVELS. WIND SPEEDS WILL FLUCTUATE
FROM TIME TO TIME THROUGH TUESDAY. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT
WITH AN UPPER LEVEL LOW APPROACHING THE ISLANDS FROM THE EAST
TUESDAY NIGHT. THE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE LOW AND AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH
FAR NORTHEAST OF THE STATE WILL CAUSE THE GRADIENT TO TIGHTEN WITH
SUMMIT WINDS EXPECTED TO INCREASE A BIT MORE POSSIBLY APPROACHING
LOW END WARNING LEVELS WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. SUMMIT LEVEL WINDS
ARE EXPECTED TO THEN DECREASE AS WE HEAD TOWARD THE WEEKEND. LOW
LEVEL WINDS WILL ALSO REMAIN ELEVATED THROUGH THE WEEK.

SHOWERS WILL FAVOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS THROUGH THE FORECAST
PERIOD. THE TRADE WINDS WILL BE SUFFICIENTLY STRONG TO BLOW A FEW
SHOWERS OVER TO LEEWARD AREAS AT TIMES. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME
AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS OVER THE KONA SLOPES. THE UPPER LOW IS
EXPECTED TO HAVE LIMITED IMPACTS ON THE ISLANDS. DESPITE SOME COLDER
500 MB TEMPERATURES...THE 700 MB TEMPERATURES DONT CHANGE MUCH WITH
THE LOWS PASSAGE. THUS ANY INCREASE IN SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY
BE DEPENDENT ON INCOMING MOISTURE RIDING IN ON THE TRADES.

&&

.MARINE...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEK OVER
THE USUAL WINDY WATERS AROUND MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND. SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS MAY ALSO SPREAD TO OTHER COASTAL WATER
ZONES AROUND MID WEEK AS WINDS AND SEAS INCREASE EVEN FURTHER.

A SERIES OF SMALL SOUTH AND SHORT PERIOD NORTHWEST SWELLS ARE
EXPECTED THIS WEEK. THE STRENGTHENING TRADE WINDS WILL ALSO CAUSE
SHORT PERIOD CHOPPY SURF TO INCREASE ALONG EAST FACING SHORES. SURF
IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL WITH ISOL MVFR OVER WINDWARD AREAS.
STRENGTHENING TRADE WINDS WILL REQUIRE AN AIRMET FOR LOW LEVEL
TURBULENCE STARTING THIS AFTERNOON.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST TUESDAY FOR HALEAKALA SUMMIT-BIG
ISLAND SUMMITS.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR MAALAEA BAY-PAILOLO CHANNEL-ALENUIHAHA
CHANNEL-BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS.

&&

SYNOPSIS...BURKE
DISCUSSION...BURKE
MARINE...BURKE
AVIATION...DONALDSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Big Island Summit

When: May 21, 2:49 PM HST to May 26, 6:28 PM HST
Where: Big Island Summit forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Haleakala Summit

When: May 23, 7:49 PM HST to May 28, 10:10 PM HST
Where: Haleakala Summit forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 21.027, -156.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Hawaii in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, May 2012

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: 375380, 375381.