Very strong winds developed over the Big Island Summits, reaching high wind warning levels by 11:30 pm HST on the 6th, and peaking out between 10 am HST on the 7th and 3 pm HST on the 7th. During the peak, wind gusts reached 114 mph at the CFHT observing station on Mauna Kea summit.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
Very strong winds developed over the Big Island Summits, reaching high wind warning levels by 11:30 pm HST on the 6th, and peaking out between 10 am HST on the 7th and 3 pm HST on the 7th. During the peak, wind gusts reached 114 mph at the CFHT observing station on Mauna Kea summit. Sustained winds reached up to 80 mph during this event.
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 6, 8:43 PM HST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 843 PM HST SAT FEB 6 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT PASSING ACROSS OAHU THIS EVENING WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE ISLAND CHAIN OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...BRINGING GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS AND PERIODS OF SHOWERS. BEHIND THE FRONT...EXPECT THE COOLEST AIR MASS OF THE SEASON TO SETTLE OVER THE STATE...WHILE BREEZY AND GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS BEGIN TO GRADUALLY DIMINISH ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL SHIFT OUT OF A TYPICAL TRADE WIND DIRECTION AND DECREASE ON MONDAY AS THE COOL AND DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE. GENTLE TRADE WINDS WILL DOMINATE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE LINGERS NORTH OF THE STATE. && .DISCUSSION... AS OF 8 PM...THE COLD FRONT IS PASSING ACROSS OAHU...AND IS MOVING STEADILY TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST NEAR 20 MPH. THE FRONT IS MARKED BY A LINE OF SCATTERED SHOWERS...ALTHOUGH SHOWER ACTIVITY CONTINUES TO MORE PREVALENT WITHIN AN AREA OF PRE-FRONTAL CONVERGENCE OVER MAUI COUNTY. BEHIND THE FRONT...GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS HAVE FILLED IN ACROSS KAUAI...WHERE THE HIGHEST GUST OBSERVED THUS FAR HAS BEEN 39 MPH AT BARKING SANDS. SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS THE FRONT STRETCHING FROM HAWAII NORTHEAST TO A LOW NEAR 33N146W...WHILE HIGH PRESSURE IS BUILDING EASTWARD BEHIND THE FRONT OVER THE NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. ALOFT...A MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS IS CENTERED NEAR 160W AND MOVING EASTWARD. MIMIC-TPW SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS AN AREA OF ENHANCED MOISTURE WITH ESTIMATED PWATS NEAR 1.4 INCHES OVER THE CENTRAL ISLANDS...AND A NARROW STRIPE OF ENHANCED MOISTURE ALONG THE FRONT AS WELL. A VERY DRY AIRMASS PREVAILS BEHIND THE FRONT. WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO MARGINAL ADVISORY LEVELS ON THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS EARLY THIS EVENING. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE FURTHER TO WARNING LEVELS OVERNIGHT AS MID LEVEL FLOW STRENGTHENS DUE TO THE PASSING TROUGH. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS POSTED FOR THE SUMMITS BEGINNING AT MIDNIGHT AND RUNNING THROUGH 6 AM MONDAY. OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE MOVING QUICKLY TO THE SOUTHEAST...PASSING OVER MAUI COUNTY DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND REACHING THE BIG ISLAND BEFORE SUNRISE. RAIN CHANCES WILL REMAIN RATHER HIGH ACROSS MAUI COUNTY AND NORTHERN/WINDWARD PARTS OF THE BIG ISLAND OVERNIGHT DUE TO THE FRONT ALONG WITH THE PRE-FRONTAL BAND...WHILE SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL AFFECT MAINLY THE NORTH FACING SLOPES/COASTS OF KAUAI AND OAHU. WINDS OBSERVED ACROSS KAUAI THUS FAR SEEM TO SUPPORT THE IDEA OF PEAK GUSTS REMAINING IN THE 40 TO 45 MPH RANGE AND BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS...ALTHOUGH THERE MAY HAVE BEEN STRONGER GUSTS ON KAUAI IN AREAS LACKING WIND GAUGES...PARTICULARLY AROUND WAIMEA CANYON. WE WILL CONTINUE MONITORING WIND OBSERVATIONS CLOSELY OVERNIGHT AS THE FRONT PROGRESSES ACROSS ADDITIONAL ISLANDS. THE EXISTING FORECAST APPEARS TO BE ON TRACK...AND NO UPDATES ARE PLANNED FOR THIS EVENING. THE COOLEST AIRMASS OF THE SEASON WILL SETTLE OVER THE STATE ON SUNDAY. AT BUOY 51001 BEHIND THE FRONT...DEW POINTS HAVE BEEN HOLDING IN THE MID 50S THIS EVENING WHILE THE AIR TEMPERATURE HAS DROPPED INTO THE UPPER 60S. WITH THIS AIRMASS MOVING OVER THE ISLANDS...DAYTIME HIGHS WILL REMAIN IN THE 70S FOR MOST AREAS ON SUNDAY...AND THE RATHER DRY AND BREEZY NORTHERLY WINDS WILL MAKE IT FEEL QUITE COOL BY ISLAND STANDARDS. WINDS WILL DIMINISH SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY AS THE RIDGE TO OUR NORTH WEAKENS... BUT THE COOL AND RATHER DRY AIRMASS IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN PLACE...PUSHING SUNDAY NIGHT LOW TEMPS INTO THE UPPER 50S AND LOWER 60S. COOL TEMPS WILL LINGER FOR MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT AS WELL...WITH HIGHS STILL MOSTLY IN THE 70S AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S. IT APPEARS THAT A WEAK RIDGE WILL THEN REMAIN JUST NORTH OF THE STATE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK...MAINTAINING GENTLE TRADE WIND FLOW OVER THE ISLANDS. A WEAK...DECAYING FRONT MAY BRING AN INCREASE IN WINDWARD RAINFALL WEDNESDAY NIGHT OR THURSDAY... ALTHOUGH THE MOST RECENT GFS/EC RUNS KEEP THIS FEATURE SLIGHTLY NORTH OF THE ISLANDS. MODELS SHIFT THE SURFACE HIGH CENTER AWAY TO THE EAST BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK INTO NEXT WEEKEND AS ANOTHER WEAK FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST...SHIFTING THE RIDGE AXIS SOUTHWARD TO NEAR KAUAI AND ALLOWING SE FLOW TO DEVELOP OVER THE STATE. THIS WOULD LIKELY ALLOW A RETURN OF THE SEA BREEZE PATTERN OVER THE SMALLER ISLANDS. ASIDE FROM THE POSSIBLE WEAK FRONT NEARBY AROUND MIDWEEK...IT APPEARS THAT A DRY AND STABLE AIRMASS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH NEXT WEEK...WITH LITTLE RAINFALL FOR MOST AREAS. && .AVIATION... A FRONT PASSING SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE MAIN ISLAND CHAIN...ALONG WITH A PREFRONTAL CLOUD BAND ACROSS THE CENTRAL ISLANDS...IS SPREADING A PALL OF LOW CEILINGS AND THE THREAT OF STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS AS IT GOES. AIRMET TANGO FOR TURBULENCE IS IN EFFECT BELOW 10000 FEET AND FROM 14000 TO 22000 FEET. AIRMET SIERRA IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION ABOVE 2000 FEET. THESE FLIGHT HAZARDS WILL TRAVEL SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE NIGHT AS THE FRONT MOVES. TEMPORARY MVFR AND IFR CONDITIONS MAY ALSO OCCUR AT AFFECTED ISLAND TAF TERMINALS. && .MARINE... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES /SCA/ ARE NOW POSTED FOR ALL WATERS EXCEPT FOR BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS IN ANTICIPATION OF STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS AND HAZARDOUS SEAS DEVELOPING ALONG AND BEHIND ON FRONT MOVING THROUGH OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY. WINDS WILL BEGIN A GRADUAL DECLINE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON...THOUGH THE SCA IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT AND MAY NEED TO BE EXPANDED TO BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS. ELEVATED SEAS WILL LIKELY PERSIST ON MONDAY...THOUGH WINDS WILL BE AT BORDER LINE STRENGTH FOR AN SCA. THE NEXT LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...WHICH WILL LIKELY GENERATE WELL ABOVE WARNING-LEVEL SURF ALONG THE EXPOSED NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES. THE LATEST ENSEMBLE WAVE GUIDANCE SUPPORTS THIS SWELL BUILDING THROUGH THE DAY WEDNESDAY...PEAKING THROUGH THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT PERIOD AND SLOWLY EASING THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. HOWEVER...PROVIDED THE CURRENT ENSEMBLE SPREAD IN THE GUIDANCE THIS FAR OUT IN THE FORECAST... FURTHER FINE-TUNING WITH REGARD TO THE TIMING AND PEAK WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE OVER THE COMING DAYS AS THE STRONG LOW PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SWELL EVOLVES AND LIFTS NORTHEAST TOWARD THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM HST MONDAY FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM HST MONDAY FOR BIG ISLAND WINDWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST MONDAY FOR MAUI COUNTY WINDWARD WATERS-MAUI COUNTY LEEWARD WATERS-MAALAEA BAY-PAILOLO CHANNEL-ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST MONDAY FOR KAUAI NORTHWEST WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS-KAUAI LEEWARD WATERS-KAUAI CHANNEL. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST MONDAY FOR OAHU WINDWARD WATERS-OAHU LEEWARD WATERS-KAIWI CHANNEL. && DISCUSSION/MARINE...JACOBSON AVIATION...POWELL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
CFHT-GEM telescope wind instrumentation on Mauna Kea measured peak wind gusts of 114 mph at 10 AM HST and 3 PM HST on Feb. 7th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 2016
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: 615532.