Winds from the southwest reached high wind criteria near the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious property damage or injuries were reported.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
Winds from the southwest reached high wind criteria near the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious property damage or injuries 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 Dec 26, 8:30 PM HST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Honolulu HI 830 PM HST Tue Dec 26 2017 .SYNOPSIS... Showers and thunderstorms ahead of an approaching front will primarily impact the western and central islands tonight. A cold front will shift eastward across the state Wednesday and Wednesday night, bringing improving conditions and a decrease in showers in its wake. Trade winds along with drier and more stable conditions will begin to return on Thursday, with locally breezy trade wind weather featuring mainly windward and mauka showers then expected through early next week. && .DISCUSSION... Currently at the surface, a 1010 mb low is centered around 500 miles north of Honolulu, with a trailing cold front extending southwestward to around 100 miles west-northwest of Kauai. Meanwhile aloft, a sharp negatively tilted upper level trough is moving through Kauai and just to the southwest of Oahu and Maui County. Infrared satellite imagery shows mostly cloudy skies in place across the state. Meanwhile radar imagery shows numerous to widespread showers and thunderstorms from Kauai eastward to Maui, with the brunt of the heavy rainfall now moving into Molokai. Main short term concern continues to revolve around the heavy rainfall and potential for strong thunderstorms. Tonight through Wednesday night, The front will move slowly eastward and through Kauai overnight, then continue to edge eastward through Oahu late Wednesday or Wednesday evening, before stalling out in the vicinity of Maui County after midnight. The sharp negatively tilted upper level trough will continue to lift northeastward across the central and eastern islands this evening, with another upper trough then approaching from the west Wednesday afternoon. This secondary upper level trough will then push eastward across the island chain Wednesday night. As for sensible weather details, the main heavy rainfall threat is expected this evening for Kauai and Oahu, with the heavy rainfall threat expected through the night across Maui County. The deepest moisture and best forcing for ascent will remain to the west of the Big Island overnight, but southwesterly winds are expected to bring increasing showers, mainly to the typically dry leeward areas. In addition to the heavy rainfall threat, some strong thunderstorms will be possible mainly across Maui County, with gusty winds and small hail not out of the question. Lingering deep layer moisture will remain over the state Wednesday and Wednesday night in association with the slow moving frontal boundary as it shifts down the island chain. This in combination with a reinforcing upper level trough moving through the area, will keep conditions somewhat unsettled with showery weather at times. The Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai through 6 AM Wednesday. With the best forcing for ascent lifting north of the state by daybreak, the watch will likely be cancelled with the 4 AM forecast package. The Wind Advisory remains in effect for the Big Island summits through 6 AM Wednesday. Winds at summit level are expected to decrease after midnight, so this advisory will likely be able to be cancelled with the 4 AM forecast package as well. Thursday through next Tuesday, The weakening front is expected to dissipate over the central islands on Thursday, with high pressure becoming the dominant weather feature as it builds to the north of the state. This will bring a return of the trade winds from northwest to southeast down the island chain on Thursday. High pressure will then remain north of the state Thursday night through early next week, resulting in moderate trade winds across the island chain. As for sensible weather details, some lingering shower activity is expected in associated with the dissipating front across the central islands Thursday morning, with a transition over to a mainly windward/mauka shower pattern Thursday afternoon. Typical trade wind weather is then expected Thursday night and Friday as some lingering moisture keeps scattered to numerous showers moving into windward areas with a few showers drifting leeward from time to time. Over the weekend and into early next week, the airmass appears to dry out further with precipitable water (PW) values dropping to around 1 inch or less. As a result, isolated to scattered showers are expected to remain confined primarily to windward and mauka areas. && .AVIATION... A cold front will continue to move into the Hawaiian Islands from the northwest. This frontal boundary will pass through Kauai tonight and continue to sweep eastward across the state. Showers and thunderstorm are developing ahead of the cold front. These shower bands will also move eastward with widespread rain and scattered thunderstorms reaching Molokai, Lanai and Maui later tonight. Expect MVFR with isolated IFR conditions within the showers and thunderstorm bands. VFR conditions are forecast over the Big Island and most areas outside of the cloud and shower bands. Weather conditions will improve behind the front as it passes Kauai later tonight and Oahu on Wednesday. AIRMET SIERRA for mountain obscuration remains posted for Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and Lanai. Conditions will improve from west to east starting Wednesday morning. This AIRMET may need to expand over Maui later tonight as low cloud ceilings move in. && .MARINE... Numerous heavy showers and scattered thunderstorms will continue to affect western and central portions of the coastal waters overnight, ahead of an advancing cold front. Associated hazards will include frequent lightning, very low visibilities and strong gusty winds. Thunderstorm activity is forecast to decrease across the waters late tonight into early Wednesday morning. Southerly winds ahead of the front will turn northeast as the front moves through the state Wednesday and Wednesday night. Winds are currently expected to remain below Small Craft Advisory (SCA) criteria. An extended period of trade winds is forecast for the later part of this week through the weekend, with winds possibly reaching SCA levels in the typically windy areas around Maui County and the Big Island by Saturday night or Sunday morning. The current northerly swell continues to decline this evening. Another north swell will build Wednesday night and peak Thursday, with resulting surf expected to remain below advisory levels. South facing shores will see a small bump in surf Thursday through Saturday due to a couple of long period south and southwest swells. East facing shores will see increasingly rough surf as we head into the weekend due to building trade winds. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flash Flood Watch until 6 AM HST Wednesday for Kauai-Oahu- Molokai. Wind Advisory until 6 AM HST Wednesday for Big Island Summits. && DISCUSSION...Jelsema AVIATION...Bohlin MARINE...Jacobson
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
715 PM HST TUE DEC 26 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 PM FLASH FLOOD HONOLULU 21.31N 157.86W
12/26/2017 HONOLULU HI NWS EMPLOYEE
OFF DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE REPORTED WATER FLOWING INTO STORES
AT MARKET CITY BETWEEN KAPIOLANI BLVD AND KAPAHULU AVE.
&&
JACOBSONSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Honolulu HI
834 PM HST TUE DEC 26 2017
HIZ012-013-270730-
Molokai Windward-Molokai Leeward-
834 PM HST TUE DEC 26 2017
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT MOLOKAI IN MAUI COUNTY...
At 833 PM HST, a strong thunderstorm was located just southwest of
Maunaloa, moving northeast at 40 mph.
Winds in excess of 30 mph and pea size hail are possible with this
storm as it moves over western and central sections of Molokai.
Locations impacted include...
Hoolehua, Maunaloa, Kualapuu, Kalaupapa National Park, Kaunakakai,
Kepuhi, Kawela, Kamalo and Molokai Airport.
Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may cause
localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
LAT...LON 2120 15719 2118 15701 2121 15696 2117 15694
2116 15690 2118 15676 2105 15688 2111 15710
2109 15714 2111 15731 2114 15731 2119 15725
2123 15725
TIME...MOT...LOC 0633Z 228DEG 36KT 2115 15722
JacobsonThe 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 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 2017
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: 727118.