As high pressure built north of the islands, trade winds strengthened and caused power outages with downed lines and trees. No significant injuries were reported.
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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.
The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
As high pressure built north of the islands, trade winds strengthened and caused power outages with downed lines and trees. No significant 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 Jan 17, 3:24 PM HST, 4 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Honolulu HI 324 PM HST Wed Jan 17 2018 .SYNOPSIS... Strong and gusty trade winds are in store through Thursday as robust surface high pressure passes north of the state. Clouds and showers will favor windward and mauka areas, though a few showers will periodically spread leeward on the gusty trades. Winds will gradually decrease from Friday into the weekend as the surface high is pushed far northeast of the islands. && .DISCUSSION... Strong and gusty trade winds continue to develop. Currently, a building 1033 mb surface high is located about 1,100 miles northwest of Kauai, while a decaying front is stalling about 50 miles north of Kauai. A rather strong ridge aloft over the region is maintaining a solid inversion based at 3,500 to 5,500 ft according to the afternoon soundings and recent aircraft data. Winds have been steadily ramping up during the past 24 hours, with numerous stations on Maui County and the Big Island reporting advisory level winds. A further increase in winds is expected into Thursday as the surface high passes north of the state and builds to 1037 mb. The inversion will remain unchanged in most areas, causing the trade winds to be accelerated over and around island terrain. As a result, the Wind Advisory has been expanded to cover the lower elevations of all islands, and with the GFS and ECMWF models showing winds near the inversion level increasing another 5 kt or so, we will have to closely monitor locations such as the leeward Kohala districts for the potential for High Wind Warning conditions. The Wind Advisory currently runs through Thursday afternoon, though it will likely need to be extended through Thursday night for the state and possibly into Friday for portions of the Big Island and Maui. Showers will be focused over windward slopes during the next couple of days. The atmosphere will remain stable, as the inversion holds firm. The above mentioned decaying frontal band will sag southward and likely reach Kauai tonight, making windward portions of the Garden Isle wetter than most areas. This band of moisture is expected to slowly lift northward late Thursday and Friday. A separate area of poorly-defined low level moisture is expected to fill in across windward Big Island tonight then spread up the island chain on Friday. A gradual decrease in trade winds will begin on Friday and continue into the weekend. During this time, the surface high will be weakened and pushed off to the northeast of the state, leaving an associated surface ridge about 300 miles north of Kauai by Friday night. A North Pacific trough will erode the surface ridge during the weekend. During this time, trade winds will veer out of the east to east-southeast and may become light enough for daytime sea breezes to dominate across the western end of the island chain. Beyond the weekend, the GFS and ECMWF are not in good agreement on the details of a developing low near Midway Atoll. However, the models do show moderate easterly trades hanging on over the Big Island with southeasterly flow across the smaller islands. The mid level ridge currently over the state will likely erode significantly, leading to some instability and the potential for a few heavier showers. && .AVIATION... With high pressure building over the state from the northwest and north, trade winds will be strengthening. Therefore, low cloud ceilings and accompanying showers will be mainly affecting windward and mauka sections with brief to TEMPO MVFR conditions. With the stronger winds, low ceilings may also pass over some leeward sections from time to time as well. Lastly, a front currently north of Kauai and drifting south may affect the isle tonight with additional clouds and showers. An AIRMET for low level turbulence to the lee of the mountains has been posted for all islands due to the breezy trades. && .MARINE... The bump in the northwest swell is already on the decline at buoy 51101, and we anticipate the surf along north and west facing shores to decline overnight. A High Surf Warning continues overnight for those areas. Meanwhile, the increasing trade winds will bring an increase in surf along east facing shores. Anticipating advisory level surf arriving on Thursday, and persisting through the end of the week. The High Surf Advisory for east facing shores will likely be posted overnight. The current northwest swell will continue to subside through the end of the week. New west-northwest and northwest swells are expected to arrive this weekend, and will again boost surf heights along north and west facing shores of most of the islands from Saturday night and Sunday into early next week. The strong winds and the northwest swell will maintain Small Craft Advisory (SCA) for all waters through at least tomorrow night. A Gale Warning is in effect for the typical windier areas around Maui County and the Big Island through tomorrow night. The SCA will likely need to be extended for some areas as winds and seas begin to lower this weekend. See the latest Oahu Surf Discussion (SRDHFO) for additional details on surf and swell. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 6 PM HST Thursday for all islands except the summits of the Big Island and Haleakala. High Surf Warning until 6 AM HST Thursday for north and west facing shores of Niihau-Kauai-Oahu-Molokai and for north facing shores of Maui. Gale Warning until 6 AM HST Friday for Maalaea Bay-Pailolo Channel-Alenuihaha Channel-Big Island Leeward Waters-Big Island Southeast Waters. Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM HST Friday for Kauai Northwest Waters-Kauai Windward Waters-Kauai Leeward Waters-Kauai Channel- Oahu Windward Waters-Oahu Leeward Waters-Kaiwi Channel-Maui County Windward Waters-Maui County Leeward Waters-Big Island Windward Waters. && DISCUSSION...Wroe AVIATION...Kinel MARINE...M Ballard
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds caused a downed tree on the Likelike Highway on Oahu. Town-bound lanes were closed for a time.
Winds downed a tree that closed Upper Kohala Road, Highway 250, for a time on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Widespread power outages reported in Waianae and Makaha on the island of Oahu. Wind likely downed power lines.
Wind downed multiple telephone poles near Makiki District Park on Oahu, causing power outages and traffic delays. And poles were also blown down on Keeaumoku Street between Wilder Avenue and Kinau Street.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, January 2018
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: 730182, 730183, 730184, 730185.