With a strong high north of the islands and low pressure to the west, trade winds became breezy to strong over most of the state. Trees and power poles were downed by the winds, especially on Oahu.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
With a strong high north of the islands and low pressure to the west, trade winds became breezy to strong over most of the state. Trees and power poles were downed by the winds, especially on Oahu. However, no serious 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 20, 4:08 PM HST, 52 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Honolulu HI 408 PM HST Fri Dec 20 2019 .SYNOPSIS... A strong high pressure system passing north of the islands will produce very windy conditions through Saturday, and possibly into Sunday. An old front will also move through the state through Saturday, bringing some wet weather to the islands. An area of low pressure west of the state will cause mostly cloudy conditions across the area through the middle of next week. A wet weather pattern could develop around the Christmas holiday, but confidence in the details remains low at this time. && .DISCUSSION... A 1034 mb surface high is centered around 1200 miles north northwest of Kauai, while a front is just north of Kauai. Water vapor imagery shows an upper level low developing area of low pressure is located around 1200 miles west of the state. Visible imagery and radar show low clouds and numerous, but fast moving, showers from the front passing over the smaller islands. These clouds and showers are focusing over the windward sides of the islands. Convective debris cirrus is also streaming over the islands due to winds aloft carrying the high clouds eastward from the upper low to the west. The high is forecast to shift eastward forcing the frontal band through the island chain tonight and tomorrow. Winds are expected to ramp up tonight along and behind the front and continue through Saturday. Clouds and showers will increase along the front and then decrease post-frontal. Windward sides of the islands will receive the most rain, but occasional showers will reach the leeward sides of the smaller islands with the strong winds. Sunday is expected to continue to be breezy, but a step down from Saturday. A High Wind Warning is posted for most of the state through 6 PM Saturday. Once the winds drop to more moderate levels early next week, the big question is what will happen to the upper low to our west. Models keep the system in place through the weekend and will bring thicker mid and high level clouds over the area Saturday night through the first half of next week. Both models show a surface low developing our west and lifting northward on Monday allowing winds to shift out of the east southeast. After this point, model differences persist with the GFS quickly developing a front to our west on Tuesday and pushing it through west to east across the islands on Christmas. The ECMWF keeps the active weather to our west for a few more days before a weaker front stalls near Kauai Friday and next weekend. With the model differences, it's hard to say if the holiday will be wet or dry at this point and hope to have a bit better consensus in the coming days. && .AVIATION... A strengthening surface high pressure to the north northwest of the state, combined with a strengthening surface low west of the state, will help generate windy to very windy east northeast trades this evening and into tonight. Moderate to isolated severe turbulence is likely along the leeward side of the local mountains. A dissipating front north of Hawaii will move southward this evening. This feature will bring thicker cloud cover and greater shower coverage to Kauai late this afternoon, then Oahu this evening into tonight. MVFR conditions and mountain obscuration may occur as the shower or squall activity moves through. AIRMET Sierra remains in effect for north thru east areas of Kauai and Oahu above 2000 feet due to tempo mountain obscuration from clouds and showers. AIRMET Tango remains in effect for areas over and immediately south thru west of mountains for all islands below 8000 feet due to tempo moderate turbulence. && .MARINE... Strong high pressure is building in north of the area. This will result in rather strong trade winds and rough seas resulting in rather hazardous boating conditions across most of the Hawaiian Coastal Waters. A Gale Warning is currently posted for all Hawaiian Coastal Waters. Winds are expected to gradually diminish beginning Sunday. However, winds and seas will likely remain elevated enough requiring a Small Craft Advisory for most areas on into early next week. The strong trade winds will produce rather large and rough surf along east facing shores through Sunday. Thus a High Surf Advisory is currently in effect. With the expected drop off in trade winds early next week, surf heights will gradually diminish as a result but are still expected to remain rather elevated. There will be a series of small north and northwest swells through the weekend and on into the middle of next week. Wave Watch III model guidance indicates that none of these swells will be capable of producing advisory level surf. No other significant swells are expected. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning until 6 PM HST Saturday for Niihau-Kauai-Oahu- Molokai-Lanai-Kahoolawe-Maui Windward West-Maui Leeward West- Maui Central Valley-Windward Haleakala-Leeward Haleakala-Kona- South Big Island-Big Island North and East-Kohala-Big Island Interior. High Surf Advisory until 6 PM HST Sunday for Kauai Windward-Oahu Koolau-Olomana-Molokai Windward-Maui Windward West-Windward Haleakala-South Big Island-Big Island North and East. Wind Advisory until 6 PM HST Saturday for Haleakala Summit. Gale Warning until 6 PM HST Saturday for all Hawaiian waters- && DISCUSSION...Foster AVIATION...Thomas MARINE...Foster
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was toppled in the town of Hawi in the far northern part of the Big Island.
A roof was blown off a home on California Avenue in Wahiawa in central Oahu by strong winds.
A tree was felled by winds near the intersection of Nuuanu Pali Drive and Old Pali Road on Oahu.
Strong winds brought down a tree in the employee parking lot of the Hawaii Kai post office on Oahu.
A tent was blown onto Pupukea Road just past Pupukea Place on Oahu's North Shore. Residents in the area moved the tent off the road.
Kunia Road in central Oahu was closed tor a time in both directions near Hawaii Country Club because strong winds toppled two power poles.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 2019
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: 864684, 864690, 864685, 864687, 864688, 864689.