Strong winds associated with a front downed trees over portions of Kauai, blocking several roadways on the isle. No serious injuries or property damage were reported.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
Strong winds associated with a front downed trees over portions of Kauai, blocking several roadways on the isle. No serious injuries or property damage 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 May 18, 4:02 PM HST, 2 hours 39 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Honolulu HI 402 PM HST Wed May 18 2022 .SYNOPSIS... Moisture associated with a frontal boundary will stall over the western half of the state and will bring the threat of flooding across Kauai through Thursday. For rest of the state clouds and showers will be on the increase, but rainfall intensities should remain moderate with brief periods of locally heavy rain possible through Friday. Our typical trade wind pattern is expected to return across the state by Sunday. && .DISCUSSION... Afternoon sounding from Lihue, shows moist southerly flow in the low-levels with precipitable water values approaching 2 inches. Instability remains marginal with surface based CAPE showing roughly 1200 J/kg. An inversion remain in place at roughly 5000 feet which could be one of the factors for the lack of heavy rainfall thus far early this afternoon. For rest of this afternoon and tonight, with the abundant moisture in place over Kauai and some marginal instability, the main thing missing is the lifting mechanism. An approaching short- wave trough should be this missing ingredient and we do expect heavy rain showers to begin developing over the next several hours. Flash Flooding remains the biggest threat over Kauai, but there is a slight chance for severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds (wind gusts over 58 mph) and tornadoes/waterspouts. Although there is only a slight chance for severe thunderstorms, if they were to occur, it will most likely be this afternoon through the first half of tonight. The threat for flooding will continue through Thursday as the moisture stalls over Kauai. On Thursday, the moisture associated with the front will be stalled over Kauai and will continue to bring the threat of heavy rain. Upper level dynamics will be much weaker than today, but will ample low-level moisture over Kauai and with the expected saturated soils by this time, it likely won't take too much rainfall to cause issues. Due to this, we went ahead and extended the Flood Watch through Thursday. The threat for flooding on Thursday over Kauai will highly depend on how much rainfall falls over Kauai tonight. Over Oahu, even though the main moisture axis remains over Kauai, showery conditions will likely continue on Thursday. For rest of the state, scattered showers are expected with minimal threat of flooding, although some brief downpours should be expected at times. Models show southerly flow will weaken considerably by Friday as the distant surface low lifts northeastward. We should see more of a sea breeze pattern on Friday with the remnant moisture band still lingering over the western half of the state. Afternoon showers over island interiors could potentially produce some heavy rainfall over Kauai and Oahu Friday afternoon. Trade winds should return over the eastern half of the state on Saturday and return across the the rest of the state by Saturday night. Drier trade wind weather will return by early next week as surface ridging shifts westward and upper troughing near the islands now becomes zonal. && .AVIATION... MVFR conditions will persist over Kauai through the evening as instability aloft maintains a threat of heavy showers and thunderstorms with isolated IFR conditions. A band of deep moisture associated with an approaching front has mostly produced stratiform rainfall on Kauai so far today, but the threat for strong thunderstorms will remain through the first part of the evening. AIRMET Sierra for mountain obscuration and AIRMET Zulu for icing will remain in effect for Kauai through at least midnight. After this time, upper level support near Kauai will diminish, but as the band of moisture stalls nearby, MVFR conditions could persist into Thursday. Chances for heavy rainfall and MVFR conditions decrease east of Kauai. Observations from interior Oahu suggest border line support AIRMET Sierra since only light stratiform rainfall has been observed, but the AIRMET will likely be kept through midnight. AIRMET Zulu will likely be expanded eastward to additional islands this evening as high clouds briefly thicken and support an icing threat. These high clouds will diminish late tonight and Thursday. While there is a small chance of heavy showers this evening over the central portion of the state, a weak low to mid level ridge will likely maintain a drier and more stable southeast to south flow over Maui and the Big Island. Aside from a few showers on southeast Big Island slopes, expect land breezes to minimize shower chances tonight and early Thursday, followed by spotty afternoon showers in the afternoon. && .MARINE... Strong southerly winds will continue over the Kauai waters into Thursday as a cold front moves into the area and stalls near or just west of Kauai. Seas have responded and have become rough over waters that are normally protected during trade wind conditions between Kauai and Niihau. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect for most of the waters around Kauai, but have added the Kauai Channel to the advisory and extended it through Thursday afternoon due to the strong winds and rough seas. Expect locally higher winds and seas in and around heavy showers and thunderstorms that develop as the front draws closer today. Southerly winds will trend down Thursday, then shift back to a typical easterly trade wind direction Friday through the weekend as the ridge lifts northward and the front diminishes west of the area. For the eastern end of the state, southeast winds have diminished below 25 knots around the Big Island, so those zones have been removed from the SCA. Surf along south facing shores will remain elevated into the second half of the week as the current south swell continues and becomes reinforced through Thursday. In addition to the long- period energy, strong southerly winds will add to the mix with short-period, rough conditions expected through tonight (roughest around Kauai where winds are strongest). In the long range, models show quite a bit of activity in the southern hemisphere, which could translate to a few south shore surf events over the next week or so. The first would be out of the southwest around next Thursday, followed by an upward trend through the end of the month. Surf along north facing shores will remain small today, then trend up Thursday as a small, medium-period northwest (300-320 degrees) swell arrives. A return of small, summer-like conditions is expected over the weekend as this source moves out. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch through Thursday afternoon for Niihau-Kauai- Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST Thursday for Kauai Northwest Waters-Kauai Windward Waters-Kauai Leeward Waters-Kauai Channel. && DISCUSSION...Kino AVIATION...Wroe MARINE...TS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tree was leaning into Kuhio Highway across both lanes at mile marker 25.
Tree felled by the Church of the Pacific, blocking the southbound lane along Kuhio Highway.
Tree downed near the Kalihiwai Bridge, blocking the southbound lane of Kuhio Highway.
A tree toppled over onto Kuhio Highway, blocking the northbound lane at mile marker 16.
A tree fell across Kahiliholo Road near the town of Kahiliwai in the northern part of Kauai.
A few trees fell across Ohiki Road in Princeville in the northern part of Kauai.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, May 2022
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: 1017897, 1017899, 1017903, 1017905, 1017907, 1017910.