Moist and unstable conditions settled in over the state which generated a few thunderstorms with some hail across Oahu.
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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.
Moist and unstable conditions settled in over the state which generated a few thunderstorms with some hail across Oahu.
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 Mar 22, 8:30 PM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Honolulu HI 830 PM HST Wed Mar 22 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Light winds and humid conditions will prevail the next couple of days as a trough stalls and weakens near Kauai and Oahu. The trough will bring a few thunderstorms and some locally heavy showers overnight, mainly to Kauai and Oahu. The light winds will allow afternoon sea breezes to drive shower development over the islands Thursday and Friday, with some heavy downpours possible. Light to moderate trade winds will bring limited windward showers this weekend as the island atmosphere dries and stabilizes. Light winds and increased moisture are anticipated again during the middle part of next week. && .DISCUSSION... A deep-layer low centered about 700 miles NNW of Kauai has an associated front and convergence band that is producing scattered thunderstorms along a NE-SW oriented line that intersects leeward Kauai coastal waters this evening. Water vapor imagery shows a short wave aloft aloft supporting the convection along this band, which also extends well NE and SW of Kauai, with convection most vigorous to the NE. Although our typical trade-wind-producing high is still centered to the NE of the islands, the presence of the low/front/convergence band has turned the low-level flow to the S over Oahu, and to the SE over Maui and the Big Island, with light to moderate wind speeds prevailing. This regime is notoriously wet for the Big Island's Kau District, and today was no exception, with 2- 3+" of rain recorded, while windward Haleakala has had persistent showers as well. Wind and low-level moisture typically splits around the Big Island in this regime as well, keeping the other islands somewhat shadowed. This held up for most of the day, but some moisture managed to turn the corner SW of the Big Island this afternoon, and is now over Oahu and Molokai coastal waters, moving steadily N - and now producing thunderstorms in the Kauai Channel just W of Oahu. As has been the case for several days, broken to locally overcast mid- and high-level clouds blanket island skies. Ongoing forecast philosophy is supported by latest round of guidance, generally anticipating the deep-layer low to move E and weaken well N of the islands over the next several days. This will lead to a light and variable wind regime, although winds will still favor a southerly direction overnight. This could allow a few showers to dampen leeward areas tonight, with the potential for thunderstorms and some locally heavy downpours, mainly over Kauai and potentially Oahu. The trough W of Kauai will also weaken as the support aloft gradually lifts, but it will drift over Kauai and Oahu Thursday and Thursday night as it does so, gradually weakening through Friday. With the trough dissipating over Kauai and Oahu, light and variable winds and lingering moisture will ensure somewhat humid conditions Thursday and Friday, with surface dew points near 70F. Afternoon sea breezes will likely be the best trigger for shower development over land, with overnight land breezes shutting down the potential for most showers. High clouds are expected to gradually diminish as the trough aloft slides E of the area with fewer high clouds, thus increased island heating. Current forecast indicates the potential for thunderstorms over all islands Thursday afternoon as mid-level temperatures will be slow to warm. Light to moderate trade winds are expected for the the weekend as the high to the NE resumes control over island weather, with a stable regime leading to just a few windward showers. By early next week, a regime similar to the current one appears to unfold once again. Low pressure currently to the distant NW will pass N of the islands, leading to a stalling low-level trough that is likely to bring light winds and increased moisture from Tuesday through Thursday. && .AVIATION... An approaching surface trough and upper level trough just northwest of kauai will maintain light southeasterly winds and local land breezes tonight. Thunderstorm activity has increased over the Kauai channel and Oahu leeward waters. Frequent thunderstorm activity associated with the approaching trough is expected to diminish in coverage as the trough moves through Kauai tonight, however there does remain a chance for thunderstorms over Kauai and adjacent waters, along with the waters west of Oahu. As the trough makes its way down the island chain tomorrow, clouds and showers will drift over the islands from the south. Chances for showers and thunderstorms will favor Kauai and Oahu, though sea breezes will likely trigger some interior convection on all islands. Later tomorrow afternoon has the potential to see light northerly winds after the trough passes. Currently an AIRMET Sierra is in place for mountain obscuration over eastern areas of the Big Island due to frequent clouds and showers, this will likely continue through the night. && .MARINE... A surface low pressure system centered slightly less than 600 nm north-northwest of Kauai will move toward the east-northeast at about 10 kt through Thursday. A surface trough associated with the low is located about 60 nm west-northwest of Kauai. Clouds and showers with embedded isolated thunderstorms are along and east of this trough, which is moving slowly eastward. This feature is expected to move across the western end of the island chain through Thursday, and eventually dissipate from Thursday night into Friday. Elsewhere, a surface high pressure system is centered far northeast of Hilo. These weather features will keep the background winds gentle across the western half of the state, while moderate to locally strong east to southeast winds will persist over the eastern half of the state through early Thursday morning. The winds over the Maui County and Big Island Windward Waters and the Alenuihaha Channel will continue to require a Small Craft Advisory (SCA) overnight. The current forecast indicates these winds will decrease below the SCA by sunrise Thursday morning, with the winds likely remaining below the SCA criteria over all waters through Friday. The winds may increase this weekend, so some waters such as the Alenuihaha Channel may need a SCA again starting Saturday. Another surface low may develop northwest of the area from later this weekend into early next week, which could cause the winds to weaken again. Surf is expected to remain below the High Surf Advisory thresholds along all shorelines through this weekend. A fetch of strong easterly winds just upstream of the state will produce moderate surf along east facing shores through this evening, and then will gradually lower from late tonight through Friday. The current short- period north swell (020 degrees) will steadily subside overnight. A mix of small northwest and north-northwest swells (310-330 degrees) will maintain modest surf along most exposed north and west facing shorelines from later tonight into this weekend. The current small, medium-period south (190 degrees) swell will slowly fade during the next couple of days. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM HST Thursday for Maui County Windward Waters-Alenuihaha Channel-Big Island Windward Waters. && DISCUSSION...Birchard AVIATION...Tsamous MARINE...Houston
The Molokai radar (PHMO), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:01 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Broadcast media supplied photos of hail, which fell near Nanakuli, that appeared to be slightly larger than a quarter (between 1 and 1 1/4). Time of occurrence was estimated based on radar imagery. Wahiawa also reported pea sized hail (1/4) during this time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 2023
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: 1084520.