A strong cold front impacted the Hawaiian Islands and brought periods of heavy rain and gusty winds. This resulted in flooding over portions of the islands as well as wind damage.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
A strong cold front impacted the Hawaiian Islands and brought periods of heavy rain and gusty winds. This resulted in flooding over portions of the islands as well as wind damage.
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 7, 9:07 PM HST, 4 hours 53 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Honolulu HI 907 PM HST Sun Jan 7 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A cold front continues to approach the Hawaiian Islands from the northwest this evening. This system will cause winds to strengthen as wind directions turn more southerly to southwesterly, pulling up additional unstable tropical moisture, and spreading unstable showers from west to east across the state through Tuesday. Expect periods of heavy showers at times and isolated thunderstorms with the most intense shower activity forecast from Monday through Tuesday morning from Kauai through Maui. Southern slopes of the Big Island will also see enhanced rainfall activity during this time period. Improving weather trends will also spread from west to east after the frontal band passes each island from Tuesday night into Wednesday. A second frontal system brings another round of wet weather swiftly through the island chain from Thursday through Friday. Weather conditions will improve just in time for the upcoming weekend. && .DISCUSSION... The satellite picture this evening shows a low pressure system and cold front approaching Kauai from the northwest. Wind directions ahead of this frontal band have already turned to a more southerly direction and are strengthening near Kauai. Convergence shower bands are already developing in the warm unstable air ahead of this cold front and will bring periods of shower activity to Kauai and Oahu through the overnight hours. Clouds and showers are setting up east and southeast of the Big Island. The latest forecast guidance continues to show wet and unstable weather along and ahead of the cold front spreading from west to east across the island chain lasting through Tuesday. Island by island impacts will start over Niihau, Kauai and Oahu as wind speeds strengthen into the moderate to breezy range and become more southerly to southwesterly wind directions tonight. These stronger southerly winds and showers will likely produce strong downsloping wind gusts mainly over areas along the north and east slopes of island mountains. Some of these stronger gusts may become damaging and a wind advisory may be needed to account for these conditions. This deeper southerly flow will also pull up additional warm unstable tropical air under the colder air aloft, producing unstable convective showers over all islands over the next 48 hours. Showers may become heavy at times and thunderstorms are possible especially along the frontal band as it passes through each island. A Flood Watch remains in effect through Tuesday afternoon for all Hawaiian Islands due to the enhanced flooding threat. The Big Island will likely see some enhanced rainfall initially along the southern slopes as the wind directions begin to shift from southeasterly to southerly flow from tonight into Monday. These showers could also become heavy at times with the potential for thunderstorms lasting through Tuesday night. Additional Big Island threats are possible over the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. This means we will evaluate the potential for High Wind Watch and Winter Weather Watch products due to both the strong winds and potential snowfall forecast from Monday night through Tuesday affecting both summits. Both the American (GFS), European (ECMWF) and ensemble guidance continues to show some thunderstorm activity passing through each island mainly associated with the passing cold frontal cloud band. Low level wind speeds increase into the 30 to 40 knot range at the 850 mb level (around 5,000 feet above sea level) near Niihau, Kauai and Oahu from Monday through Tuesday afternoon. Stronger wind shear aloft may produce stronger thunderstorm activity during this time period favoring these western islands. Heavy rainfall and wind gusts will be strongest near any developing thunderstorms. Brief improving weather trends are expected to spread from west to east after the cold front passes each island from late Tuesday near Kauai to Wednesday for Oahu and Maui County as the entire frontal system weakens to a trough and the low moves northward away from the state. The Big Island will see lingering showers on Wednesday with improving trends by Wednesday night. Another cold frontal system swiftly moves into the islands from the northwest direction with showers sweeping from west to east down the island chain from Thursday through Friday. Improving weather trends are forecast statewide from Friday night into next weekend. && .AVIATION... Moderate to breezy south to southwesterly winds will be in place through tomorrow as a cold front progresses from northwest to southeast down the island chain. Currently radar is showing numerous showers over Kauai with embedded heavy showers. Bands of clouds and heavy showers will move through the island chain tonight through Monday as the front progresses. Some of the more intense showers will have gusty winds and there also is a slight chance for thunderstorms. Conditions will deteriorate for Oahu tonight and eventually the remaining islands by Monday. The front is expected to bring widespread MVFR ceilings and visibilities within showers, along with isolated IFR conditions within heavy showers. Leeward areas will likely see the greatest coverage given the southerly flow. Additionally, as the upper trough moves closer to and over the islands, moderate upper level turbulence is expected to be a concern. AIRMET Tango for moderate turbulence between FL280 and FL420 is in place and will likely be expanded to include lower flight levels as the upper trough moves closer. AIRMET Sierra for tempo mountain obscuration is in effect for Kauai and will likely be expanded to include other islands this evening into tomorrow morning. Light icing is also possible in layer 130 to FL220. && .MARINE... Increasing S to SW winds are expected overnight as a front associated with a deepening surface low approaches from the NW. Heavy showers and potentially a few thunderstorms will impact waters around Kauai through the night, spreading to Oahu and Maui County on Monday. An initial burst of heavy showers just moved over Kauai from the SW, producing wind gusts to 25 kt at Barking Sands in the last hour. As the front moves down the island chain Monday and Tuesday, developing fresh to strong SW winds have prompted the issuance of a Small Craft Advisory (SCA) for waters from Molokai westward, with an expansion to the remainder of the waters likely on Monday. Winds will be especially gusty in and near heavy showers and thunderstorms. The front is expected to weaken and stall near Maui on Wednesday, with winds easing and becoming westerly. Uncertainty increases late Thursday and Friday, but forecast guidance indicates that another surface low may pass much closer to the islands, again raising chances for gusty winds and thunderstorms. A small NNW swell (~3 feet 13 seconds) will continue to slowly decline tonight, but a new longer-period NW swell is expected to remain small while gradually building on Monday. NDBC buoys 51001/51101 NW of Kauai are detecting weak increases in the 15-17 second bands the last couple of observations. The developing low responsible for the front is expected to develop a fetch of ~40 kt NW-N winds aimed at the islands over the next day or so, with the fetch especially aimed toward the W end of the island chain. The relative proximity of this source will lead to what is expected to be a large, short-lived, medium period NNW (330-340 degrees) swell that will build (mainly across the W end of the chain) Monday night and Tuesday. Surf will likely exceed the High Surf Advisory level along N facing shores of Kauai and Oahu, and the elevated seas will likely exceed the SCA criteria of 10 feet in W waters. Forecast confidence decreases later in the week as there is uncertainty in the location and intensity of another surface low that could develop closer to the islands, potentially producing a large, short-to medium-period N swell. A fetch of persistent trade winds E of the islands is sending short- to medium-period seas/swell of 5-6 feet at 9 to 12 seconds that will gradually diminish through Tuesday. While the source for this E swell will fade, some E shores will experience periods of larger surf as N swell wraps in. Surf and seas along S facing shores/near shore waters will be unusually choppy the next couple of days due to the onshore winds, with winds shifting to the W Tuesday night and Wednesday. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch through Tuesday afternoon for all Hawaiian Islands. Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST Tuesday for all waters surrounding Kauai and Oahu. && DISCUSSION...Bohlin AVIATION...Tsamous MARINE...Birchard
The Molokai radar (PHMO), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:46 UTC.
6 flood, 2 flash flood, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A gas station by 7/11 had its roof collapse under gusty conditions in Nanakuli. A video observation was seen from social media. Winds were estimated to be 40 mph at the time of collapse.
Flash flooding was observed at Makaha Valley Towers. A video of flash flooding was seen |through social media. The flow of the flash flooding was moving down Kili Drive.
Ahua Street was shut down from Kilihau Street to Awaawaloa Street due to flooding.
Two people and one dog were reportedly swept into a storm drain and were later rescued.
Keawe St between Honoapiilani Highway and Komo Mai St had standing water 6 to 8 inches deep.
S Kihei Road near Kaonoulu St was closed due to flooding on roadways.
There was a road closure in both directions near the old Sudas Road near Uwapo Rd. This was due to water on the road.
Kaalaiki Rd was closed between Naalehu and Pahala due to water on the road at low water crossings.
Wood Valley Road was closed at the low water crossing at Waiakaloa Gulch due to excess water.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, January 2024
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: 1152343, 1152342, 1153458, 1153456, 1152347, 1152348, 1152349, 1152350, 1152351.