Hawaii, 2024

High Wind in Hawaii, November 16, 2024

November 16, 2024 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong surface high pressure system to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands caused strong east-northeasterly trade winds to blow across the state.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

A strong surface high pressure system to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands caused strong east-northeasterly trade winds to blow across the state.

What forecasters said that day

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 Nov 16, 3:58 AM HST, 5 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 16, 3:58 AM HST, 5 hours 2 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Honolulu HI
358 AM HST Sat Nov 16 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
Gusty trade winds are expected to prevail through the remainder of
the weekend. By Sunday night, a slow moving, upper-level low
develops northeast of the islands, resulting in periods of heavy
rain, thundershowers, and the potential for a wintry mix along the
summits of the Big Island. Thereafter, a new weather regime will
develop, leading to light and variable winds, and occasional light
showers through the remainder of the outlook period.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
The quasi-stationary high pressure NNE of the islands continues to
be the dominating weather factor, resulting in prevailing gusty
winds, especially across wind-prone locations including valleys and
channels where downsloping and funneling effects are most prominent,
leaving the Wind Advisory unaltered through Sunday morning.
Furthermore, these gusty winds are accompanied by mostly dry
conditions, continuing the Red Flag Warning to persist through the
afternoon for the leeward side of all islands.

As the weekend comes to an end and the work week returns, latest
model guidance suggests a change of weather factors, with the
development of an upper-level low settling directly over the Big
Island and persisting for the next several days. This will play a
vital role in reducing winds across the islands and increasing the
instability, with 500 mb temperatures in the -12C vicinity; a key
component to expanding the clouds and showers to the windward side
of all islands. Precipitable water varies slightly between the Euro
and the GFS (1.3-1.4 vs 1.2-1.3, respectively) but nevertheless
showcasing potentially heavy downpours as early as Sunday night into
Monday with periods of isolated thundershowers.

Adequate moisture and sufficient instability over the Big Island
will result in more widespread enhanced rainfall that may result in
a wintry mix or a light dusting of snow across the summits of
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa; however, confidence remains low on timing
and accumulation amounts, if any.

Model guidance indicates the aforementioned upper-level low will
exit the region to the east by Tuesday, reducing winds across the
island to generally light and variable. This will open the doors to
another weather regime change, evolving into land-sea breezes
beginning Wednesday. Periods of light showers may develop; yet, the
general consensus is much drier conditions are expected through
the remainder of the week and into the outlook period.

&&

.AVIATION...
Strong high pressure northeast of the islands should keep strong
and gusty trades for the next couple of days. Low cigs and SHRA
should mainly impact windward and mauka areas. A few SHRA could
make it to leeward sides. While brief MVFR conds are possible with
any SHRA, VFR conds will prevail.

AIRMET Tango for mod low-level turb over and downwind of island
terrain for the next several days.

&&

.MARINE...
Strong high pressure will remain stationary today far northeast
of the islands. The high should gradually weaken Sunday as the
pressure gradient slowly weakens through the beginning of next
week. A Gale Warning remains in effect through Sunday night for
the windier waters and channels around Maui County and the Big
Island. A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for all remaining
coastal waters through Sunday night for strong winds and seas
greater than 10 feet.

Surf along north facing shores will remain small through the
weekend as the short period north swell levels off. A small,
medium period northwest swell is expected to fill in Sunday night
and linger through the first half of the week. A moderate, short
to medium period north swell will build over the second half of
next week although uncertainty remains as the system has yet to
develop.

Surf along east facing shores will continue to remain large,
rough, and choppy through Sunday night coinciding with the strong
trade winds. The High Surf Advisory remains in effect through
Sunday night for all east facing shores. Next week, surf along east
facing shores look to drop as the trade winds ease through the
week.

Surf along south facing shores, is expected to remain tiny to
flat through the forecast period. Shorelines exposed to the
easterly wind wave on south and north facing shores may continue
to see an uptick over the weekend.

Peak monthly tides are forecasted in the early morning hours through
Monday morning. These high tides combined with elevated seas from
strong trade winds may increase coastal inundation impacts for
vulnerable locations during the morning high tides. This has
prompted a Coastal Flood Statement which will continue through
early Monday morning.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
A combination of strong, gusty winds, relative humidity values
falling below 45%, and vast amounts of dry fuels will contribute
to the threat of extreme fire behavior. Given this, a Red Flag
Warning will continue to remain in effect through this afternoon.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Red Flag Warning until 4 PM HST this afternoon for Niihau-Kauai
South-Kauai Southwest-East Honolulu-Honolulu Metro-Ewa Plain-
Waianae Coast-Oahu North Shore-Waianae Mountains-Molokai West-
Molokai Leeward South-Lanai Windward-Lanai Leeward-Lanai South-
Lanai Mauka-Maui Leeward West-Maui Central Valley North-Maui
Central Valley South-South Maui/Upcountry-South Haleakala-Big
Island South-Big Island Southeast-Kohala-Big Island Interior.

High Surf Advisory until 6 AM HST Monday for Olomana-Maui
Windward West-Kauai East-Koolau Windward-Molokai Southeast-
Windward Haleakala-Kipahulu-South Haleakala-Big Island Southeast-
Big Island East-Big Island North.

Wind Advisory until 6 AM HST Sunday for Lanai Mauka-Kahoolawe-
Maui Windward West-Maui Leeward West-Kohala-Big Island Interior-
Molokai North-Molokai West-Molokai Leeward South-Lanai Windward-
Lanai Leeward-Maui Central Valley North-Maui Central Valley
South-South Haleakala-Big Island South-Big Island Southeast-Big
Island North.

Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM HST Monday 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.

Gale Warning until 6 AM HST Monday for Maalaea Bay-Pailolo
Channel-Alenuihaha Channel-Big Island Leeward Waters-Big Island
Southeast Waters.

&&

DISCUSSION...Pierce/Birchard
AVIATION...Walsh
MARINE...Shigesato
FIRE WEATHER...Pierce

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Koolau Leeward

When
November 16, 9:00 AM HST to 12:00 PM HST
Where
Koolau Leeward forecast zone
Measured
40 kt (46 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The area in front of 3300 Tantalus Drive was closed in both directions due to multiple fallen trees.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, November 2024

Sources

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: 1219559.