Power Outage in Kahului, HI

Multiple power lines knocked down on Hana Highway at Hookele Street. Hana Highway was then closed at Airport Access Road. Entire island of Maui lost power for a time as more wind damage occurred in the short time after the initial problems occurred near the airport.

High water from flooding closed the Hana Highway between mile markers 29 and 36 near Hana on the island of Maui. Several schools in the Hana area, and around Kaunakakai on Molokai, were closed for the day because of the road flooding and power outages.

Nearly 10,000 customers went without power, including residents in Upper Olinda, from Paia to Kuau, from Huelo to Hana, and along the East Maui coast.

A thunderstorm toppled trees in Wailea and Kula, and downed power lines in Kahului, on the island of Maui. An emergency manager estimated wind gusts to at least 50 knots with the storm. There were no serious injuries; damage estimates were not available.

Heavy showers over northern parts of Kauai raised stream levels and trapped hikers along the Kalalau Trail in the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park. Hanakapiai Stream flooded and forced about a dozen individuals to spend a night stranded near the waterway. One couple had almost been swept away when they unsuccessfully attempted to cross the swollen stream on a makeshift line. However, no significant property damage or injuries were reported.||On Maui, heavy downpours flooded the Maui County Service Center at the Maui Mall in Kahului. The rain damaged computers and motor vehicle records, and shut down power. The cost of damages was not available. There no serious injuries.

A front moving through the Aloha State brought windy weather and only limited amounts of rain. The strong wind at times caused power outages with downed lines and trees, roof damage, and the closure of roadways because of debris on the surfaces. The total cost of damages was not available. There were no reports of serious injuries.

A dust devil ripped a corrugated roof off a bus base yard structure in Kihei on the island of Maui. The airborne 30 x 40-foot roof took down power lines before landing against a nearby home on Paulele Place. There were no reports of serious injuries.

A front moving through the state brought strong winds and heavy rain. The system downed trees and power lines, knocking out power to some residents. The winds also damaged roofs, carports, and, in one case, a heavy wooden greenhouse. Most of the downed trees, power outages, and other weather-related problems occurred on Oahu on the 15th and early on the 16th. The cost estimate for damages was not available. There were no serious injuries.

A small tornado moved through Kaumalapau Harbor on Lanai. The tornado flipped over a construction trailer and carried it for about ten feet, damaged an adjacent small building, and snapped a power pole. Damage estimates, however, were not available. No serious injuries were reported.

Strong south winds ahead of a cold front, gusting to or slightly above 58 mph, downed power lines and trees from Oahu to the Big Island of Hawaii over the 27th and into the 28th of February. There were also reports that some roofs on homes and businesses were destroyed or significantly damaged by the blustery winds. Cost of damages was not available, however. No serious injuries were reported.

A fast-moving cold front brought strong winds to much of the Aloha State on the 14th. A significant number of trees and power lines were blown down, closing roads on Oahu and Kauai for several hours. Media reports indicated that over 100 homes on Oahu suffered roof damage. At least three homes on the Big Island of Hawaii and one on Maui also had roof damage. Power outages affected Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island. Around 69,000 customers were without power on Oahu, several thousands on Maui and Kauai, and nearly 10,000 on the Big Island. Nine schools on Oahu closed early due to power failures and/or roof damage. One man was killed on Kauai while apparently camping. A portion of a tree blown down by high winds fell on his campsite and caused his death. No serious injuries were reported. The cost of damages across the state was not available.

Intermittent heavy rain, showers, and isolated thunderstorms caused ponding of roadways, and small stream and drainage ditch flooding on the island of Maui. Power outages were not uncommon as the inclement weather persisted for more than 24 hours. However, there were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.

Strong northeast winds behind a cold front, sustained at 30 to 40 mph with gusts to over 65 mph, downed trees and power poles, and damaged roofs on several homes, across the island chain. A 30-foot kiawe tree on the Big Island of Hawaii fell onto a housing unit and knocked it off its foundation at the Kawaihae Transitional Housing Program on the Kohala coast. Cost of damages was not available. No serious injuries were reported.

Southwest to west winds ahead of a cold front/upper trough gusted to 70 mph at low and high elevations on the Big Island of Hawaii and at high elevations in Maui. The winds were strong at the lower elevations in the Puna District on the Big Island, and near the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. In the Valley Isle, strong winds occurred near the summit of Haleakala in East Maui. There were brief power outages and some trees were blown down on the Big Island. Although winds gusted to only about 50 mph on Oahu, some power outages and the downing of trees occurred there as well. No serious injuries or property damage were reported, however.

An approaching cold front and its associated upper trough caused strong southwest and west winds across the Hawaiian Islands. The strongest gusts were near the summits of Haleakala in East Maui, and Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The high winds led to spotty power outages in the islands, trees and tree branches being blown down, and some roofs being torn from their structures. No damage estimates were available, however. There were no reports of serious injuries.

A powerful storm low northwest of Hawaii generated surf of 15 to 30 feet along the northwest-facing shores of all the islands. One man, visiting Hookena Beach in the South Kona District on the Big Island of Hawaii, drowned as he was pulled out to sea by a strong current caused by the high surf on the 5th. A 20 year-old man from Switzerland suffered lacerations while boogie boarding in the high surf near The Pines in North Kona on the 6th of January. No other serious injuries were reported.Some damage occurred along beaches and beach-front properties, especially on the west side of the Big Island and the North Shore of Oahu. However, no damage estimates were available.

A brush fire scorched about 60 acres of mature sugar cane a mile above Hana Highway near Maliko Gulch. Maui firefighters used several fire engines and the Air One helicopter to get the blaze under control. The cause of the fire was not immediately determined, but officials believed that arcing from nearby power lines may have ignited it.Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, the owner of the sugar cane, estimated its value at $300,000. However, the company said it would still be able to harvest and process the mature cane. A spokesman said, "It was cane that was ready to be harvested, so it was not a lost cause."

A brushfire scorched 255 acres above Olowalu in West Maui. The cause of the fire was unknown.The fire was primarily on state land, including a mountain slope that is part of the West Maui Natural Area Reserve. The blaze did not reach part of the reserve containing endangered plant species but did some damage to power lines on a ridge above Olowalu Store. There were no reports of serious injuries.

A jet stream just south of Maui produced west to southwest winds estimated at 50 to 60 mph, with gusts to 65 mph, near the summit of Haleakala on the Valley Isle. Two women and a young child were caught by surprise by the strong winds while spending time at a wilderness area near Kapalaoa cabin at about the 10 thousand-foot level. One of the women, with severe hypothermia, was rescued by park rangers on the evening of the 1st; while the other woman and her daughter were able to hike out of the area the next morning, on the 2nd, under their own power. There were no other reports of serious injuries or property damage.

The combination of a strong surface high northeast of the islands and an upper low passing south of the Hawaii generated northeast to east winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts to 55 mph, statewide. Trees and power lines were felled in the state, especially in Maui and on Oahu. Also in Maui, police said the strong winds contributed to the death of a motorcyclist who was riding on Honoapiilani Highway near Maalaea Harbor on the afternoon of the 13th. The strong winds blew off roof shingles at the King Kekaulike High School in Maui as well, forcing administrators to close the school early on the 13th.

A strong surface high north of the islands produced northeast to east winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts to 50 mph, across the state. The winds were strong enough to knock down some trees and power lines on the individual islands and blow the roofs off several structures. However, no serious injuries were reported.

Maui CountyIn what has become a rare occurrence in recent months, most of the gages in Maui County reported near to above average rainfall totals. The caveat, though, is that "average" for June at most locations is low; so a decent shower or two will bring the monthly total close to average. For example, the June total for Lahainaluna is 0.16 of an inch. Since the "normal" for the month is only 0.20, this total is 80 percent of that small average. Thus, for 2001 through the end of June, Maui County has been very dry with almost all totals below 50 percent of average.Island of HawaiiLeeward showers brought some relief to parched areas of Kona and South Kohala in June, especially from the 4th to the 6th. For the month of June, as a matter of fact, gages in the Kona districts reported near average rainfall. However, cumulative rainfall totals for the first six months of 2001 showed that most locations in the southern and western parts of the Big Island were in the 40 to 60 percent of average range.The following list contains rainfall statistics for selected locations from Maui County and the island of Hawaii where there have been drought conditions. The first column is the observed rainfall for June. The second column is the 30-year average for each location, while the third column lists the percent of average for the month. The fourth and fifth columns are the year-to-date totals and percent of average, respectively. YTD June 01 Avg. %Avg. YTD %Avg.Maui Kihei 0.00 0.10 0 0.59 6 Lahainaluna 0.16 0.20 80 1.23 10 Kula 1.09 1.10 99 5.94 34 Ulupalakua 1.48 1.90 78 7.32 36Molokai Kaunakakai 0.46 0.30 153 1.97 20 Kamalo 1.29 1.30 99 8.88 45Lanai Lanai City 2.62 1.40 187 8.27 38Island of Hawaii Honaunau 5.99 7.00 86 14.40 45 Kamuela (Upper) 2.14 3.00 71 11.89 37 Waiaha 6.10 8.60 71 15.26 42 Kahua Ranch 0.80 4.30 19 9.25 21 Kealakekua 5.72 8.20 70 16.60 46Drought conditions in parts of the Aloha State continue to harm agricultural and ranching interests. Some ranchers are wondering whether they should stay in the cattle business and are looking for other options. This includes Kahua Ranch, which will be the site of a wind farm being developed by Kahua Power Partners to generate 10 megawatts of electricity for the Big Island grid.

Strong high pressure northeast of the Hawaiian Islands generated east to northeast winds sustained at 30 mph, with gusts to 43 mph, in locales in the central valley and western parts of Maui. A number of power outages on the isle were attributed to the high winds. However, no serious property damage or injuries were reported.

A strong high pressure cell north of Hawaii caused northeast winds of 35 to 40 mph, with gusts to 55 mph, on all the islands. Downed trees on power lines led to occasional power outages, and they also blocked roadways from time to time at different locations throughout the state.

A powerful western Pacific storm low generated surf of 15 to 20 feet along the north- and northwest-facing shores and 8 to 12 feet along the west-facing shores of all the islands. Kauai beaches west of the Hanalei lifeguard station were again closed, this time on the 17th and 18th, due to the dangerously high surf conditions.

An area of strong high pressure north of the islands generated winds of 30 to 45 mph, with gusts as high as 60 mph, in parts of Maui and on the Big Island. The winds were responsible for partially blowing off a roof at a Lahaina elementary school and overturning a delivery van along Honoapiilani Highway near Olowalu in Maui. Also, blowing dust for a time caused a partial closure of the Kihei Road near the Maui Zoo.The strong and gusty winds toppled trees and caused sporadic power outages in Maui and on the Big Island as well.

An area of strong high pressure north of Hawaii generated sustained trade winds of 20 to 35 mph, with higher gusts, across the island chain. Some of the gusts were strong enough to down some trees and produce occasional power outages throughout the state.