Kona Storm - Nov 4, 2007 High winds, Rain, Lightning

Kona storms are weather events that cause most of Hawaii's severe weather. One or two occur, on average, every year during the winter months between mid-October and late-March.

This particular Kona Storm was fairly average, but it occurred after a 21 month dry spell. The ground was unprepared for the heavy rains this storm brought, so flooding occurred, mostly in Kailua on Oahu.

Since this storm I have chased both tornadoes and hurricanes, so I now see that the winds didn't gust over 35mph.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Kona
• storm
• low
• oahu
• hawaii
• honolulu
• severe
• weather
• wind
• rain
• thunderstorm

[LuvsTstormTapes]

Normally Hawaii averages only 5 Tstorm days per year...despite being more southernmost locale than any part of the USA.... yet...when I was there on 5/16/79.. I did see one lightning flash while on the balcony of Honolulu's Princess Kalauni's hotel. Hard to believe, 5/17/79..HI's had it's lowest temp ever...12 above...when I was THERE....The 12 degrees was not at Waikiki Beach..but atop one of HI's astronomical observatories...over 2 miles up. Nice video you got, BTW.

[CyrusNixes]

Yeah, I've lived in Hawaii my whole life and lightning is rare. Sometimes it can be spectacular, though.

Yeah, Its crazy how Hawaii is the only state that recorded its lowest temperature outside of the months of Jan/Feb. I think that something is fishy about that reading though cause it rarely snows on the mountains in May, and it always snows in Dec-March. I think it gets down to 5-15 degrees F at the top of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa every year - there just aren't enough readings to record it.

[Freediv291]

sure does look like Ala Moana Park to me

[CyrusNixes]

It is Ala Moana park and nearby areas. "Kona storm" is the name of the storm systems that hit Hawaii. It's a Hawaiian term to refer to the winds in the storms, which blow from the "kona" direction, or from the southwest.

[Staccato26]

Absolutely bucketing down near the end!

How much rainfall was recorded with this system?

[CyrusNixes]

The storm dropped about 4 inches at my location, but more than 14 inches fell about two miles away from me in the mountains. Hawaii is real weird like that - the island of Oahu is only 8 miles thick and 25 miles long but it has several areas that get over 200 inches of rain a year and some that get less than 15.

[MyDelldelldell]

its not as bad as N.Y.

[fspoajable]

cool

[lostindiancamp]

that's no intense storm. Come to the Gulf states during a hurricane if you want to see a real storm.

[LuvsTstormTapes]

So good to hear from you, my new Youtube bud from the ''Aloha State''... Again...in the only time I've ever ever have been to HI...was right when Mauna Loa or Kea reported HI's all-time record low temp on 5/17/79...downright amazing!! BTW..I live here in RI...yet I visited RI from near NYC area and RI had it's all-time record high of 104 on 8/2/75... Again....I remember my HI trip very well from over 30 years ago....hard to believe it's been that long. BTW..wanna see my own Tstorm videos?

[world138slaughter422]

One day, around Hurricane Ike, in the southern, well when it was done it came and circled around to Ohio, well that's where I live and it didn't rain at all but it brought 70mph winds and it was just amazing