Kona damage not from tornado
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
The National Weather Service has concluded that damage last weekend to homes and macadamia farms in the Miloli'i and Honolamilo areas in South Kona was caused by a 10-minute wind "downburst," and not a tornado.
Macfarms of Hawai'i
The intense straight-line winds, which reached 70 to 90 mph, flattened trees and damaged homes in a swath 500 to 800 feet wide, according to the weather service.
Macfarms of Hawai'i Inc. reported that severe winds damaged about 2,500 macadamia trees last weekend on its 3,850-acre orchard about 35 miles south of Kailua on the Big Island.
The winds first struck at about 11:30 p.m. Friday at the coast near Miloli'i and stretched northeast for three miles, according to a weather service statement.
The American Red Cross reported that three homes were destroyed in upper Miloli'i near Huanui Road. Farmers said damage to macadamia orchards amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Macfarms of Hawai'i Inc. reported that about 2,500 trees were damaged on its 3,850-acre orchard about 35 miles south of Kailua village. The company estimated that the trees were worth $500,000.
The weather service ruled out a tornado after studying damage pictures and radar data and talking to residents.
However, the weather service reported that there was a second windstorm just after midnight Sunday. Radar images suggest that it may have turned into a tornado that passed about two miles southwest of Pahala in the Ka'u district.
The weather service said it is still awaiting more details about the pattern of the second storm.
Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 935-3916.
