The 3rd Kona Low Hits Hawaii

Kona Low 3 Activation – City and County EOC Operations April 8–10, 2026

The City and County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated at 0700 hours on April 8, 2026, in response to the Kona Low 3 weather event. Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) personnel were deployed to support communications operations throughout the activation.

RACES operators staffed stations at the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building, providing both voice and Winlink capabilities on VHF (2 meters) and HF bands.

The initial day shift on April 8 (0700–1900) was staffed by Michael Miller (KH6ML), Jan Mitchell (WH7Y), and Mark Rice (WH6HFZ). Operations continued into the overnight period with Mark Kaku (KH6LT) and Dominick (WB2CAT), who maintained communications coverage using both HF and VHF systems. No significant traffic or formal message reports were received during the overnight shift spanning April 8–9.

During the 1900 shift change briefing on April 8, the EOC Director emphasized the critical role of RACES in maintaining resilient communications and ensuring message flow during emergency operations.

Operations continued through April 9–10 with night shift coverage provided by Steve (KH6WG) and Mark Kaku (KH6LT), with additional split-shift support from Jan Mitchell (WH7Y). The day shift on April 10 (0700–1900) was again staffed by Michael Miller (KH6ML), Jan Mitchell (WH7Y), and Mark Rice (WH6HFZ).

During the activation, HF frequencies were tested and adjusted, resulting in a transition to a new 80-meter frequency due to interference on the initially assigned channel. This ensured continued reliability of long-range communications.

Several Winlink messages were received by the RACES team during the operational period and were successfully processed and entered into the EOC reporting system, supporting situational awareness and response coordination.

The EOC stood down operations at 1900 hours on April 10, 2026, concluding the RACES activation.



https://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com/...ty-and-county-eoc-operations-april-8-10-2026/

 

I googled it to get a little idea, but for those who don't want to, or for a better explanation, what is a Kona Low?

 

What is a kona low storm system?

A kona low is a weather pattern that can make Hawai‘i’s weather much wetter, windier and more intense than normal. These systems often bring southerly or southwesterly winds instead of the usual trade winds. Those winds can pull in warm, moisture-rich air, leading to heavy rain, flash flooding, thunderstorms, strong winds, and, at times, snow on the summits of Hawai‘i Island.

https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?th...rt-and-the-march-2026-kona-low-storms.985858/

 

Thanks. Great info!

 

So that is like a tropical system with extra rain. Sounds like the weather here last week with almost 10 inches of rain in 4 days.

 

Surprising to note that 80m was useful for long-range communications. Well done!

 

Not too long. Less than 200 miles from Oahu to Big Island.

 

80 and 40M are good for NVIS communications, seems to be a winner for the islands...

 

I assumed it was that time of day when the caffeine from the third cup of coffee wore off, and you were pouring your fourth cup.

 

Some basic Hawaii information that may be helpful to many readers:

Hawaii Island or Big Island: The largest of the half-dozen human-occupied Hawaiian Islands actually is named Hawaii. Confusing to many outsiders because most residents of this U.S. state live on another island, Oahu, where the capital city of Honolulu is. Most people in the state of Hawaii call Hawaii island "the Big Island," to avoid confusing it with the whole state, but in recent years, there has been promotional pressure from business interests to call it Hawaii island, its "proper" name.

Trade winds: Basically, trade winds are local wind patterns that blow so much of the time that humans back in the age of sail could depend on them as a reliable source of power for incoming ships. Trade winds can be somewhat seasonal. "Kona winds" are the local name for the opposite kind of wind, wind out of the southwest or south, more common in the winter months. Kona, in the Hawaiian language, means south. Kona weather in Hawaii tends to mean hotter and more humid ... or dangerously rainy/stormy. Lots of places near the equator have trade winds, although not necessarily in the same direction as Hawaii's. In Hawaii, these predominant winds blow out of the northeast much of the time ... although less frequently in recent years. Trade winds are what make Hawaii cooler and more pleasant than many tropical locales ... at least when they blow at their typical 15-25 mph strength.