High Surf, Island of Hawaii
- When
- December 31, 10:00 AM HST to 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Island of Hawaii forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf in Hawaii, December 31, 1996
Surf heights of 12 to 18 feet occurred along north facing shores and 6 to 10 feet along west facing shores.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
Surf heights of 12 to 18 feet occurred along north facing shores and 6 to 10 feet along west facing shores.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Kauai
- When
- December 31, 10:00 AM HST to 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Kauai forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Maui
- When
- December 31, 10:00 AM HST to 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Maui forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Molokai
- When
- December 31, 10:00 AM HST to 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai forecast zone
High Surf, Oahu
- When
- December 31, 10:00 AM HST to 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu forecast zone
What these are
- High Surf
- Large waves breaking on the shore that caused damage, erosion or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Weather in New York, December 31, 1996
- Flash Flood in California, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 31, 1996
- Dense Fog in Florida, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 31, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, December 31, 1996
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 1996
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: 5583477, 5583478, 5583479, 5583480, 5583481.