High Surf, Kauai Mountains
- When
- March 16, 12:00 AM HST to March 17, 8:00 AM HST
- Where
- Kauai Mountains forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf in Hawaii, March 16 to 17, 1996
Large ocean swell generated by a distant north Pacific storm brought high surf to the Hawaiian Islands. On the Big Island, a 48 year old man was killed shortly after 0900 HST when the 25-foot fishing boat he was in capsized just outside the entrance to Honokohau Harbor near Kailua-Kona.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Large ocean swell generated by a distant north Pacific storm brought high surf to the Hawaiian Islands. The northwest swell produced high surf of up to 15 feet along northwest facing shores.On the Big Island, a 48 year old man was killed shortly after 0900 HST when the 25-foot fishing boat he was in capsized just outside the entrance to Honokohau Harbor near Kailua-Kona.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Surf, Kauai Mountains | 1996-03-16 | 48 | Male | Boat | Direct |
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
- Tornado in Tennessee, March 16, 1996
- Tornado in Alabama, March 16, 1996
- Tornado in Tennessee, March 16, 1996
- Tornado in Tennessee, March 16, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 16, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, March 16, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 16, 1996
- Hail in Tennessee, March 16, 1996
- Hail in Alabama, March 16, 1996
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, March 16, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 16, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, March 16 to 17, 1996
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 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: 5572962.