High Surf, Island of Hawaii
- When
- April 21, 3:00 AM HST to April 22, 2:00 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, April 21 to 22, 1997
A gale low centered just east of the dateline with circulation covering a broad area of the central Pacific, generated swell that produced surf of 8 to 12 feet along the north and west shores of Kauai and Oahu and 6 to 10 feet along the north and west shores of the other islands.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 6
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.
A gale low centered just east of the dateline with circulation covering a broad area of the central Pacific, generated swell that produced surf of 8 to 12 feet along the north and west shores of Kauai and Oahu and 6 to 10 feet along the north and west shores of the other islands.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Kauai
- When
- April 21, 3:00 AM HST to April 22, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kauai forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Lanai
- When
- April 21, 3:00 AM HST to April 22, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Lanai forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Maui
- When
- April 21, 3:00 AM HST to April 22, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Maui forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Molokai
- When
- April 21, 3:00 AM HST to April 22, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai forecast zone
High Surf, Oahu
- When
- April 21, 3:00 AM HST to April 22, 2:00 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
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 21 to 24, 1997
- High Surf in Puerto Rico, April 21, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 21 to 30, 1997
- Flood in Minnesota, April 21 to 30, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Tennessee, April 21 to 30, 1997
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Alabama, April 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 21 to 22, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Kentucky, April 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Kentucky, April 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Mississippi, April 21, 1997
- Hail in South Carolina, April 21, 1997
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, April 1997
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: 5626982, 5626983, 5626984, 5626985, 5626986, 5626987.