High Surf, Island of Hawaii
- When
- July 31, 5:00 PM 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, July 31, 1997
A combination of swells generated in the western Pacific and south Pacific produced surf heights of 3 to 6 feet with occasional sets to 8 feet along the south and southwest facing shores of the 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 combination of swells generated in the western Pacific and south Pacific produced surf heights of 3 to 6 feet with occasional sets to 8 feet along the south and southwest facing shores of the 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
- July 31, 5:00 PM 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, Lanai
- When
- July 31, 5:00 PM HST to 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Lanai forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Maui
- When
- July 31, 5:00 PM 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
- July 31, 5:00 PM HST to 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai forecast zone
High Surf, Oahu
- When
- July 31, 5:00 PM 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
- Lightning Strike in Texas, July 31, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, July 31, 1997
- Flash Flooding in Nebraska, July 31, 1997
- Waterspout in Florida, July 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, July 31, 1997
- Wildfire and Damaging Wind in Idaho, July 31, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, July 31, 1997
- Cold in Georgia, July 31, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Puerto Rico, July 31, 1997
- Flood in Puerto Rico, July 31, 1997
- Hail in Florida, July 31, 1997
- Flash Flood in Colorado, July 31, 1997
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, July 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: 5626192, 5626193, 5626194, 5626195, 5626196, 5626197.