High Surf, Island of Hawaii
- When
- September 13, 11:00 AM HST to September 14, 11:00 AM 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, September 13 to 14, 1997
Two storm lows in the southern hemisphere generated swell that produced surf of 3 to 6 feet along the south 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.
Two storm lows in the southern hemisphere generated swell that produced surf of 3 to 6 feet along the south 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
- September 13, 11:00 AM HST to September 14, 11:00 AM HST
- Where
- Kauai forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Lanai
- When
- September 13, 11:00 AM HST to September 14, 11:00 AM HST
- Where
- Lanai forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Maui
- When
- September 13, 11:00 AM HST to September 14, 11:00 AM HST
- Where
- Maui forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Molokai
- When
- September 13, 11:00 AM HST to September 14, 11:00 AM HST
- Where
- Molokai forecast zone
High Surf, Oahu
- When
- September 13, 11:00 AM HST to September 14, 11:00 AM 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
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, September 13, 1997
- Wildfire in California, September 13 to 15, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Massachusetts, September 13, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Arizona, September 13, 1997
- Lightning Strikes in Maine, September 13, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, September 13, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, September 13, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, September 13, 1997
- Waterspout in Florida, September 13, 1997
- Flash Flood in Kansas, September 13, 1997
- Waterspout in Florida, September 13, 1997
- Flash Flood in Missouri, September 13, 1997
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, September 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: 5626687, 5626688, 5626689, 5626690, 5626691, 5626692.