Hawaii, 2001

High Surf in Hawaii, April 28 to 30, 2001

April 28 to 30, 2001 · NWS HFO · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A trade wind swell caused surf of 6 to 8 feet along the east shores of all the islands except Lanai.

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
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  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
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  • Marine and coastal
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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 trade wind swell caused surf of 6 to 8 feet along the east shores of all the islands except Lanai.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 28, 4:52 AM HST, 3 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 4:52 AM HST, 3 hours 8 minutes before
NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR WAKE ISLAND

...SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT

THE RIDGE THAT HAS BEEN ANCHORED ABOUT 300 MILES NORTHWEST OF WAKE
WILL SAG SOUTHWARD SLOWLY AND WEAKEN.  THE FRONT ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE RIDGE WILL LIKEWISE SAG SOUTH BUT WILL BECOME STATIONARY A
COUPLE HUNDRED MILES NORTH OF WAKE.  EAST NORTHEAST WINDS WILL BE 10
TO 15 KNOTS TODAY THEN DECREASE TO 5 TO 10 KNOTS LATER TODAY AND
TONIGHT AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WEAKENS.  THE UPSTREAM LOW LEVEL
FLOW SHOWS MOSTLY SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS AND ONLY ISOLATED SHOWERS SO
FINE WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND.  NO
SIGNIFICANT SWELL IS EXPECTED.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When
April 28, 8:00 AM HST to April 30, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Kauai forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Maui

When
April 28, 8:00 AM HST to April 30, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Maui forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Molokai

When
April 28, 8:00 AM HST to April 30, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Molokai forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, North and East Hawaii

When
April 28, 8:00 AM HST to April 30, 11:59 PM HST
Where
North and East Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Oahu

When
April 28, 8:00 AM HST to April 30, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Oahu forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, South Hawaii

When
April 28, 8:00 AM HST to April 30, 11:59 PM HST
Where
South Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

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

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, April 2001

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: 5242237, 5242238, 5242239, 5242240, 5242241, 5242242.