High Surf in Hawaii, August 7 to 11, 2001

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, August 7 to 11, 2001
Start: 2001-08-07T10:00
End: 2001-08-11T16:00
Location: Hawaii

August 7 to 11, 2001 · NWS HFO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong trade wind swell from the Southern Hemisphere generated surf of 6 to 12 feet along the east- and southeast-facing shores of Kauai and the island of Hawaii.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 strong trade wind swell from the Southern Hemisphere generated surf of 6 to 12 feet along the east- and southeast-facing shores of Kauai and the island of Hawaii.

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 Aug 7, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 7, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST TUE AUG 7 2001

SUMMARY...TRADE WINDS WILL REMAIN BREEZY AND ITS SHOWERS MINIMAL.

DISCUSSION...HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATES THE ENTIRE PACIFIC OCEAN.
THE CLOSEST LOWS ARE ON ITS PERIPHERY IN THE GULF OF ALASKA AND
OFFSHORE OF JAPAN. THIS ASSURES OUR LASTING SUMMER TRADE WINDS.
RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE IN SHORT SUPPLY WITH BUT MINOR SHOWERS MOST
LIKELY AFFECTING EITHER ENDS OF THE STATE...WINDWARD KAUAI AND
WINDWARD BIG ISLAND TONIGHT. THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE NOTICEABLE
SHOWERS LIES WITH A TROPICAL DISTURBANCE MORE THAN 600 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF THE BIG ISLAND...SHOWERS ON ITS NORTH SIDE MAY ONBOARD
WINDWARD BIG ISLAND TOMORROW EVENING. OTHERWISE UPSTREAM CLOUDINESS
IS MOSTLY STABLE.

SURF...SOUTH SIDE SURF HAS INCREASED TO 5 FEET. BUOYS SHOW THAT
ANY FURTHER INCREASE IS IMPROBABLE.  MATSUDA

.PHFO......WARNINGS.....NONE
.          WATCHES......NONE
.          ADVISORIES...NONE

*********************************************************************
FOR FIRE FIGHTING PURPOSES ONLY...THE FOLLOWING WINDS ARE BASED ON
THE MEDIUM RANGE FORECAST MODEL. ALLOWANCES ARE NOT MADE FOR DIURNAL
AND TERRAIN VARIATIONS BUT WINDS TEND TO BE STRONGER AND MORE
TURBULENT DURING THE DAY AND OVER HIGHER ELEVATIONS. TO READ BELOW
08020 IS A WIND FROM 080 DEGREES OR FROM THE EAST AT 20 KTS.

DATE   DAY  ALL ISLANDS

AUG 07 TUE     08020
    08 WED     08020
    09 THU     08020
    10 FRI     08020
    11 SAT     08020
    12 SUN     08020
    13 MON     08020
    14 TUE     08020
    15 WED     08020

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When: August 7, 10:00 AM HST to August 11, 4:00 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, North and East Hawaii

When: August 7, 10:00 AM HST to August 11, 4:00 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, South Hawaii

When: August 7, 10:00 AM HST to August 11, 4:00 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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, August 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: 5263514, 5263515, 5263516.