A strong trade wind swell produced surf of 10 to 16 feet along the east-facing shores of the island of Hawaii. Water occasionally flowed across Route 137 near Pohoiki Bay in the Puna District, causing traffic delays from time to time over the 16-day period.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
A strong trade wind swell produced surf of 10 to 16 feet along the east-facing shores of the island of Hawaii. Water occasionally flowed across Route 137 near Pohoiki Bay in the Puna District, causing traffic delays from time to time over the 16-day period.
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 Dec 1, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours earlier.
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 10 AM HST SAT DEC 1 2001 SUMMARY...TRADES WILL INCREASE INTO THE 15 TO 30 MPH RANGE BY TONIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES EASTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL PACIFIC JUST SOUTH OF 40N. RAINFALL WILL BE LIGHT AND FAVOR WINDWARD AREAS...BUT THE STRONG TRADES WILL PUSH ISOLATED SHOWERS LEEWARD OVER THE SMALLER ISLANDS. DISCUSSION...A 1035 MB HIGH HAS CROSSED THE DATELINE AND IS MOVING EASTWARD...STRENGTHENING AS IT GOES. WINDS ARE ALREADY INCREASING ACROSS THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT STEEPENS...AND ARE EXPECTED TO REACH NEAR 30 MPH TONIGHT IN PLACES. BY SUNDAY NIGHT...WIND ADVISORIES AND GALE WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED AS STABLE CONDITIONS ENHANCE THE CHANNELING EFFECT OF TERRAIN NEAR MOUNTAIN PASSES AND IN THE CHANNELS BETWEEN THE ISLANDS. THIS HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO MIGRATE EAST DURING THE WEEK...PLACING IT FAR ENOUGH NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS WEDNESDAY TO WEAKEN OUR WINDS INTO THE 15 TO 25 MPH RANGE. BANDS OF SHOWERS IN THE TRADE FLOW WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER WINDWARD AREAS. THE STRONG TRADES WILL CARRY ISOLATED SHOWERS LEEWARD OVER THE SMALLER ISLANDS. THE UPPER TROUGH WEST OF THE ISLANDS WILL PRODUCE SOME HIGH CLOUDS OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. SURF...THE STRONG TRADES WILL PRODUCE HIGHER THAN NORMAL SURF ALONG EASTERN SHORES STATEWIDE. SURF MAY REACH ADVISORY LEVELS BY MONDAY. POWELL .PHFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE . WATCHES......NONE . ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT AT 6AM FOR STRONG TRADEWINDS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 2001
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: 5275636, 5275637.