High Surf, Kauai
- When
- December 25, 6:00 PM HST to December 28, 12:00 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 in Hawaii, December 25 to 28, 2001
A deep storm low south of the Aleutian Islands produced surf of 15 to 30 feet along the northwest-facing shores of all the Hawaiian 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 deep storm low south of the Aleutian Islands produced surf of 15 to 30 feet along the northwest-facing shores of all the Hawaiian Islands.
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 Dec 25, 4:04 PM HST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 25, 4:04 PM HST, 1 hour 56 minutes before
NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR AMERICAN SAMOA AND THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF SAMOA TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY... OLD TROPICAL DEPRESSION 034 ABOUT 200 NM WEST OF SAVAII DOES NOT HAVE ORGANIZED CONVECTION BUT INSTEAD APPEARS ON SATELLITE IMAGERY AS A RELATIVELY LARGE LOW PRESSURE CIRCULATION WITH LITTLE MOVEMENT. SOUTHERN EDGE OF MAIN CONVECTION ORIENTED W-E REMAINS ABOUT 70 NM NORTH OF SAMOAN ISLANDS WITH LITTLE MOVEMENT. SURFACE TROUGH PRESENTLY NEAR YOU AND SOUNDING MOIST AND UNSTABLE. AVN AND NOGAPS MODELS BOTH INDICATE SURFACE LOW FORMING NEAR YOU BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT OR THURSDAY. CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ON WHETHER A SURFACE LOW WILL FORM NEAR YOU. THEREFORE NEED TO CONTINUE MONITORING SATELLITE IMAGERY SINCE POSSIBILITY OF CONVECTIVE AREA MOVING OVER YOU WOULD MEAN HEAVY PRECIPITATION. MOSTLY CLOUDY TONIGHT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS. CLOUDY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. NORTH OR NORTHEAST WIND 15 MPH THROUGH WEDNESDAY THEN SOUTHEAST 15 TO POSSIBLY 20 MPH THURSDAY DEPENDENT ON LOW POSITION. NORTH NORTHWEST SWELL 4 OR 5 FEET EARLY SATURDAY. OUTLOOK FOR FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... CONTINUED MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH SHOWERS. WIND MOSTLY SOUTHEAST 10 TO 15 MPH BECOMING NORTHWEST 15 MPH SUNDAY. NARRATIVE DISCUSSION FOR TUVALU TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...TUVALU TIME... SURFACE TROUGH IS JUST SOUTH OF YOU. THE SCATTERED CONVECTION AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER YOUR AREA ARE DUE TO THE WET MONSOON LIKE WESTERLY WINDS. EXPECT CONTINUED SHOWERS AND OCCASIONAL HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THURSDAY WITH WEST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS AND AS HIGH AS 20 KNOTS NORTH OF FUNAFUTI. FEWER SHOWERS FRIDAY WITH WINDS TURNING TO SOUTHWEST 10 TO 15 MPH.
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, Lanai
- When
- December 25, 6:00 PM HST to December 28, 12:00 PM HST
- Where
- Lanai forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Maui
- When
- December 25, 6:00 PM HST to December 28, 12:00 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
- December 25, 6:00 PM HST to December 28, 12:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, Oahu
- When
- December 25, 6:00 PM HST to December 28, 12:00 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, West Hawaii
- When
- December 25, 6:00 PM HST to December 28, 12:00 PM HST
- Where
- West Hawaii forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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, December 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: 5275755, 5275756, 5275757, 5275758, 5275759, 5275760.