High Surf, Kauai
- When
- December 29, 10:00 AM HST to December 31, 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 in Hawaii, December 29 to 31, 2001
A storm low far northwest of the state generated surf of 15 to 30 feet along the northwest-facing shores of all 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.
A storm low far northwest of the state generated surf of 15 to 30 feet along the northwest-facing shores of all the 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 29, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 29, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 10 AM HST SAT DEC 29 2001 SUMMARY...THE COLD FRONT IS CROSSING MAUI THIS MORNING. SHOWERS ARE OCCURRING FROM MOLOKAI ACROSS MAUI AND WILL SPREAD TO THE BIG ISLAND THIS AFTERNOON. SKIES HAVE CLEARED AND WINDS DECREASED BEHIND THE FRONT OVER OAHU AND KAUAI. DISCUSSION...THE COLD FRONT NOW OVER MAUI CONTINUES MOVING SOUTHEAST ABOUT 20 MILES PER HOUR. SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE STILL QUITE GUSTY NEAR AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. THE FRONT WILL STALL OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND TONIGHT. PRESENTLY THIS MORNING A NARROW BAND OF CLOUDS MOVING ONTO KAUAI WILL BRING A FEW SHOWERS THERE AND PROBABLY TO OAHU LATER THIS AFTERNOON. A SUCCESSION OF COLD FRONTS WILL PASS ACROSS THE STATE THIS WEEK SINCE THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE IS SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS. THIS IS A SURPRISINGLY LONG PERIOD OF WEATHER MOVING IN THE WESTERLIES THAT WOULD BE TYPICAL OF LATITUDES FARTHER NORTH THAN HAWAII. SOUTHWEST WINDS ACCOMPANYING THE FRONT SUNDAY NIGHT MAY AGAIN WARRANT A WIND ADVISORY OVER KAUAI AND OAHU... WINDS DECREASING SIGNIFICANTLY NEW YEARS DAY. TWO MORE FRONTS ARE EXPECTED... WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. PRECIPITATION NOT EXPECTED TO BE GREAT SINCE THEY SHOULD MOVE RATHER RAPIDLY. SURF EXPECTED TO RISE SUNDAY DUE TO A NORTHWEST SWELL WITH A LONGER THAN NORMAL FETCH. FETCH IS THE DISTANCE OVER WHICH THE WINDS BLOW AS THE SWELL BUILDS. SURF HEIGHTS WILL REACH 25 FEET OR HIGHER ON NORTHWEST SHORES MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. HOAG .PHFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE . WATCHES......NONE . ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT
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 29, 10:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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 29, 10:00 AM HST to December 31, 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
- December 29, 10:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, Oahu
- When
- December 29, 10:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, West Hawaii
- When
- December 29, 10:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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
- Extreme Cold in Missouri, December 29, 2001
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 29, 2001
- High Wind in American Samoa, December 29 to 31, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Indiana, December 29, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 29 to 30, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Utah, December 29 to 30, 2001
- Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 29 to 31, 2001
- Heavy Snow in California, December 29 to 30, 2001
- Dense Fog in Idaho, December 29, 2001
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 29 to 30, 2001
- Blizzard in Alaska, December 29 to 30, 2001
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: 5275761, 5275762, 5275763, 5275764, 5275765, 5275766.