High Surf, Kauai
- When
- December 3, 12:00 PM HST to December 16, 7:00 AM 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 3 to 16, 2001
A strong trade wind swell generated surf of 10 to 15 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Molokai.
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.
- 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
- 4
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 generated surf of 10 to 15 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Molokai.
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 3, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 3, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 10 AM HST MON DEC 3 2001 SUMMARY...STRONG HIGH PRESSURE TO OUR NORTHEAST WILL KEEP THE TRADE WINDS PUMPING FOR TODAY...BUT SPEEDS WILL BE GRADUALLY DIMINISHING THROUGH THE WEEK AS THE HIGH MOVES OFF INTO CALIFORNIA. BANDS OF SHOWERS ORIENTED PARALLEL TO THE ISLAND CHAIN WILL BRING SOME BRIEFLY HEAVY RAINS TO HILO TODAY...AND LIKELY TO THE OTHER ISLANDS AT TIMES TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. DISCUSSION...A STRONG 1035 MB HIGH PRESSURE CELL NORTH NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS WILL MOVE EAST SLOWLY. THIS WILL MAINTAIN TRADE WIND STRENGTH BUT WITH A SLOW DIMINISHMENT THROUGH THE WEEK. THE STRONG TRADES OF TODAY SHOULD BACK DOWN TO 15 TO 25 MPH BY THURSDAY. THIS HIGH WILL MOVE ONSHORE INTO CALIFORNIA ON FRIDAY...WITH ANOTHER BUILDING HIGH NORTH OF THE STATE SET TO INCREASE WINDS ONCE AGAIN FOR THE WEEKEND AND THE HONOLULU MARATHON. SEVERAL BANDS OF SHOWERS SEEN ON SATELLITE IMAGERY NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF THE STATE WILL PROVIDE SHOWERS TO THE WINDWARD BIG ISLAND TODAY...WITH SOME SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS EXPECTED AROUND HILO AND ALONG THE HAMAKUA COAST. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS MAY SPREAD WESTWARD ALONG THE WINDWARD AND MAUKA SECTIONS OF THE OTHER ISLANDS TONIGHT. ANOTHER SHOWER BAND NORTHEAST OF THIS ONE WILL LIKELY REINFORCE SHOWERS STATEWIDE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. IN THE LONGER RANGE...TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN BY FRIDAY...BUT THEN INCREASE AGAIN OVER THE WEEKEND AS A NEW HIGH BUILDS ONCE AGAIN NORTHEAT OF THE STATE. FARRELL .PHFO.....WARNINGS.....GALE CHANNELS . WATCHES......NONE . ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT COASTAL WATERS . HIGH SURF EAST SHORES . WIND ALL ISLANDS
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Maui
- When
- December 3, 12:00 PM HST to December 16, 7:00 AM 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 3, 12:00 PM HST to December 16, 7:00 AM HST
- Where
- Molokai forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, Oahu
- When
- December 3, 12:00 PM HST to December 16, 7:00 AM HST
- Where
- Oahu 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
- High Surf in American Samoa, December 3 to 7, 2001
- High Surf in California, December 3 to 4, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 3 to 4, 2001
- Dense Fog in California, December 3, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 3 to 4, 2001
- High Wind in Oregon, December 3 to 4, 2001
- High Wind in Alaska, December 3, 2001
- High Wind in South Dakota, December 3, 2001
- High Wind in Alaska, December 3, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 3 to 5, 2001
- Hail in Puerto Rico, December 3, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, December 3 to 4, 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: 5275638, 5275639, 5275640, 5275678.