Hawaii, 2001

High Surf in Hawaii, January 2 to 3, 2001

January 2 to 3, 2001 · NWS HFO · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Storm low far northwest of the state produced surf of 6 to 10 feet along the north- and northwest-facing shores of all the Hawaiian Islands.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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.

Storm low far northwest of the state produced surf of 6 to 10 feet along the north- and 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 Jan 2, 9:23 AM HST, 2 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 2, 9:23 AM HST, 2 hours 37 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST TUE JAN 2 2001

SUMMARY...A WEAK COLD FRONT WITH ITS ACCOMPANYING CLOUDS AND A FEW
SHOWERS WILL DISSIPATE OVER MAUI COUNTY TODAY. THE OTHER ISLANDS
WILL SEE PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WITH
SUNSHINE SHOULD PREVAIL OVER THE STATE BY WEDNESDAY WITH LIGHT WINDS
AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE ONCE AGAIN RULES OUR WEATHER.

DISCUSSION...THE WEAK SURFACE FRONT THAT BROUGHT SHOWERS TO KAUAI
YESTERDAY AND OAHU LAST NIGHT IS CURRENTLY MOVING ONSHORE THE WEST
SHORES OF MAUI NEAR LAHAINA AT 8 AM THIS MORNING. A FEW SHOWERS ARE
ACCOMPANYING THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY WITHIN PERHAPS 50 MILES OF THE
FRONTAL POSITION AS THE FRONT STALLS AND WEAKENS OVER MAUI TODAY
AND THUS MAUI COUNTY WILL REMAIN A BIT ON THE CLOUDY SIDE WITH A FEW
SHOWERS. THE OTHER ISLANDS WILL SEE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES...WITH JUST
AN ISOLATED STRAY SHOWER POSSIBLE ON OAHU AND THE BIG ISLAND. THE
RETURN OF THE SURFACE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE TO ITS PREVIOUS POSITION
NEAR OR OVER THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL KEEP OUR FINE WEATHER GOING
FOR THE COMING WEEK FOR THE MOST PART...WITH LIGHT WIND CONDITIONS
AND AFTERNOON SEA BREEZES. FARRELL

.PHFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE
.         WATCHES......NONE
.         ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When
January 2, 12:00 PM HST to January 3, 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, Lanai

When
January 2, 12:00 PM HST to January 3, 7:00 AM 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
January 2, 12:00 PM HST to January 3, 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
January 2, 12:00 PM HST to January 3, 7:00 AM HST
Where
Molokai forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, North and East Hawaii

When
January 2, 12:00 PM HST to January 3, 7:00 AM 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, Oahu

When
January 2, 12:00 PM HST to January 3, 7:00 AM HST
Where
Oahu forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, West Hawaii

When
January 2, 12:00 PM HST to January 3, 7:00 AM 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, January 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: 5229474, 5229475, 5229476, 5229477, 5229478, 5229479, 5229480.