High Surf, Honolulu
- When
- January 4, 1:15 PM HST
- Where
- Honolulu County, 6 mi SE of Waimanalo
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf in Hawaii, January 4, 2001
An unexpected large wave caused injuries to two men wading in the tidal pool area below the Makapuu lighthouse in East Oahu. One man suffered a broken leg and the other complained of back pain.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 2
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
An unexpected large wave caused injuries to two men wading in the tidal pool area below the Makapuu lighthouse in East Oahu. One man suffered a broken leg and the other complained of back pain.
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 4, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 4, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 15 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 10 AM HST THU JAN 4 2001 SUMMARY...FAIR WEATHER WITH LIGHT WINDS PREVAIL THROUGH THE NEXT FEW DAYS. DISCUSSION...ANOTHER CLEAR MORNING FOR MOST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS ...EXCEPT FOR THE LINGERING CLOUDINESS OVER KAUAI...OAHU AND WEST MOLOKAI. DO EXPECT THESE CLOUDS TO EVENTUALLY DISSIPATE THROUGH TODAY. HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE NOW SHIFTS OVER THE ISLANDS...WITH LIGHT WINDS FOR ALL AREA. FRONT NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL HAVE NO IMPACT ON OUR WEATHER...THROUGH AN AREA OF RAIN CLOUDS ABOUT 100 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE BIG ISLAND MAY BRING MORE CLOUDS AND SHOWERS TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THAT ISLAND LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. NEW FORECAST CHARTS CONTINUE TO SHOW SURFACE RIDGE AS THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE THROUGH THE NEXT FEW DAYS. EXPECT DRY WEATHER WITH LIGHT WINDS TO PREVAIL. HAVE ISSUED AN UPDATE ON THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY DUE TO THE SLIGHTLY HIGHER HEIGHTS ANTICIPATED. HUI .PHFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE . WATCHES......NONE . ADVISORIES...HI SURF NORTHWEST FACING SHORES
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
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 Wind in Montana, January 4, 2001
- High Wind in Montana, January 4, 2001
- Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 4, 2001
- High Surf in Hawaii, January 4 to 6, 2001
- High Wind in South Dakota, January 4, 2001
- High Wind in Montana, January 4, 2001
- High Wind in Montana, January 4, 2001
- High Wind in Montana, January 4, 2001
- High Wind in Montana, January 4, 2001
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: 5229488.