High Surf in Hawaii, July 16 to 20, 2001

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, July 16 to 20, 2001
Start: 2001-07-16T11:30
End: 2001-07-20T17:00
Location: Hawaii

July 16 to 20, 2001 · NWS HFO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A storm low in the Southern Hemisphere, in combination with a trade wind swell, caused surf of 8 to 12 feet along the east- clockwise through southwest-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: 8

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 in the Southern Hemisphere, in combination with a trade wind swell, caused surf of 8 to 12 feet along the east- clockwise through southwest-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 Jul 16, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 16, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

AFDHI
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST MON JUL 16 2001

SUMMARY...TRADE WINDS 20 TO 25 MPH WITH ONLY A FEW BRIEF SHOWERS
          CAUGHT UP IN THE TRADE WIND FLOW.

DISCUSSION...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS ENTRENCHED FAR TO THE
NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS WITH THE MEAN RIDGE JUST NORTH OF 30N.
ALTHO THERE IS A FAIRLY EXTENSIVE STRATOCUMULUS CLOUD FIELD CAUGHT
UP IN THE FLOW...MOISTURE IS LIMITED.  BOTH LIHUE AND HILO SOUNDINGS
INDICATE A WEAK INVERSION AT 6000 FT FURTHER LIMITING THE
MOISTURE AVAILABLE FOR RAINFALL.

AS A RESULT...EXPECT A CONTINUATION OF THE WARMER TEMPERATURES WITH
ONLY A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. RAINFALL TOTALS
THRU THE PERIOD WILL REMAIN LIGHT.

IN THE MEANTIME... THE UPPER LOW CONTINUES ABOUT 600 NM NORTH OF
HONOLULU WITH A WEAK LOW REFLECTED ON THE SURFACE ABOUT 30N 163W.
THIS WEAK SURFACE LOW IS MOVING WEST AT 10 KTS AND IS DRAGGING A
WEAK BOUNDARY. THIS BOUNDARY IS INTERSECTING WITH THE KAUAI PLUME
ABOUT 125 NM WEST OF KAUAI AND SOME CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED IN
THIS AREA THIS MORNING. THIS AREA OF CONVECTION WILL LIKELY
CONTINUE ALL DAY AS THE AREA MOVES SLOWLY WEST.

NO SIGNIFICANT SWELL TODAY BUT FORERUNNERS OF A SOUTH SWELL SHOULD
BEGIN REACHING THE ISLANDS BY LATE TUESDAY PEAKING OF WEDNESDAY.
OLSON

.PHFO......WARNINGS.....NONE
.          WATCHES......NO9NE
.          ADVISORIES...NONE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When: July 16, 11:30 AM HST to July 20, 5:00 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, Lanai

When: July 16, 11:30 AM HST to July 20, 5:00 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: July 16, 11:30 AM HST to July 20, 5:00 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: July 16, 11:30 AM HST to July 20, 5:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, North and East Hawaii

When: July 16, 11:30 AM HST to July 20, 5:00 PM 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: July 16, 11:30 AM HST to July 20, 5:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, South Hawaii

When: July 16, 11:30 AM HST to July 20, 5:00 PM HST
Where: South Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, West Hawaii

When: July 16, 11:30 AM HST to July 20, 5:00 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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, July 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: 5259815, 5259816, 5259817, 5259818, 5259819, 5259820, 5259821, 5259822.