High Surf in Hawaii, July 30 to 31, 2001

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, July 30 to 31, 2001
Start: 2001-07-30T11:00
End: 2001-07-31T23:59
Location: Hawaii

July 30 to 31, 2001 · NWS HFO · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A trade wind swell generated surf of 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of all the islands except Lanai.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 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 trade wind swell generated surf of 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of all the islands except Lanai.

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 30, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour earlier.

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

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST MON JUL 30 2001

SUMMARY...TRADE WINDS WILL BE GUSTY FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

DISCUSSION...ERICKS REMNANT SHOWERS PASSED THRU THE ISLANDS LARGELY
LAST NIGHT LEAVING AS MUCH AS AN INCH OF RAINFALL OVER SOME MAUKA
AREAS ON OAHU. THERE ARE OTHER UPSTREAM TRADE SHOWER BANDS THAT
WILL BE FOLLOWING WITH THE MOST NOTABLE LIKELY TO BE THE REMNANTS OF
YET ANOTHER DECAYED TROPICAL CYCLONE..FORMER DALILA..DUE WEDNESDAY
NIGHT/THURSDAY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FEATURE HOWEVER IS THE
UNSEASONABLY STRONG 1036 MILLIBAR HIGH NORTH OF THE ISLANDS.
IT SHOULD INCREASE TRADE WIND INTENSITY TO GUSTY SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY LEVELS LATER THIS AFTERNOON LASTING FOR MUCH OF THE REST
OF THIS WEEK. THE STRONG TRADES MAY WELL PROMPT HIGH SURF
ADVISORIES ALONG EAST FACING SHORES BY TO TOMORROW.  MATSUDA

.PHFO......WARNINGS.....NONE
.          WATCHES......NONE
.          ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT

*********************************************************************
FOR FIRE FIGHTING PURPOSES ONLY...THE FOLLOWING WINDS ARE BASED ON
THE MEDIUM RANGE FORECAST MODEL. ALLOWANCES ARE NOT MADE FOR DIURNAL
AND TERRAIN VARIATIONS BUT WINDS TEND TO BE STRONGER AND MORE
TURBULENT DURING THE DAY AND OVER HIGHER ELEVATIONS. TO READ BELOW
09025 IS A WIND FROM 090 DEGREES OR FROM THE EAST AT 25 KNOTS.

DATE   DAY  ALL ISLANDS
JUL 30 MON     09025
    31 TUE     09025
AUG 01 WED     09025
    02 THU     09020
    03 FRI     08015
    04 SAT     09015
    05 SUN     06015
    06 MON     09015
    07 TUE     09015
    08 WED     09015

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When: July 30, 11:00 AM HST to July 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, Maui

When: July 30, 11:00 AM HST to July 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: July 30, 11:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Molokai forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, North and East Hawaii

When: July 30, 11:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 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 30, 11:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Oahu forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, South Hawaii

When: July 30, 11:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: South Hawaii 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

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: 5259890, 5259891, 5259892, 5259893, 5259894, 5259895.