High Surf, North and East Hawaii
- When
- March 27, 1:00 PM HST to March 30, 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 in Hawaii, March 27 to 30, 2001
A trade wind swell generated surf of 4 to 8 feet on the east- and southeast-facing shores of the island of Hawaii.
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
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 4 to 8 feet on the east- and southeast-facing shores of the island of Hawaii.
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 Mar 27, 12:00 PM HST, 1 hour earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 27, 12:00 PM HST, 1 hour before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
12 PM HST TUE MAR 27 2001
...UPDATED FOR HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEAST PUNA AND KAU SHORES
OF THE BIG ISLAND...
SUMMARY...A NEARBY HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL KEEP SOUTHEAST WINDS
OVER THE WESTERN ISLANDS AND EASTERLY TRADES OVER THE BIG ISLAND AND
MAUI COUNTY FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. CHANGES ARE IN ORDER STARTING
LATE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY EXTENDING INTO THE WEEKEND AS LOW PRESSURE
DEVELOPS TO THE NORTHWEST AND MOVES IN...BRINGING CLOUDS AND THE
POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY SHOWERS.
DISCUSSION...SUNNY AND FAIR WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH A NEARBY SURFACE
RIDGE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE OUR WEATHER. THIS RIDGE WILL DRIFT NORTH
SLIGHTLY AND THE TRADES WILL FILL IN BEHIND THE WEAK SOUTHEASTERLIES
UNTIL LATE THURSDAY WHEN THE RIDGE WILL BE ERODED AWAY. THE CULPRIT
WILL BE A SURFACE LOW WHICH WILL DEVELOP JUST NORTHWEST OF THE
STATE. THIS SURFACE LOW WILL FORM FROM DISTURBED WEATHER CAUSED BY A
MIDLEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATION MOVING IN FROM THE EAST AND JOINING A
TROUGH IN THE WESTERLIES ALOFT COMING IN FROM THE WEST. THESE UPPER
AIR FEATURES WILL FORM AN INVERTED TROUGH IN THE EASTERLIES AT THE
SURFACE WITH THE SURFACE LOW EMBEDDED WITHIN IT. THIS WILL RESULT IN
LIGHT WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS...WINDS BLOWING FROM ALMOST ANY
DIRECTION FROM THURSDAY NIGHT ON THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS ALSO WILL
MEAN WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS WITH LAND AND SEA BREEZES. SOME
LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS COULD OCCUR IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION. POWELL
.PHFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE
. WATCHES......NONE
. ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF ADVISORY SE PUNA AND, KAU SHORES OF
THE BIG ISLANDThe radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, South Hawaii
- When
- March 27, 1:00 PM HST to March 30, 7:00 AM 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
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 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: 5235516, 5235517.