High Surf, Kauai
- When
- March 5, 7:00 AM HST to March 7, 4:00 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 in Hawaii, March 5 to 7, 2001
Storm lows well northeast and northwest of the state produced surf of 6 to 10 feet along the northwest clockwise through northeast shorelines of all the Hawaiian Islands. At Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu on the 6th, lifeguards rescued six people from strong currents, while at Sunset Beach lifeguards launched a Jet Ski to aid a sailboarder who got in trouble after breaking the mast of his…
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- 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 lows well northeast and northwest of the state produced surf of 6 to 10 feet along the northwest clockwise through northeast shorelines of all the Hawaiian Islands. At Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu on the 6th, lifeguards rescued six people from strong currents, while at Sunset Beach lifeguards launched a Jet Ski to aid a sailboarder who got in trouble after breaking the mast of his sail. Also, a surfer at Pipeline was taken to Kahuku Hospital after being injured in the rough surf.
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 5, 4:25 AM HST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 4:25 AM HST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR WAKE ISLAND ...TODAY THRU WEDNESDAY...WAKE TIME... A FRONT NORTHWEST OF WAKE IS MOVING TOWARDS THE SOUTHEAST AND WEAKENING. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...YOUR WEATHER WILL REMAIN MOSTLY FAIR. YOUR WINDS WILL WEAKEN AND BECOME VARIABLE TONIGHT. A BAND OF SHOWERS WILL MOVE OVER WAKE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. TRADE WINDS WILL BUILD BACK IN BEHIND THE SHOWER BAND. A NORTHWEST SWELL PEAKED NEAR 6 FEET YESTERDAY AND WILL STEADILY DECREASE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. EAST NORTHEAST TRADEWIND SWELL WILL PEAK NEAR 8 FEET THIS MORNING AND SLOWLY DECREASE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. INITIAL INDICATIONS ARE THAT A VERY LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL MAY REACH WAKE THURSDAY...WAKE TIME. THE SWELL IS FORECAST TO RISE VERY RAPIDLY STARTING AROUND 08/00Z. IF THE COMPUTER MODELS ARE CORRECT...SURF AT WAKE COULD REACH 25 FEET THURDAY EVENING.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Lanai
- When
- March 5, 7:00 AM HST to March 7, 4:00 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
- March 5, 7:00 AM HST to March 7, 4:00 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
- March 5, 7:00 AM HST to March 7, 4:00 AM HST
- Where
- Molokai forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, North and East Hawaii Including Windward Kohala / Hamakua / Hilo / Puna
- When
- March 5, 7:00 AM HST to March 7, 4:00 AM HST
- Where
- North and East Hawaii Including Windward Kohala / Hamakua / Hilo / Puna forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Surf, Oahu
- When
- March 5, 7:00 AM HST to March 7, 4:00 AM HST
- Where
- Oahu forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, West Hawaii Including Leeward Kohala and Kona
- When
- March 5, 7:00 AM HST to March 7, 4:00 AM HST
- Where
- West Hawaii Including Leeward Kohala and Kona forecast zone
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- 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
- Flooding and Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Rhode Island, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Connecticut, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Winter Storm in New York, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Winter Storm in New York, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Winter Storm in New York, March 5 to 6, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 5 to 6, 2001
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: 5235488, 5235489, 5235490, 5235491, 5235492, 5235493, 5235494.