Hawaii, 2001

High Surf in Hawaii, September 1, 2001

September 1, 2001 · NWS HFO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A trade wind swell caused surf of 4 to 6 feet along the east-facing shores of the island of Hawaii.

Where it happened

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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 caused surf of 4 to 6 feet along the east-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 Aug 31, 9:06 PM HST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 9:06 PM HST, 2 hours 54 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST FRI AUG 31 2001

...THE WIND ADVISORY IS CANCELLED EFFECTIVE AT 830 PM HST...

SUMMARY...STRONG TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY. WINDS
WILL WEAKEN SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...DROPPING TO 10 TO 20 MPH BY
LABOR DAY. THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF SUNSHINE THROUGH THE LABOR DAY
WEEKEND BUT WE WILL SEE ISOLATED SHOWERS...MAINLY OVER WINDWARD AND
MOUNTAIN AREAS.

DISCUSSION...A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE SUBTROPICAL HIGH
TO OUR NORTH AND TROUGHING TO OUR SOUTH IS PRODUCING STRONG TRADE
WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS. THE COMPUTER MODELS KEEP THE GRADIENT
STRONG THROUGH SATURDAY...THEN WEAKEN IT ON SUNDAY AND FURTHER ON
MONDAY. TRADES WILL BE CONTINUE AT SMALL CRAFT LEVELS THROUGH AT
LEAST SUNDAY...DIMINISHING BELOW THESE LEVELS BY MONDAY.

A LINE OF SHOWERY CLOUDS THAT HAD BEEN OVER OAHU HAS WEAKENED AND
MOVED OFF TO THE WEST. SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGERY SHOW MORE SHOWER
CLOUDS UPSTREAM OF THE ISLANDS. THESE CLOUDS WILL PRODUCE ISOLATED
SHOWERS OVER WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN AREAS BUT NO HEAVY RAINFALL IS
EXPECTED.
DONALDSON

.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
09015 IS A WIND FROM 090 DEGREES OR FROM THE EAST AT 15 KNOTS.

DATE   DAY  ALL ISLANDS

AUG 31 FRI     08025
SEP  1 SAT     08025
     2 SUN     08020
     3 MON     08015
     4 TUE     08015
     5 WED     09015
     6 THU     09015
     7 FRI     09015
     8 SAT     09015
     9 SUN     08015

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, North and East Hawaii

When
September 1, 12:00 AM HST to 6:00 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, South Hawaii

When
September 1, 12:00 AM HST to 6:00 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

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, September 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: 5266031, 5266032.