High Surf in Hawaii, September 2, 2001

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, September 2, 2001
Start: 2001-09-02T07:00
End: 2001-09-02T18:00
Location: Hawaii

September 2, 2001 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A trade wind swell produced surf of 4 to 6 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai.

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.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 produced surf of 4 to 6 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai.

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 Sep 2, 4:57 AM HST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 2, 4:57 AM HST, 2 hours 3 minutes before

NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR WAKE ISLAND

TODAY AND TONIGHT...

SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES A POSSIBLE DISTURBANCE ABOUT 240 NM
SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF WAKE MOVING WEST NORTHWEST AROUND 10 KTS. WHILE
THIS IS NOT LIKELY TO AFFECT WAKE ISLAND UNLESS IT STRENGTHENS
RAPIDLY...PLENTY OF MOISTURE REMAINS NEAR THE ISLAND FOR SHOWERS
AND A FEW EMBEDDED TSTMS TO DEVELOP THRU AT LEAST TONIGHT.

AS A RESULT...EXPECT A MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY WITH A GOOD CHANCE FOR
SHOWERS ALONG WITH THE CHANCE FOR A TSTM. WINDS SHOULD REMAIN OUT
OF THE EAST AROUND 10 KTS BUT WILL BE VARIABLE AND GUSTY NEAR
CONVECTION.

NO SIGNIFICANT SWELL IS EXPECTED.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When: September 2, 7:00 AM HST to 6:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, 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: 5266033.