High Surf in Hawaii, September 9 to 11, 2001

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, September 9 to 11, 2001
Start: 2001-09-09T10:00
End: 2001-09-11T20:00
Location: Hawaii

September 9 to 11, 2001 · NWS HFO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A storm low in the Southern Hemisphere generated surf of 6 to 8 feet along the southeast- and south-facing shores of all the Hawaiian Islands.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 storm low in the Southern Hemisphere generated surf of 6 to 8 feet along the southeast- and south-facing shores of all the Hawaiian Islands.

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 9, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 9, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST SUN SEP 9 2001

SUMMARY...TYPICALLY DRIER THAN USUAL SUMMER TYPE WEATHER WILL
CHARACTERIZE MOST OF THE COMING NEW WEEK. HOWEVER THE LEFTOVERS
OF FORMER HURRICANE GIL MAY SKIRT THE ISLANDS AND INCREASE HUMIDITY
AT THE END OF THE WEEK.

DISCUSSION...THE FAMILIAR HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE TO THE NORTH WILL BE
JUST STRONG ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN OUR MODERATE..OR NORMAL..TRADE WIND
SPEEDS FOR SEVERAL DAYS TO COME. HOWEVER THE COMBINATION OF THE
RIDGES SLIGHT WEAKENING AND THE POSSIBLE APPROACH OF THE REMAINS OF
NOW TROPICAL DEPRESSION GIL MAY COMBINE TO WEAKEN OUR WINDS AROUND
FRIDAY. ALTHO TOO EARLY TO PRECISELY DETERMINE GILS EFFECT ON THE
ISLANDS  THE RIDGES WEAKENING SUGGESTS THAT ITS PATH WILL MOST
LIKELY BE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS...A LOCATION FAVORING MUGGY
CONDITIONS. MEANWHILE RAINFALL FOR THE COMING WEEK SHOULD BE ON
THE DRIER SIDE AS A STABLE MIDLEVEL RIDGE PARKS OVER OUR PROXIMITY.
MATSUDA

.PHFO......WARNINGS.....NONE
.          WATCHES......NONE
.          ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF SOUTH SHORES

********************************************************************F
FOR ALL FIRE CONTROL AGENCIES IN HAWAII. 3 TO 5 DAY AND 6 TO 10 DAY
FORECAST WINDS ARE NOW FOUND IN THE NEW PRODUCT...FIRE WEATHER
FORECAST FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII. THE FIRE WEATHER FORECAST
IS BEING ISSUED DAILY AT 530 AM HST. THE PRODUCT WMO COMMUNICATIONS
HEADING IS FNHW50 PHFO. THE AWIPS ID IS FWFHFO. THE PIL ID IS
HFOFWFHFO. IT IS ALSO CAN BE FOUND IN THE HONOLULU FORECAST OFFICE
WEB SITE AS FOLLOWS IN LOWER CASE...
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/PR/HNL/INDEX.SHTML  (CLICK ON FIRE WEATHER)

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When: September 9, 10:00 AM HST to September 11, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Lanai

When: September 9, 10:00 AM HST to September 11, 8:00 PM 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: September 9, 10:00 AM HST to September 11, 8:00 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: September 9, 10:00 AM HST to September 11, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, North and East Hawaii

When: September 9, 10:00 AM HST to September 11, 8:00 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, Oahu

When: September 9, 10:00 AM HST to September 11, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, South Hawaii

When: September 9, 10:00 AM HST to September 11, 8:00 PM HST
Where: South Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, West Hawaii

When: September 9, 10:00 AM HST to September 11, 8:00 PM HST
Where: West Hawaii forecast zone
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

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: 5266103, 5266104, 5266105, 5266106, 5266107, 5266108, 5266109, 5266110.