High Surf, Kauai
- When
- February 14, 5:00 PM HST to February 15, 10:00 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, February 14 to 15, 2002
A storm low far northwest of Hawaii produced surf of 10 to 15 feet along the northwest-facing shores of Kauai and Oahu. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.
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 storm low far northwest of Hawaii produced surf of 10 to 15 feet along the northwest-facing shores of Kauai and Oahu. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.
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 Feb 14, 4:00 PM HST, 1 hour earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 14, 4:00 PM HST, 1 hour before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 4 PM HST THU FEB 14 2002 SUMMARY...TRADE WIND SPEEDS WILL INCREASE SLIGHTLY TOMORROW AND ON SATURDAY AND BECOME QUITE STRONG AND GUSTY OVER THE WEEKEND. WINDS WILL THEN DIMINISH AGAIN ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE ISLAND CHAIN FROM THE NORTHWEST. SOME LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS MAY ACCOMPANY THE COLD FRONT IN OUR AREA AROUND MIDWEEK NEXT WEEK. DISCUSSION...A 1028 HPA HIGH PRESSURE CELL THAT CROSSED THE DATELINE NEAR 40N LAST NIGHT WILL BE MOVING ESE AND PASS NORTH OF HAWAII TONIGHT AND ON FRIDAY BOOSTING THE TRADE WIND SPEEDS INTO THE FRESH TO STRONG CATEGORIES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE PROGS HAVE A WEAK LOW OR PERTURBATION MOVING BY WESTWARD WITHIN THE TROPICS JUST SOUTH OF THE STATE ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY KEEPING THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHT AND WINDS BRISK AND PERHAPS ADDING SOME TROPICAL MOISTURE AND SHOWERS TO OUR AREA. BY TUESDAY THE WINDS WILL TURN SOUTHEASTERLY AND SOUTHERLY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE DOWN THE CHAIN ON WEDNESDAY. AHEAD OF THE FRONT SOME HEAVY SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE AS RICH TROPICAL MOISTURE IS CLOSE AT HAND TO THE SOUTHEAST OF HAWAII. BEHIND THIS COLD FRONT LATER ON WEDNESDAY GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS WILL BRING SHOWERS TO WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN AREAS. MORE NORMAL TRADES WILL RETURN ON THURSDAY THOUGH THE PROGS STILL KEEP THE THREAT OF HEAVY SHOWERS IN OUR AREA. ROSENDAL .HFO.....WARNINGS.....NONE . WATCHES......NONE . ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF NW SHORES
The 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, Oahu
- When
- February 14, 5:00 PM HST to February 15, 10:00 AM HST
- Where
- Oahu 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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 2002
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: 5281151, 5281152.