High Surf, North and East Hawaii
- When
- March 16, 8:00 AM HST to March 19, 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 in Hawaii, March 16 to 19, 2002
A trade wind swell generated surf of 5 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious injuries or property damage were reported.
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 trade wind swell generated surf of 5 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious injuries or property damage were reported.
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 16, 4:40 AM HST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 16, 4:40 AM HST, 3 hours 20 minutes before
NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR AMERICAN SAMOA AND THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF SAMOA TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY... THE SURFACE TROUGH IS ABOUT 150 NM SOUTH MOVING NORTH IN RESPONSE TO THE UPPER TROUGH. THE UPPER TROUGH OVER YOU THAT EXTENDS SOUTHEASTWARD WILL REMAIN INTO NEXT WEEK BECOMING A RATHER LARGE UPPER LOW AND BROAD WEAK SURFACE LOW. MAIN FOCUS OF STRONGER CONVECTION IS PRESENTLY FAR EAST SOUTHEAST BUT THERE ARE SCATTERED CB IN THE CONVERGENCE BAND THAT EXTENDS FROM SAMOA TO 200 NM NORTH. THERE ARE SEVERAL CB OVER THE SAMOAN ISLANDS SHOWING WESTWARD MOVEMENT. EXPECT A CONTINUATION OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. LIGHT VARIABLE WIND TODAY BECOMING LIGHT SOUTH WIND TONIGHT AS THE SURFACE TROUGH MOVES NORTH OF YOU. GUSTY WINDS NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. TWO SMALL SWELLS NEAR 3 FEET BY SUNDAY... ONE SOUTH AND THE OTHER SOUTHEAST. OUTLOOK FOR MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... THE CONVERGENCE BAND WILL BE NORTH OF SAMOA BUT WEAK LOW PRESSURE OR A SURFACE TROUGH WILL BE OVER YOU. LIGHT WINDS WILL CONTINUE WITH LAND AND SEA BREEZES AND AFTERNOON CLOUDS AND SHOWERS. NARRATIVE DISCUSSION FOR TUVALU TODAY THROUGH MONDAY...TUVALU TIME... THE WEAK RIDGE OVER TUVALU WILL WEAKEN TODAY AND LIGHT SOUTH WINDS WILL BRING MORE UNSTABLE CONDITIONS. THERE ARE ONE OR TWO ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT 200 NM SOUTH OF FUNAFUTI BUT MAINLY HIGH CLOUDS OVER CENTRAL TUVALU. SUNNY THIS MORNING EXCEPT A FEW SHOWERS OR A THUNDERSTORM SOUTH OF FUNAFUTI. ISOLATED SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LIGHT MOSTLY SOUTH WIND 5 TO 10 KNOTS.
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, South Hawaii
- When
- March 16, 8:00 AM HST to March 19, 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
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Tennessee, March 16 to 22, 2002
- Avalanche in Utah, March 16, 2002
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, March 16, 2002
- Winter Weather in California, March 16, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, March 16 to 17, 2002
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in California, March 16 to 18, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Utah, March 16 to 17, 2002
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, March 16, 2002
- High Wind in California, March 16 to 18, 2002
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, March 16, 2002
- Wildfire and Dust Storm in California, March 16 to 17, 2002
- Flood in Ohio, March 16, 2002
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 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: 5287336, 5287337.