High Surf in Hawaii, August 9 to 11, 2003

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, August 9 to 11, 2003
Start: 2003-08-09T10:00
End: 2003-08-11T10:00
Location: Hawaii

August 9 to 11, 2003 · NWS HFO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A trade wind swell produced surf of 4 to 8 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious injuries or property damage were reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 3

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 8 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai and 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 Aug 9, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

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

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST SAT AUG 9 2003

CORRECTED FOR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY

SUMMARY...HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL MAINTAIN FRESH TO
STRONG TRADE WINDS ACROSS THE STATE THIS WEEKEND AND LIKELY INTO THE
COMING WEEK. TRADE WIND SHOWERS WILL AFFECT MAINLY WINDWARD AND
MOUNTAIN AREAS DURING THE NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING HOURS.

SATELLITE...SCATTERED TO BROKEN CUMULUS CLOUDS NEAR THE BIG ISLAND
AND MAUI ARE PART OF A 130 MILE WIDE BAND EXTENDING FROM NEAR THE
SOUTHEAST FACING SHORES OF THE PUNA DISTRICT ON THE BIG ISLAND
THROUGH 21N 146W. ANOTHER BAND OF SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN LOW
CLOUDS IS NEAR KAUAI. THE LOW CLOUDS WITHIN THE TRADEWIND FLOW ARE
MOVING TOWARD THE WEST SOUTHWEST AT 20 TO 25 MPH. WATER VAPOR
IMAGERY INDICATES A TROPICAL UPPER TROPOSPHERIC TROUGH...OR
TUTT...JUST NORTHWEST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. THE AXIS OF THIS TUTT
REMAINS NEARLY STATIONARY AND EXTENDS FROM NEAR 23.5N 160W THROUGH
32N 145W.

DISCUSSION...A 1028MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER NORTH OF THE STATE WILL
MAINTAIN GUSTY TRADE WIND WEATHER OVER THE ISLANDS INTO THE COMING
WEEK AS IT GRADUALLY SAGS SOUTHWARD INTO A LATITUDINAL BELT OF HIGH
PRESSURE NEAR 35N LATITUDE. AT THE SAME TIME THE ITCZ SOUTH OF THE
ISLANDS IS BECOMING QUITE ACTIVE...WITH TRADE WINDS NORTH OF IT
MERGING WITH THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE AIR IN AN ELONGATED MONSOON
TROUGH FROM ABOUT 150W EASTWARD. NUMEROUS DISORGANIZED VORTICES CAN
BE SEEN WHERE THE EAST NORTHEAST TRADES MERGE WITH THE SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE AIR COMING INTO THE TROUGH FROM THE SOUTH OR SOUTHWEST
BETWEEN 150W AND 130W. THIS TROUGH ALSO BOWS NORTHWARD FROM 10N AT
150W TO 15N AT 130W. EAST OF 130W THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER...NHC...IS MONITORING TWO TROPICAL SYSTEMS...GUILLERMO NEAR
16N 123W EARLIER THIS MORNING AND TROPICAL DEPRESSION 08E NEAR 14N
113W AT THE SAME TIME. SEE BULLETIN WTPZ22 KHNC FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION ON GUILLERMO AND WTPZ23 KHNC FOR THE LATEST ON TROPICAL
DEPRESSION 08E. THIS OFFICE WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE
AREA TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE STATE FOR ANY TROPICAL DEVELOPMENTS
OVER THE COMING DAYS...AS IS SUGGESTED BY SOME OF OUR COMPUTER
MODELS. FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS HOWEVER THE ISLANDS WILL SEE ONLY
ISOLATED TRADE SHOWERS WITH TRADE WINDS IN THE 15 TO 30 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS DURING THE DAYTIME. FARRELL

.HFO...WARNINGS.....NONE
.      ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT ALL HAWAIIAN WATERS AT 930 AM HST
.      WATCHES......NONE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When: August 9, 10:00 AM HST to August 11, 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, North and East Hawaii

When: August 9, 10:00 AM HST to August 11, 10:00 AM 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: August 9, 10:00 AM HST to August 11, 10:00 AM 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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, August 2003

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: 5327705, 5327706, 5327707.