High Surf in Hawaii, December 29 to 31, 2003

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, December 29 to 31, 2003
Start: 2003-12-29T12:00
End: 2003-12-31T16:00
Location: Hawaii

December 29 to 31, 2003 · NWS HFO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A trade wind swell caused surf of 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. However, no serious property damage or injuries 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

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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 caused surf of 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. However, no serious property damage or injuries 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 Dec 29, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 29, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST MON DEC 29 2003

.SYNOPSIS...
 THE STATEWIDE AIR MASS REMAINS UNSTABLE FOR OCCASIONAL HEAVY
 RAINFALL AND FLOODING TODAY. SLOW IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED BY
 TOMORROW.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
 THE LOW CONTINUES TO BE THE MAJOR INFLUENCE ON ISLAND WEATHER.
 IT IS NOW 150 MILES SOUTHWEST OF KAUAI AND IS SLOWLY MOVING
 WESTWARD. THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODING SHOULD BE
 DIMINISHING BY TOMORROW. HOWEVER OVER THE LONGER TERM..INTO THE
 NEW YEAR..GENERAL LOW PRESSURE TROUGHING WILL BE IN OUR VICINITY.
 THE LOW WILL BE DISSIPATING BY THE FIRST OF THE YEAR WILL BE
 REPLACED BY INCOMING TROUGHING FROM THE WEST THEREAFTER. SO ANY
 RETURN OF TRADE WINDS WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS WILL BE SHORTLIVED.
 HOWEVER POTENTIAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND THE NUMBER OF SHOWERS SHOULD
 DIMINISH A BIT. IN SUM...WINTER TYPE WEATHER FOR SEVERAL MORE DAYS
 BUT WITH SOME SUNSHINE AFTER MIDWEEK.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
 FLASH FLOOD WATCH.....ALL ISLANDS
 WINTER STORM WARNING..MAUNA KEA AND MAUNA LOA

&&

MATSUDA

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, North and East Hawaii

When: December 29, 12:00 PM HST to December 31, 4:00 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, South Hawaii

When: December 29, 12:00 PM HST to December 31, 4:00 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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, December 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: 5328005, 5328006.