High Surf in Hawaii, November 18 to 26, 2003

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, November 18 to 26, 2003
Start: 2003-11-18T13:00
End: 2003-11-26T14:00
Location: Hawaii

November 18 to 26, 2003 · NWS HFO · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 7

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 deep low northeast of Hawaii combined with a strong high far north of the state to produce surf of 10 to 25 feet, with some sets over 30 feet, along the east- and north-facing shores of all the islands. The large surf caused destruction of property; and closed beaches, schools and parks; primarily along the east shores of Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. Break walls were damaged, some makeshift homes on the Big Island were destroyed and several homes on Kauai were evacuated, and roads near the shorelines were occasionally closed when inundated with water from the pounding surf. No serious injuries were reported, however. The dollar cost of total damages was not available.

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 Nov 18, 12:05 PM HST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 18, 12:05 PM HST, 55 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1205 PM HST TUE NOV 18 2003

.SYNOPSIS...A BAND OF SHOWERY LOW CLOUDS THAT HIT THE ISLANDS FROM
THE BIG ISLAND TO OAHU LAST NIGHT HAS WEAKENED BUT IS STILL
PRODUCING LOTS OF CLOUDS AND SHOWERS OVER MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG
ISLAND. MORE SHOWERS ARE IN STORE FOR ALL THE ISLANDS AS A FRONT
MOVES SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE ISLANDS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. A VERY
STRONG HIGH WILL PRODUCE STRONG NORTHEAST TRADEWINDS BEHIND THE
SHOWER BAND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...A BAND OF SHOWERS ALONG THE WINDWARD SIDES OF THE
ISLANDS FROM THE BIG ISLAND TO OAHU HAS WEAKENED SINCE SUNRISE BUT
WINDWARD AREAS OF MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND WILL REMAIN SHOWERY
THIS AFTERNOON.

A VERY STRONG 1045 MB HIGH WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE STATE NEAR
45N BY WEDNESDAY. THE HIGH WILL PUSH A FRONT SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE
ISLANDS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THE FRONT WILL REACH KAUAI TOMORROW
MORNING AND SPREAD TO THE BIG ISLAND BY TOMORROW EVENING. WINDS
INCREASE AND SHIFT TO NORTHEAST AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH.

FARTHER OUT...THE FORECAST REMAINS RATHER UNCERTAIN. AS FORECAST BY
THE COMPUTER MODELS...A LOW HAS DEVELOPED NORTHEAST OF THE HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS. THE LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTHWESTWARD TOWARDS THE
ISLANDS. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN VERY INCONSISTENT IN HOW THEY MOVE THE
LOW. FOR NOW I WILL STICK WITH THE IDEA THAT THE POSITION OF THE LOW
RELATIVE TO THE ISLANDS WILL PRODUCE NORTH WINDS AND RELATIVELY DRY
CONDITIONS OVER THE ISLANDS.

&&

.MARINE...TRADEWINDS WILL INCREASE TONIGHT AS A FRONT MOVES
SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE ISLANDS SO WE HAVE ISSUED A SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY FOR THE INCREASING WINDS AND WAVES. AS THE FRONT MOVES
THROUGH THE ISLANDS TOMORROW GALE WARNINGS ARE LIKELY IN THE
ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL. THE VERY STEEP PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE
HIGH AND THE LOW WILL PRODUCE AN AREA OF NORTHEASTERLY STORM FORCE
WINDS NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS...WHICH WILL SEND LARGE OCEAN SWELLS
TOWARDS THE STATE. ADVISORY LEVEL SURF OF 8 TO 14 FEET IS LIKELY ON
NORTH FACING SHORES STARTING TOMORROW AND CONTINUING INTO SATURDAY.
A SECOND NORTHEAST ARRIVING BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL PROBABLY REQUIRE
A HIGH SURF WARNING...REPEAT WARNING...WITH LEVELS OF 15 FEET LIKELY
ALONG NORTHEAST FACING SHORES. THE SWELL WILL ALSO CAUSE STRONG
SURGES IN NORTH FACING HARBORS SUCH AS THE KAHULUI AND HILO HARBORS.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN WATERS DUE TO INCREASING
TRADEWINDS...SEAS AND SWELL.

&&

DONALDSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When: November 18, 1:00 PM HST to November 26, 2:00 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: November 18, 1:00 PM HST to November 26, 2:00 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: November 18, 1:00 PM HST to November 26, 2:00 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: November 18, 1:00 PM HST to November 26, 2:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, North and East Hawaii

When: November 18, 1:00 PM HST to November 26, 2:00 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: November 18, 1:00 PM HST to November 26, 2:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, South Hawaii

When: November 18, 1:00 PM HST to November 26, 2:00 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, November 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: 5327810, 5327811, 5327812, 5327813, 5327814, 5327815, 5327816.