High Surf in Hawaii, September 9 to 10, 2003

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, September 9 to 10, 2003
Start: 2003-09-09T07:00
End: 2003-09-10T14:00
Location: Hawaii

September 9 to 10, 2003 · NWS HFO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong low in the southern hemisphere near New Zealand produced surf of 4 to 8 feet along the south shores of Kauai and Oahu. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.

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.

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Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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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 strong low in the southern hemisphere near New Zealand produced surf of 4 to 8 feet along the south shores of Kauai and Oahu. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.

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 Sep 9, 5:00 AM HST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 9, 5:00 AM HST, 2 hours before

NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR WAKE ISLAND

ANIMATION OF WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS AN UPPER LOW LOCATED ABOUT
250 MILES NORTHWEST OF WAKE...MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AT ABOUT 12
KT. AN ACCOMPANYING NORTH TO SOUTH ORIENTED SURFACE TROUGH IS
APPROACHING THE ATOLL FROM THE EAST. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE
LOCATED IN A LONG ARC EXTENDING AROUND THE UPPER LOW. THE CLOSEST OF
THESE ARE ABOUT 80 MILES TO THE EAST AND MOVING SLOWLY WEST AT ONLY
AROUND 5 KNOTS.

THE MODELS HAVE BEEN A BIT TOO FAST TO BRING THE DEEP CONVECTION
INTO WAKE...THOUGH SOME BANDS OF HEAVIER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
DID GET CLOSE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. GOOD CHANCE FOR
SHOWERS AND A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO TODAY AND TONIGHT AS THE UPPER
LOW CONTINUES HEADING WESTWARD. OTHERWISE...SKIES SHOULD BE PARTLY
TO MOSTLY CLOUDY. THE MODELS SUGGEST THAT WAKE WILL ALREADY BE ON
THE BACK SIDE OF THE DEEPER MOISTURE IN 24 HOURS...BUT THIS IS
PROBABLY STILL TOO QUICK.

EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS WILL BECOME SOUTHEAST BY THURSDAY MORNING
WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE SURFACE TROUGH. WAVEWATCH III DOES NOT SHOW
ANY SIGNIFICANT SWELLS OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

R BALLARD

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, Kauai

When: September 9, 7:00 AM HST to September 10, 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, Oahu

When: September 9, 7:00 AM HST to September 10, 2:00 PM 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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, September 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: 5327727, 5327728.