High Surf in Hawaii, December 8 to 9, 2004

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, December 8 to 9, 2004
Start: 2004-12-08T07:00
End: 2004-12-09T20:00
Location: Hawaii

December 8 to 9, 2004 · NWS HFO · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A strong low northwest of Hawaii produced surf of 15 to 20 feet along the north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious property damage or injuries were reported.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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.

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 8, 4:00 AM HST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 8, 4:00 AM HST, 3 hours before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
4 AM HST WED DEC 8 2004

.SYNOPSIS...OCCASIONALLY WET WEATHER MAINLY OVER MAUI AND THE
 BIG ISLAND EASING WEDNESDAY AS A CULPRIT UPPER LEVEL LOW LEAVES
 THE STATE. THEN WINTER WINDY COOL THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FOLLOWED
 BY A NICE WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...THE UPPER LOW THAT WEVE BEEN FOLLOWING HAS ENHANCED
 INCOMING TRADE WIND CLOUDS INTO A FEW THUNDERSTORM CELLS TODAY.
 THE SMALLER CELLS HAVE AFFECTED THE WINDWARD SIDES OF THE BIG
 ISLAND AND MAUI...OVER THREE INCHES ON THE BIG ISLAND SO FAR.
 THE STRONGEST CELLS ARE 90 MILES NORTHEAST OF HILO AND ARE
 NOT A THREAT TO ANY OF THE ISLANDS...THEIR SUPPORTING LOW
 NEAR THE BIG ISLAND IS FORECAST TO EVENTUALLY MOVE NORTHWARD
 AND AWAY AS WELL AS WEAKEN. ONLY MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND
 ARE EXPOSED TO ANY ISOLATED THUNDERSHOWERS TONIGHT.

 ALTHO THE SHOWER TRANSPORTING WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO TURN QUITE
 LIGHT TOMORROW THEY SHOULD STILL DELIVER A FEW SHOWERS TONIGHT TO
 OAHU AND PERHAPS TO KAUAI TOMORROW MORNING...THUNDERSHOWERS ON
 KAUAI AND OAHU ARE UNLIKELY AS THESE SHOWERS WOULD BE LEAVING THE
 UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT OF THE UPPER LOW.

 TOMORROW MAY SEE A COMBINATION OF RESIDUAL TRADE WIND TYPE SHOWERS
 DURING THE MORNING AND SPOTTY CONVECTIVE ONES IN THE AFTERNOON.
 THE BIG ISLAND BEING ON THE UNSTABLE EAST SIDE OF THE UPPER TROUGH
 WILL BE THE MOST FAVORED FOR ANY SIGNIFICANT CONVECTIVE SHOWERS.

 THE REST OF FORECAST REMAINS UNCHANGED...A WEAK BUT COLD FRONT
 PASSING THROUGH THE CHAIN THURSDAY/FRIDAY BRINGING GUSTY COOL NORTH
 WINDS WITH ONLY MINOR SHOWERS. THE WEEKEND SHOULD SEE BENIGN TRADE
 WIND WEATHER.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
 HIGH SURF ADVISORY...NORTH SHORES...KAUAI OAHU MOLOKAI MAUI

MATSUDA

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Kauai Windward

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Central Valley

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Windward West forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 21.027, -156.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Niihau

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Niihau forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Oahu Koolau

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Oahu North Shore

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu North Shore forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Olomana

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Olomana forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: December 8, 7:00 AM HST to December 9, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala 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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, December 2004

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: 5432141, 5432142, 5432143, 5432144, 5432145, 5432146, 5432216, 5432217, 5432218, 5432219, 5432220.