High Surf in Hawaii, February 19 to 23, 2004

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, February 19 to 23, 2004
Start: 2004-02-19T10:00
End: 2004-02-23T17:00
Location: Hawaii

February 19 to 23, 2004 · NWS HFO · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
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Floods
Wind
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Winter weather
Heat and drought
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Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 storm low off the east coast of Japan produced surf of 15 to 20 feet along the north-facing shores, and 10 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores, of Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Molokai. The feature also caused surf of 10 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. One surfer sustained severe head injuries near Mokuleia on the North Shore of Oahu on the morning of the 19th. The high surf also forced the closure of dozens of beaches on Kauai, Oahu, and the Big Island over the four-day event. Alii Drive near Kailua Kona on the Big Island was closed for a time, as well, as the higher surf kept inundating the roadway. However, there were no reports of serious 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 Feb 19, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST THU FEB 19 2004

.SYNOPSIS...
TRADE WINDS NEAR THE BIG ISLAND WILL SPREAD WESTWARD THROUGH TODAY
AND TOMORROW AS THE NEARBY RIDGE SLOWLY LIFTS NORTHWARD. TRADE WINDS
WILL LAST OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK...THEN WEAKEN TOWARD
THE NEXT WEEKEND AS ANOTHER TROUGH APPROACHES. EXPECT SHOWERS TO
FAVOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS...MAINLY AT NIGHT AND DURING THE
MORNING HOURS.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
THE SURFACE RIDGE NEAR KAUAI IS JUST STRONG ENOUGH TO FEND OFF A
FRONTAL BOUNDARY 400 MILES NORTHWEST OF KAUAI. SATELLITE IMAGERY
SHOWS THIS BOUNDARY REMAINED STATIONARY OVERNIGHT. TRADES HAVE
RETURNED TO THE BIG ISLAND...BUT LIGHT SOUTHERLY FLOW PERSISTS NEAR
KAUAI THIS MORNING. MODELS SHOW THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL LIFT SLOWLY
NORTHWARD AS THE PARENT HIGH BETWEEN HAWAII AND THE MAINLAND MOVES
NORTHEAST. RIDGING ALOFT MAINTAINS A STRONG SUBSIDENCE INVERSION AT
AROUND 6200 FEET AND OVERNIGHT SOUNDINGS SHOW OUR AIRMASS CONTINUES
A SLOW BUT STEADY DRYING TREND.

IF TRADES DO NOT REACH KAUAI AND OAHU TODAY...THOSE ISLANDS WILL
SEE A LIGHT CONVECTIVE PATTERN THIS AFTERNOON...WITH CLOUDS AND
ISOLATED SHOWERS FORMING OVER MAUKA AREAS. THE OTHER ISLANDS WILL
SEE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TRADE WIND PATTERN OF CLOUDS AND
SHOWERS...WITH THE BULK OF RAINFALL FAVORING WINDWARD AND MAUKA
AREAS MAINLY AT NIGHT AND DURING THE MORNING HOURS. KAUAI AND OAHU
WILL SEE THIS PATTERN AS WELL BY FRIDAY AT THE LATEST.

JUST BEYOND THE SEVEN DAY FORECAST PERIOD...MODELS INDICATE ANOTHER
TROUGH WILL APPROACH...SWINGING WINDS BACK AROUND TO SOUTHERLIES
AND SOUTHEASTERLIES BY NEXT WEEKEND.

&&

.MARINE...
SWELL GENERATED OFF JAPAN A FEW DAYS AGO IS SHOWING AT BUOY 51001
THIS MORNING...AND WILL REACH THE ISLANDS TODAY. CURRENT THINKING IS
STILL KEEPING IT JUST BELOW WARNING LEVELS...BUT THIS WILL BE
REASSESSED AS THE DAY PROGRESSES AND WE GET A CLEARER VIEW OF THE
SIZE FROM BUOY 51001 REPORTS. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR
RISING SURF ALONG NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF KAUAI...OAHU...
MOLOKAI AND MAUI AS WELL AS FOR WEST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG
ISLAND.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS...NONE.
ADVISORIES...HIGH SURF NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES KAUAI OAHU
MOLOKAI AND MAUI...WEST FACING SHORES BIG ISLAND.

POWELL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When: February 19, 10:00 AM HST to February 23, 5:00 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, Maui

When: February 19, 10:00 AM HST to February 23, 5:00 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: February 19, 10:00 AM HST to February 23, 5:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Oahu

When: February 19, 10:00 AM HST to February 23, 5:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, West Hawaii

When: February 19, 10:00 AM HST to February 23, 5:00 PM HST
Where: West Hawaii forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, February 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: 5431053, 5431054, 5431055, 5431056, 5431057.