High Surf in Hawaii, February 6 to 7, 2004

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, February 6 to 7, 2004
Start: 2004-02-06T08:00
End: 2004-02-07T14:00
Location: Hawaii

February 6 to 7, 2004 · NWS HFO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A trade wind swell produced surf of 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai 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; 2 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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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 produced surf of 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii. 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 Feb 6, 4:00 AM HST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 6, 4:00 AM HST, 4 hours before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
4 AM HST FRI FEB 6 2004

.SYNOPSIS...
A SURFACE RIDGE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL MAINTAIN TRADE WINDS
THROUGH SATURDAY. A LOW ALOFT WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE ISLANDS
ENHANCING SHOWERS TODAY. WINDS WILL WEAKEN AND SHOWERS WILL DECREASE
OVER THE WEEKEND AS THE SURFACE RIDGE MOVES SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE
ISLANDS. THE TRADE WINDS WILL DISAPPEAR BY MONDAY RESULTING IN CLEAR
COOL NIGHTS AND AFTERNOON CLOUDS AND SHOWERS.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A SURFACE HIGH FAR NORTHEAST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS CONTINUES TO
MOVE AWAY TO THE NORTHEAST. SURFACE WINDS HAVE ALREADY PEAKED...NOT
AS STRONG AS EARLIER COMPUTER MODEL RUNS FORECAST...AND WILL WEAKEN
STEADILY OVER THE WEEKEND.

A TROUGH ALOFT WEST OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS CONTINUES MOVING
EASTWARD TOWARD THE ISLANDS...DESTABILIZING THE ATMOSPHERE OVER
THE ISLANDS AND PULLING HIGH CLOUDS UP OVER THE ISLANDS FROM THE
SOUTHWEST. THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS UNSTABLE ENOUGH SO THAT ISOLATED
CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS CONTINUE TO FORM OVER WATER SOUTHWEST OF THE
MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS BUT SINCE YESTERDAY EVENING THE CONVECTION HAS
BECOME WEAKER AND MORE ISOLATED AND THE HIGH CLOUDS OVER THE ISLANDS
HAVE THINNED. WE MAY SEE LIGHTNING OFF TO WEST BEFORE SUNRISE BUT
THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO REMAIN OFFSHORE. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL
STABILIZE AGAIN AS THE TROUGH MOVES OFF TO THE EAST OF THE ISLANDS
BY TOMORROW NIGHT.

BY SATURDAY THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL SHIFT SOUTH...CLOSER TO THE
ISLANDS...AND TRADE WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS WILL WEAKEN. AS THE
TROUGH ALOFT MOVES AWAY TO THE EAST THE ATMOSPHERE WILL STABILIZE.
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL DECREASE SATURDAY AND BECOME EVEN MORE
SPARSE SUNDAY.

&&

.LONG TERM...
THE GFS MODEL SHOWS THE SURFACE RIDGE PUSHING DOWN NEAR KAUAI BY
MONDAY. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE ISLANDS WILL DECREASE AND
WINDS WILL VEER TOWARD A MORE SOUTH OR SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION. THE
COMBINATION OF A WEAKER PRESSURE GRADIENT AND THE BLOCKING EFFECT OF
THE BIG ISLAND ON THE ISLANDS TO THE NORTHWEST WILL KILL THE TRADE
WINDS FROM MAUI TO KAUAI AND ALLOW LOCAL LAND AND SEA BREEZES TO
PREVAIL. WITH LIGHT WINDS AND A RATHER STABLE ATMOSPHERE...THE
NIGHTS WILL GENERALLY BE CLEAR...WITH MORE CLOUDS AND SOME INTERIOR
SHOWERS OVER THE ISLANDS IN THE AFTERNOONS.

BEYOND MONDAY THE FORECAST IS LESS CERTAIN. THE LATEST GFS RUNS SHOW
WEAK TRADE WINDS RETURNING WEDNESDAY WITH STRONGER TRADE WINDS AND
INCREASING SHOWERS NEXT THURSDAY.

&&

.MARINE...
TRADE WINDS ARE STILL FAIRLY STRONG...ESPECIALLY FROM MOLOKAI
SOUTHEASTWARD...SO A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL REMAIN UP FOR NOW.
THE COMPUTER MODELS SHOW THE WINDS DROPPING SO THE SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY WILL PROBABLY COME DOWN BY TONIGHT. A NEW NORTHWEST SWELL
WILL REACH THE ISLANDS MONDAY AND WILL PEAK ABOVE HIGH SURF ADVISORY
CRITERIA OF 15 FEET ON TUESDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR STRONG TRADE WINDS.

DONALDSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai

When: February 6, 8:00 AM HST to February 7, 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, North and East Hawaii

When: February 6, 8:00 AM HST to February 7, 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, South Hawaii

When: February 6, 8:00 AM HST to February 7, 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 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: 5431044, 5431045, 5431046.