High Surf, Kauai
- When
- January 10, 4:00 AM HST to January 11, 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 in Hawaii, January 10 to 11, 2004
A storm low far northwest of Hawaii produced surf of 15 to 25 feet along the north-facing shores, and 10 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores, of all the islands. No serious injuries or property damage were reported.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
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 storm low far northwest of Hawaii produced surf of 15 to 25 feet along the north-facing shores, and 10 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores, of all the islands. No serious injuries or property damage 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 Jan 10, 4:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 10, 4:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 4 AM HST SAT JAN 10 2004 .SYNOPSIS...SURF WILL BE LARGE FOR SEVERAL DAYS...THE WEEK END SHOULD BE SUNNY BUT THE NEW WEEK WILL BE VISITED BY TWO FRONTS MAINLY MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .DISCUSSION...THE NORTH PACIFIC HAS BECOME DOMINATED BY LOW PRESSURE AS SO OFTEN OCCURS DURING THE HEART OF THE WINTER SEASON. THE STORM LOWS HAVE WEAKENED OUR FAMILIAR HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE TO A NARROW RIBBON PUSHING IT SOUTH OF HAWAII. THE RESULT HAS BEEN THE PREVALENCE OF SOUTHWEST WINDS OVER THE STATE. THESE WINDS WILL OCCASIONALLY TURN QUITE GUSTY ESPECIALLY ON THE DOWNSLOPE..OR THE USUAL WINDWARD..SIDES OF SOME ISLANDS WITH THE APPROACH OF WINTER FRONTS. THE FRONTS ARE PROJECTED TO MOVE THROUGH MOST ISLANDS ON MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THEIR RAIN MAKING ABILITY IS NOT PARTICULARLY STRONG DUE THEIR WEAK UPPER AIR SUPPORT...WEDNESDAYS SHOWERS WILL HAVE BETTER SUPPORT THAN MONDAYS. THE FRONT SCHEDULED FOR TODAY WILL ONLY BE BRIEFLY GLANCING NORTH KAUAI EARLY THIS MORNING. THE GREATEST IMPACT WILL BE GENERATED BY THE PARENT STORMS OF THESE FRONTS. THEIR LARGE SWELLS WILL BE ARRIVING MOST OF THE COMING WEEK. THE FIRST SWELLS SHOULD ALREADY BE BUILDING THE SURF ALONG THE NORTHWEST SHORES OF KAUAI AND OAHU TO 30 FEET THIS MORNING. && .HNL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH SURF WARNING...ALL NORTHWEST SHORES && MATSUDA
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Lanai
- When
- January 10, 4:00 AM HST to January 11, 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
- January 10, 4:00 AM HST to January 11, 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
- January 10, 4:00 AM HST to January 11, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, North and East Hawaii
- When
- January 10, 4:00 AM HST to January 11, 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
- January 10, 4:00 AM HST to January 11, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, West Hawaii
- When
- January 10, 4:00 AM HST to January 11, 2:00 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
- Cold in New York, January 10, 2004
- Cold in Pennsylvania, January 10, 2004
- Cold in Maryland, January 10, 2004
- Cold in Virginia, January 10, 2004
- Dense Fog in California, January 10 to 13, 2004
- Cold in West Virginia, January 10, 2004
- Dense Fog in Wyoming, January 10 to 11, 2004
- Cold in District of Columbia, January 10, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 10 to 11, 2004
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, January 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: 5432250, 5432251, 5432252, 5432253, 5432254, 5432255, 5432256.