High Surf in Hawaii, November 20 to 21, 2004

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, November 20 to 21, 2004
Start: 2004-11-20T09:00
End: 2004-11-21T19:00
Location: Hawaii

November 20 to 21, 2004 · NWS HFO · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

A storm low near the Aleutians generated surf of 10 to 15 feet along the north-facing shores of all the Hawaiian Islands. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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 near the Aleutians generated surf of 10 to 15 feet along the north-facing shores of all the Hawaiian Islands. 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 Nov 20, 4:00 AM HST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 20, 4:00 AM HST, 5 hours before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST SAT NOV 20 2004

.SYNOPSIS...
A SURFACE RIDGE WILL MAINTAIN LIGHT TRADE WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS
THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING. RIDGING ALOFT WILL KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE
STABLE. A LOW ALOFT WILL START DROPPING SOUTH TOWARDS THE
ISLANDS...DISRUPTING THE TRADES AND MAKING THE ATMOSPHERE LESS
STABLE STARTING SUNDAY NIGHT. AS THE LOW MOVES OVER THE ISLANDS IT
WILL CREATE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
THE LOW WILL ALSO LOWER TEMPERATURES ENOUGH FOR SNOW AT HIGH
ELEVATIONS ON THE BIG ISLAND. WEATHER MAY REMAIN UNSETTLED THROUGH
THANKSGIVING DAY.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
SURFACE ANALYSES SHOWS A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE NORTH OF THE MAIN
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WITH A WEAKNESS IN THE RIDGE NORTHWEST OF KAUAI.
THE RIDGE IS MAINTAINING TRADE WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS BUT THE
PRESSURE GRADIENT IS SLACK ENOUGH TO KEEP THE TRADES LIGHT. RIDGING
ALOFT IS KEEPING THE ATMOSPHERE RATHER STABLE. THE 20/12Z SOUNDINGS
SHOWED STRONG INVERSIONS BELOW 6500 FEET AT LIHUE AND HILO. LIGHT
TRADES AND DRY WEATHER WILL PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING.

&&

.LONG TERM...
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A SHARP TROUGH ALOFT ABOUT 650 MILES NORTH
NORTHWEST OF KAUAI. THE TROUGH HAS BEEN DIGGING SOUTHEASTWARD AS
FORECAST BY THE COMPUTER MODELS. THE MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT
IN DEVELOPING A LOW WITHIN THE TROUGH NEAR 35N 158W BY THIS
EVENING. THE MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE LOW DROPPING SOUTH OVER THE
ISLANDS BUT DETAILS HAVE CHANGED OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS AND THE
MODELS DO NOT AGREE AS CLOSELY AS THEY DID YESTERDAY. COMPUTER
MODELS OFTEN HAVE SOME TROUBLE WITH CUT-OFF LOWS SO IT IS NOT
SURPRISING THAT THE MODELS ARE NOT TOTALLY CONSISTENT. IT STILL
LOOKS LIKE CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WITH SNOW OVER THE SUMMITS OF MAUNA KEA AND MAUNA LOA.
A FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK REMAINS IN EFFECT BECAUSE OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING RAINS. LATER MODEL RUNS ARE SHOWING THE LOW
WEAKENING FASTER AND REMAINING FARTHER EAST THAN EARLIER RUNS.

AS THE LOW ALOFT DIGS SOUTH...A SHEARLINE WILL MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD
OVER THE ISLANDS...REACHING KAUAI SUNDAY NIGHT AND SPREADING TO OAHU
BY MONDAY MORNING. MEANWHILE A SURFACE TROUGH WILL FORM OVER THE
ISLANDS THAT WILL WEAKEN OUR WINDS AND CAUSE THEM TO VEER TO
SOUTHEAST WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS BY MONDAY. SOUTHEAST FLOW GETS
PARTLY BLOCKED BY THE BIG ISLAND PRODUCING LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS
FROM MAUI TO KAUAI. WITH LIGHT WINDS...SHOWERS ARE LIKELY TO BE
ESPECIALLY ACTIVE OVER LAND IN THE AFTERNOONS. HEAVY SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO LIKELY ALONG PLUMES IN THE LEE OF THE
ISLANDS. IT LOOKS LIKE TRADE WINDS MAY START SPREADING BACK OVER THE
ISLANDS AS EARLY AS WEDNESDAY BUT THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN
UNSTABLE SO HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY PERSIST EVEN AFTER
THE TRADES HAVE RETURNED.

&&

.MARINE...
SWELL CONTINUES TO RISE AT BUOY 51001. SURF WILL RISE TO ADVISORY
LEVELS ON KAUAI THIS MORNING AND SPREAD TO OAHU DURING THE
AFTERNOON. ADVISORY LEVEL SURF WILL REACH THE BIG ISLAND SATURDAY
NIGHT. SURF WILL REMAIN ABOVE ADVISORY LEVELS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A
HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH AND WEST FACING
SHORES OF ALL ISLANDS.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY.

&&

DONALDSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Kahoolawe

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Kahoolawe forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 21.027, -156.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Kauai Windward

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Lanai Makai

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Lanai Makai forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Central Valley

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 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: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Niihau

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 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: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Oahu North Shore

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 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, Windward Haleakala

When: November 20, 9:00 AM HST to November 21, 7:00 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, November 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: 5432019, 5432020, 5432021, 5432022, 5432023, 5432024, 5432025, 5432026, 5432027, 5432028, 5432029, 5432030.