High Surf in Hawaii, April 1 to 4, 2005

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, April 1 to 4, 2005
Start: 2005-04-01T11:00
End: 2005-04-04T11:00
Location: Hawaii

April 1 to 4, 2005 · NWS HFO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A trade wind swell produced surf of 5 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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.

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: 8

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 Apr 1, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 1, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST FRI APR 1 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
A STRONG HIGH NORTH OF THE ISLAND THIS WEEKEND WILL KEEP TRADE WINDS
BREEZY THROUGH SUNDAY. A LOW PASSING NORTH OF THE HIGH LATE SUNDAY
WILL BRIEFLY WEAKEN THE TRADE WINDS THE START OF THE NEW WORK WEEK.
A NEW HIGH IS EXPECTED TO BUILD IN MID WEEK WHICH WILL ONCE AGAIN
STRENGTHEN TRADE WINDS. SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL BE MAINLY OVER WINDWARD
AND MAUKA AREAS...HOWEVER THE STRONG WINDS WILL BLOW SOME OF THE
RAIN TO LEEWARD SECTIONS.
&&

.DISCUSSION...
CLOUDS ARE IN ABUNDANCE OVER THE WINDWARD AREAS OF ALL THE ISLANDS
THIS MORNING. SINCE SUNRISE...THE CLOUDS NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS
HAVE DECREASED. WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS HAVE STRENGTHENED OVER THE
LAST COUPLE OF HOURS...IN RESPONSE TO THE STRONG HIGH NORTH OF THE
ISLANDS. AT 8 AM...THE GAGE AT WAIANAE VALLEY ON OAHU REPORTED A
WIND GUST TO 46 MILES AN HOUR. THE GAGE AT LANAI HAS GUSTED TO 41
MILES AN HOUR. THE STRONGEST SUSTAINED WINDS WERE ON THE BIG ISLAND
WHERE UPOLU AIRPORT AND SOUTH POINT WERE BOTH REPORTING 28 MILES AN
HOUR AT 8 AM. IN CONTRAST...SUSTAINED WINDS ON THE SUMMITS OF MAUNA
KEA ARE BELOW 15 MILES AN HOUR. THE GFS 600 MB WINDS OVER THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS REMAIN AROUND 15 MILES AN HOUR...SUGGESTING THAT STRONG
WINDS WILL NOT BE A BIG FACTOR FOR THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS.

THE ETA...GFS...NOGAPS...UKMET...AND ECMWF ARE ALL IN VERY GOOD
AGREEMENT WITH THE HANDLING OF THE WEATHER FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
DAYS. THE HIGH NORTH OF THE ISLANDS IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN SOME LATE
SUNDAY AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSES NORTH OF THE HIGH. THIS WILL
WEAKEN THE TRADE WIND FLOW SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. LOOK FOR THE
TRADE WINDS TO ONCE AGAIN STRENGTHEN TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS
A NEW HIGH BUILDS NORTH OF THE ISLANDS.
&&

.MARINE...
THE STRONG WINDS SUPPORT A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN
WATERS. THESE STRONG WINDS ALSO SUPPORT A HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR
THE EAST FACING SHORES.
&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY.
&&

M BALLARD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: April 1, 11:00 AM HST to April 4, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Kauai Windward

When: April 1, 11:00 AM HST to April 4, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: April 1, 11:00 AM HST to April 4, 11:00 AM 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 Windward

When: April 1, 11:00 AM HST to April 4, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Oahu Koolau

When: April 1, 11:00 AM HST to April 4, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Olomana

When: April 1, 11:00 AM HST to April 4, 11:00 AM 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, South Big Island

When: April 1, 11:00 AM HST to April 4, 11:00 AM HST
Where: South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: April 1, 11:00 AM HST to April 4, 11:00 AM 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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, April 2005

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: 5443283, 5443284, 5443285, 5443286, 5443287, 5443288, 5443289, 5443290.