High Surf in Hawaii, December 16 to 21, 2005

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, December 16 to 21, 2005
Start: 2005-12-16T06:00
End: 2005-12-21T16:00
Location: Hawaii

December 16 to 21, 2005 · NWS HFO · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

A deep low far northwest of the islands generated surf of 15 to 30 feet along the north-facing shores, and 10 to 18 feet along the west-facing shores, of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, 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; 7 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: 14

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 Dec 16, 4:00 AM HST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 4:00 AM HST, 2 hours before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST FRI DEC 16 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THROUGH SATURDAY WILL
ENCOURAGE DRY WEATHER AND LIGHT WIND WITH LOCAL SEA AND LAND
BREEZES. ON SATURDAY...THE WIND WILL INCREASE AND BECOME WESTERLY
AHEAD OF A FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NORTH. THE FRONT WILL BRING
RAIN AND BREEZY WEST WINDS SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS IT MOVES SOUTH
ACROSS THE ISLANDS. LIGHT WIND AND DRY WEATHER WILL RETURN BY THE
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
PREVIOUS FORECAST PHILOSOPHY APPEARS TO BE MOSTLY ON TRACK.
HOWEVER...EXTENSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF STABLE STRATOCUMULUS AND STRATUS
CLOUDS OVERNIGHT HAS REQUIRED AN INCREASE IN MORNING CLOUD COVER.

THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO LINGER OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS THROUGH SATURDAY. DURING THIS PERIOD...THE PREVAILING WIND
WILL BE LIGHT...ENCOURAGING THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIURNAL SEA AND LAND
BREEZES. HIGH STATIC STABILITY AND A LOW INVERSION WILL PREVENT MUCH
CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT DURING THE DAY...AND LAND BREEZES WILL TEND TO
DRIVE ANY EXISTING CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION OFFSHORE AT NIGHT.

THE RAGGED REMNANTS OF A FRONTAL CLOUD BAND LANGUISHED NEAR 26N...
BUT THIS FEATURE IS NOT EXPECTED TO REACH THE ISLANDS...THOUGH
REMNANT MOISTURE FROM IT COULD AFFECT KAUAI. A VAST AND COMPLEX
SERIES OF LOWS DEVELOPING OVER THE NORTH PACIFIC IS EXPECTED TO
DRIVE A MORE VIGOROUS FRONT SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE STATE FROM SUNDAY
INTO MONDAY. MORE RECENT RUNS SHOW AN EARLIER FRONT STALLING JUST
NORTH OF KAUAI ON SATURDAY...AND THEN BEING OVERTAKEN BY THE
STRONGER FRONT. NONE OF THE MODELS..AND ESPECIALLY NOT THE UKMET...
PREDICT THIS FEATURE TO DROP MUCH PRECIPITATION...BUT IN ANY CASE
WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN SHOULD BE POSSIBLE. BREEZY WIND
FROM THE WEST SOUTHWEST DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE FRONT MAY
NECESSITATE A WIND ADVISORY FOR HIGHER ELEVATIONS...THOUGH THE
MODELS SEEM TO HAVE REDUCED THEIR WIND PREDICTIONS FOR LOWER AREAS.
THE LEVEL OF INCREASE CURRENTLY IN THE FORECAST SEEMS SUFFICIENT.

HIGH PRESSURE REDEVELOPING OVER THE ISLANDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL
BRING BACK LIGHT WINDS AND DRIER WEATHER BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT
WEEK...AND ANOTHER FRONT MAY APPROACH BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK...
THOUGH IT IS A BIT EARLY TO BE CERTAIN OF THIS POSSIBILITY.

&&

.MARINE...
THE BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTH PACIFIC IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE PRODUCING A SERIES OF LARGE NORTHWEST SWELLS. SURF ALONG
SHORES FACING NORTH AND WEST HAS REACHED THE ADVISORY LEVEL...AND IS
EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE IT THROUGH NEXT WEEK...POSSIBLY REACHING
THE WARNING LEVEL AT TIMES. THESE LARGE SWELLS ALSO MANDATE A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY FOR MOST OF THE COASTAL WATERS. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT
FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK...BUT WEST WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH A FRONT MAY
REACH THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVEL SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR NORTHWEST SWELL.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR NORTHWEST SWELL.

&&

RYSHKO

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Kauai Windward

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Kohala

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Kohala forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Kona

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Kona forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Maui Central Valley

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 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: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Niihau

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 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: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Oahu North Shore

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 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, Waianae Coast

When: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 PM HST
Where: Waianae Coast 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: December 16, 6:00 AM HST to December 21, 4:00 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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, December 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: 5484749, 5484750, 5484751, 5484752, 5484753, 5484754, 5484755, 5484756, 5484757, 5484859, 5484860, 5484861, 5484862, 5484863.