Hawaii, 2005

High Surf in Hawaii, December 23 to 31, 2005

December 23 to 31, 2005 · NWS HFO · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

A series of deep lows northwest of the state caused surf of 20 to 38 feet along the north-facing shores, and 15 to 28 feet along the west-facing shores, of all the islands except the Big Island of Hawaii; and 10 to 18 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island by the early morning of the 31st. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
15

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 series of deep lows northwest of the state caused surf of 20 to 38 feet along the north-facing shores, and 15 to 28 feet along the west-facing shores, of all the islands except the Big Island of Hawaii; and 10 to 18 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island by the early morning of the 31st. 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 Dec 23, 4:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 23, 4:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST FRI DEC 23 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
A WEAK FRONT WILL BRING A FEW CLOUDS...BUT LITTLE RAIN...TO OAHU AND
MAUI COUNTY THIS MORNING...THEN MOVE ACROSS THE BIG ISLAND LATER
TODAY. LIGHT TRADE WINDS WILL BLOW THROUGH THE WEEKEND...THEN GIVE
WAY TO EVEN LIGHTER SEA BREEZES AND LAND BREEZES. LITTLE CLOUD
COVER OR RAINFALL IS EXPECTED INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
CURRENT THINKING SEEMS TO BE ON TRACK. WIND ACROSS THE SUMMITS
APPEARED TO HAVE PEAKED OUT AT JUST BELOW THE WIND ADVISORY LEVEL ON
AVERAGE...THOUGH A FEW SENSORS DID RECORD HIGHER VALUES. A LOCAL JET
MAX...MADE EVIDENT BY THE DENSE PATCH OF FAST-MOVING CIRROSTRATUS...
PLUNGED SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS. CLOUD COVER ALONG THE FRONT NOW
APPROACHING OAHU HAD DIMINISHED TO A THIN ROPY BAND...AND THIS
FEATURE APPEARED LIKELY TO BRING ONLY A WIND SHIFT TO THE STATE. THE
CLOUD COVER AND LIGHT RAINFALL ASSOCIATED WITH PRE-FRONTAL
CONVERGENCE ALSO WAS ABOUT TO MOVE SOUTH AWAY FROM THE BIG ISLAND.

HIGH PRESSURE DEVELOPING TO THE NORTHEAST BEHIND THE FRONT IS
EXPECTED TO BRING A BRIEF PERIOD OF WEAK TRADE WINDS OVER THE
WEEKEND...AND THEN LINGER DIRECTLY OVER THE STATE WELL INTO NEXT
WEEK...LEADING TO A REGIME OF LIGHT PREVAILING WIND...AND THUS DAY
AND NIGHT BREEZES. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BE RATHER STABLE...SO ANY
CLOUDS DEVELOPING OVER ISLAND INTERIORS DURING THE DAY WILL NOT
PRODUCE MUCH RAIN.

&&

.MARINE...
LONG-PERIOD SWELL HAD STARTED TO ARRIVE FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS
SWELL WILL PEAK LATER TODAY...AND THEN WILL DIMINISH SLOWLY TOWARD
THE ADVISORY LEVEL ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. ANOTHER LARGE NORTHWEST
SWELL WILL REACH THE ISLANDS BY LATE SUNDAY...LIKELY AGAIN REQUIRING
A WARNING FROM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF WARNING FOR NORTH- AND WEST-FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU KAUAI
OAHU AND MOLOKAI THROUGH 4 PM SATURDAY.

HIGH SURF WARNING FOR NORTH-FACING SHORES OF MAUI THROUGH 4 PM
SATURDAY.

HIGH SURF WARNING FOR WEST-FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH 4
PM SATURDAY.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR NORTH-FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH
4 PM SATURDAY.

&&

RYSHKO

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kahoolawe

When
December 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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 Leeward

When
December 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Kohala

When
December 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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, Lanai Makai

When
December 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Lanai Makai forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Central Valley

When
December 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When
December 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When
December 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Niihau

When
December 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Oahu North Shore

When
December 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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 23, 4:00 AM HST to December 31, 11:59 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

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5484867, 5484868, 5484869, 5484870, 5484871, 5484872, 5484873, 5484874, 5484875, 5484876, 5484877, 5484878, 5484879, 5484880, 5484881.