High Surf, Big Island North and East
- When
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Big Island North and East forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf in Hawaii, February 17 to 18, 2005
A northeast swell produced by a storm low off the California coast caused surf of 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of 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; 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 10
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 northeast swell produced by a storm low off the California coast caused surf of 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious property damage or injuries 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 Feb 17, 4:00 AM HST, 3 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 17, 4:00 AM HST, 3 hours before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 400 AM HST THU FEB 17 2005 .SYNOPSIS... DRY TRADE WIND WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND...THANKS TO A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS. SHOWERS WILL BE FEW AND LIGHT...AND MOSTLY OVER WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS. && .DISCUSSION... THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE TO THE NORTH BETWEEN 25N AND 30N WILL PUT MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS OVER HAWAII THROUGH THE WEEKEND AT LEAST. HOWEVER...A SURFACE TROUGH MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTH PACIFIC WILL LIKELY ERODE THE RIDGE TO ITS SOUTH...RESULTING IN A SLIGHT DECREASE IN WINDS STARTING SUNDAY AND CONTINUING INTO NEXT WEEK. SUBSIDENCE ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE DIRECTLY OVER THE STATE WILL CAP THE MARINE LAYER AT A RELATIVELY LOW 5 TO 6 THOUSAND FEET. TRADE SHOWERS WILL BE LIMITED TO FEW OR NONE STATEWIDE. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TRAPPED BENEATH THE INVERSION...IN THE FORM OF VERY STABLE STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS...WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AT NIGHT AND DECREASE IN COVERAGE DURING THE DAY...ESPECIALLY OVER WINDWARD WATERS. THIS WILL ALSO MAKE FOR SOMEWHAT CLOUDY SKIES WINDWARD AT NIGHT...AND HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS IN SKY GRIDS. HAVE ALSO DECREASED POPS INTO THIS WEEKEND IN GRIDS AS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE FROM CURRENT REGIME IS EXPECTED. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST MAY CAUSE AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS AROUND THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. WILL BE ABLE TO SAY MORE ON THIS FEATURE AND ITS EFFECTS POSSIBLY BY THIS WEEKEND. && .MARINE... NORTHWEST SWELL HAS INCREASED OVERNIGHT AT BUOY 51001...AND WILL RESULT IN ADVISORY LEVEL SURF ALONG VARIOUS NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES THROUGH TONIGHT. A NORTHEAST SWELL HAS ALSO BEEN DETECTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII BUOY OFF KAILUA ON OAHU...AND A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR EAST FACING SHORES OF ALL ISLANDS. THIS SWELL WAS GENERATED BY A STORM LOW A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO OFF THE WEST COAST OF CALIFORNIA. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL AND SOUTHEAST BIG ISLAND WATERS. HIGH SURF ADVISORY NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU KAUAI AND OAHU. HIGH SURF ADVISORY NORTH FACING SHORES OF MOLOKAI AND MAUI. HIGH SURF ADVISORY EAST FACING SHORES KAUAI OAHU MOLOKAI MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND. && BIRCHARD
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
10 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Kauai Windward
- When
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kauai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, Maui Central Valley
- When
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Maui Central Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, Maui Windward West
- When
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 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 Windward
- When
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, Oahu Koolau
- When
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu Koolau forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, Oahu South Shore
- When
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu South Shore forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, Olomana
- When
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 PM 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
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- South Big Island forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
High Surf, Windward Haleakala
- When
- February 17, 7:00 AM HST to February 18, 3:00 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
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 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: 5441555, 5441556, 5441557, 5441620, 5441621, 5441622, 5441623, 5441624, 5441625, 5441626.