High Surf in Hawaii, August 5 to 7, 2006

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, August 5 to 7, 2006
Start: 2006-08-05T07:00
End: 2006-08-07T11:00
Location: Hawaii

August 5 to 7, 2006 · NWS HFO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A trade wind swell produced surf of 4 to 8 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious injuries or property damage 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.

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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.

A trade wind swell produced surf of 4 to 8 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious injuries or property damage 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 Aug 5, 4:00 AM HST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 5, 4:00 AM HST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST SAT AUG 5 2006

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL KEEP TRADE
WINDS STRONG THROUGH THE WEEKEND. TRADE WINDS WILL DECREASE MONDAY
AND AFTERWARDS AS THIS HIGH PRESSURE WEAKENS. CLOUDS AND SHOWERS
WILL FAVOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS...BUT STABLE CONDITIONS WILL
KEEP TOTAL RAINFALL LIGHT. STRONG WINDS THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL
PUSH GENEROUS AMOUNTS OF CLOUD COVER LEEWARD.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A STRONG 1032 MB HIGH FAR NORTH NORTHEAST OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS REMAINS THE DOMINANT SURFACE FEATURE IN THE CENTRAL NORTH
PACIFIC. WINDS REMAIN NEAR 25 MPH OVER HAWAIIAN WATERS...BUT
BOUNDARY
LAYER DECOUPLING HAS CAUSED WINDS TO DROP ACROSS MANY LAND AREAS.
HOWEVER...EXPOSED AREAS LIKE UPOLU POINT ON THE BIG ISLAND CONTINUE
TO BE WINDY.

WHILE OVERNIGHT SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO SHOW OUR AIRMASS IS
STABLE...THE BOUNDARY LAYER REMAINS QUITE MOIST. SATELLITE LOOPS
SHOW BROKEN LOW CLOUDS EXTENDING UPWIND FROM THE ISLANDS BEYOND
150W. THE TRADE INVERSION REMAINS STRONG...BUT THE INVERSION BASE
HAS RISEN TO 6500 FEET AT LIHUE AND 8800 FEET AT HILO. THE HIGHER
INVERSION BASES ALLOW THE TRADES TO PUSH MORE CLOUDS AND SHOWERS
LEEWARD. HOWEVER...THE RATHER STABLE ATMOSPHERE KEEPS RAINFALL
AMOUNTS LIGHT.

THE 06Z GFS75 SHOWS THE SURFACE HIGH NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL DRIFT
WEST SOUTHWEST AND WEAKEN THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. WITH THIS
SCENARIO...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL RELAX ENOUGH BEGINNING MONDAY
FOR TRADE WINDS TO DECREASE BACK DOWN TO MODERATE STRENGTH...SAY 15
TO 20 MPH. THE REMNANTS OF FABIO MAY AFFECT THE ISLANDS LATE
TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY ALTHOUGH THE EXPECTED INCREASE IN CLOUDS AND
SHOWERS WOULD LIKELY AFFECT ONLY THE BIG ISLAND AND POSSIBLY MAUI.

&&

.MARINE...
WITH STRONG WINDS AND SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS EXPECTED NEAR 10 FEET
OVER THE WEEKEND...A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN PLACE THROUGH
SUNDAY. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR WINDWARD SHORES
THROUGH EARLY MONDAY FOR ROUGH AND CHOPPY TRADE WIND-GENERATED SURF.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY EAST FACING SHORES THRU 4 AM MONDAY.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALL HAWAIIAN WATERS THRU 6 PM SUNDAY.

&&

POWELL

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: August 5, 7:00 AM HST to August 7, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Kauai Windward

When: August 5, 7:00 AM HST to August 7, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: August 5, 7:00 AM HST to August 7, 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: August 5, 7:00 AM HST to August 7, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Oahu Koolau

When: August 5, 7:00 AM HST to August 7, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Olomana

When: August 5, 7:00 AM HST to August 7, 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: August 5, 7:00 AM HST to August 7, 11:00 AM HST
Where: South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: August 5, 7:00 AM HST to August 7, 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 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, August 2006

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: 5528989, 5528990, 5528991, 5528992, 5528993, 5528994, 5528995, 5528996.