High Surf in Hawaii, July 28 to 31, 2006

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, July 28 to 31, 2006
Start: 2006-07-28T05:00
End: 2006-07-31T23:59
Location: Hawaii

July 28 to 31, 2006 · NWS HFO · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

A deep low in the southern hemisphere produced surf of 6 to 12 feet along the south shores of all the Hawaiian Islands. 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: 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 deep low in the southern hemisphere produced surf of 6 to 12 feet along the south shores of all the Hawaiian Islands. 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 Jul 28, 4:00 AM HST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 28, 4:00 AM HST, 1 hour before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST FRI JUL 28 2006

.SYNOPSIS...
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD FROM THE BIG ISLAND
TO MAUI COUNTY THIS MORNING AS A SURFACE TROUGH APPROACHES THE
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FROM THE EAST. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS MAY PRODUCE
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL TODAY. DRIER WEATHER WILL RETURN TO THE ALOHA
STATE BY SATURDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
THE REMNANT CIRCULATION OF FORMER TROPICAL DEPRESSION DANIEL
CONTINUES TO CHURN TOWARD THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THIS MORNING. NDBC
BUOY 51004 CONTINUES TO SHOW DECREASING PRESSURE READINGS. ALSO...
THE MOST RECENT WIND DIRECTIONS READINGS AT THIS BUOY LOCATED
SOUTHEAST OF THE BIG ISLAND ARE FROM THE NORTH-NORTHWEST...WHICH
WOULD PLACE THE CENTER OF THE CIRCULATION ABOUT 210 MILES
EAST-SOUTHEAST OF HILO. THIS SYSTEM IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AT
ABOUT 15 MPH.

THE SATELLITE ANALYSIS BRANCH OF NESDIS HAS RECENTLY FOUND THE
COOLING CLOUD TOPS OF THE LARGE AREA OF CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS WITHIN
70 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF HILO ARE AN OMINOUS SIGN OF THINGS TO
COME. THEY INDICATE THIS TRANSLATES INTO SATELLITE DERIVED RAINFALL
RATES OF 1.0 INCH OR MORE PER HOUR.

THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS LATE THIS AFTERNOON
FOR THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI COUNTY. THE FLOOD WATCH HAS NOT BEEN
EXTENDED TO OAHU OR KAUAI AT THIS TIME. WE WILL HAVE TO KEEP A CLOSE
WATCH TO DETERMINE IF CONDITIONS WARRANT EXTENDING THE FLASH FLOOD
WATCH TO EITHER OR BOTH OF THESE ISLANDS LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT.

EXPECT DETERIORATING CONDITIONS TO SPREAD ACROSS THE WINDWARD AND
SOUTHEAST BIG ISLAND AROUND SUNRISE THIS MORNING...THEN TOWARD MAUI
AND KAHOOLAWE A FEW HOURS LATER. THE ISLANDS OF MOLOKAI AND LANAI
SHOULD SEE INCREASING SHOWERS...SOME LOCALLY HEAVY BY LATER THIS
MORNING OR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

SUSTAINED WINDS ON THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS ARE ALREADY NEAR 30 MPH.
THESE WINDS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE AT OR ABOVE WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA
THROUGH MOST OF THE DAYTIME HOURS TODAY.

CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE ACROSS THE ISLANDS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.

EXPECT UPPER LEVEL HEIGHTS TO LOWER AGAIN FROM SUNDAY INTO MONDAY AS
AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG UPPER LOW PUSHES IN FROM THE EAST. A NEW
BATCH OF LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE AND INCREASING ATMOSPHERIC INSTABILITY
COULD TRANSLATE INTO ANOTHER ROUND OF LOCALLY HEAVY CONVECTIVE
RAINFALL OVER THE STATE NEXT MONDAY AND TUESDAY.

&&

.MARINE...
A HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH FACING SHORES OF
ALL ISLANDS.

WIND SPEEDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF DANIEL WILL INCREASE
TODAY. THIS IS DUE TO THE TIGHTER PRESSURE GRADIENT TO THE NORTH OF
THE LOW AS IT TRACKS WESTWARD ACROSS THE ISLANDS. THEREFORE...A
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE BIG ISLAND
WINDWARD WATERS TODAY. ALSO...A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL BE IN
EFFECT FOR MAALAEA BAY...AS WELL AS THE PAILOLO AND ALENUIHAHA
CHANNELS FROM LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. IN ADDITION
TO THE THESE WINDS...SOME LOCALLY STRONG WIND GUSTS MAY OCCUR IN THE
VICINITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI COUNTY
COASTAL WATERS TODAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 6 PM HST THIS AFTERNOON FOR KAHOOLAWE...
MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 6 AM HST THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM HST THIS
AFTERNOON FOR MOLOKAI AND LANAI.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST WEDNESDAY FOR SOUTH FACING SHORES
OF ALL ISLANDS.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH 6 PM HST THIS AFTERNOON FOR BIG ISLAND
WINDWARD WATERS.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 10 AM HST THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 AM HST
SATURDAY FOR MAALAEA BAY...THE PAILOLO CHANNEL AND THE ALENUIHAHA
CHANNEL.

&&

HOUSTON

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, Big Island North and East

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Kahoolawe

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 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: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 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: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Kohala

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 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: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 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: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Lanai Makai forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Leeward Haleakala

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Leeward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Central Valley

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Maui Leeward West

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Maui Leeward 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: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Niihau

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 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 South Shore

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Oahu South Shore forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, South Big Island

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Surf, Waianae Coast

When: July 28, 5:00 AM HST to July 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)

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, July 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: 5521402, 5521403, 5521404, 5521405, 5521406, 5521407, 5521408, 5521409, 5521410, 5521411, 5521412, 5521413, 5521414, 5521415, 5521416.