High Surf in Hawaii, February 15 to 16, 2007

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, February 15 to 16, 2007
Start: 2007-02-15T05:00
End: 2007-02-16T13:30
Location: Hawaii

February 15 to 16, 2007 · NWS HFO · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

A strong low northwest of the state caused surf of 15 to 20 feet along the north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai; and 6 to 10 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious injuries or property damage 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: 13

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 Feb 15, 4:08 AM HST, 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 15, 4:08 AM HST, 52 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
408 AM HST THU FEB 15 2007

.SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE FAR TO OUR NORTHEAST WILL KEEP WINDS LIGHT
AND FROM THE SOUTHEAST THROUGH TODAY. STRONGER TRADES WILL RETURN
BY THE WEEKEND AS A NEW HIGH PASSES NORTH OF THE ISLANDS. THE DRY...
STABLE AIRMASS CURRENTLY OVER THE ALOHA STATE WILL GRADUALLY BECOME
MORE MOIST AND A LITTLE MORE UNSTABLE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...SO
WINDWARD AND MAUKA SHOWERS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE. A FEW SHOWERS
WILL BLOW OVER TO LEEWARD SECTIONS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
THE AIRMASS OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS IS STILL RATHER DRY...AS
SHOWN IN THE 12Z SOUNDINGS. BOTH STILL HAVE PRECIPITABLE WATER OF
JUST UNDER AN INCH...ABOUT THE SAME AS 24 HOURS AGO. WE DO HAVE ONE
BAND OF LOW CLOUDS WITH SOME SHOWERS NEAR OAHU...LIKELY DUE IN PART
TO LEE SIDE CONVERGENCE PLUMES TO THE NW OF MOLOKAI. SATELLITE
IMAGERY THIS MORNING AGREES WITH WHAT THE MODELS HAVE BEEN
SUGGESTING...THAT WE WILL SEE A GRADUAL INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS WORKING EAST TO WEST ALONG THE
CHAIN.

GUIDANCE BRINGS A WEAK FRONT TO THE FAR NORTHWESTERN COASTAL WATERS
ON FRIDAY...BUT THIS FEATURE WILL NOT MAKE IT TO KAUAI. HOWEVER...
MODELS SHOW WEAK SURFACE TROUGHING DEVELOPING OVER THE ISLANDS. THEY
ALSO SHOW COOLER AIR ALOFT RETURNING...WITH SLIGHTLY MORE UNSTABLE
AIR. THIS WILL SPELL A RETURN TOWARD MORE TYPICAL WINDWARD/MAUKA
RAINFALL FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...RATHER THAN THE VERY DRY WEATHER
WE HAVE SEEN THE PAST FEW WEEKS. NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY...
HOWEVER. IN ADDITION...WITH A FAIRLY STRONG 1032 MB HIGH PASSING
NORTH OF THE ISLANDS NEAR 35N FRIDAY EVENING...WE WILL SEE RATHER
FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG TRADES RETURNING...SO SOME SHOWERS WILL BE
BLOWING TO ADJACENT LEEWARD SECTIONS. ANOTHER HIGH PASSES NORTH OF
THE ISLANDS TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...SO MODERATE TO FRESH
TRADES WILL STICK AROUND AWHILE ONCE THEY GET GOING.

&&

.MARINE...UNFORTUNATELY NO DATA FROM THE WAIMEA BUOY EARLY THIS
MORNING. BUOY 51001 IS SHOWING THE SWELL CONTINUING TO RISE AND WE
WILL LEAVE THE HIGH SURF WARNING CONFIGURATION AS IS. ALSO...A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY /SCA/ FOR MOST OF OUR MARINE ZONES FOR HAZARDOUS
SEAS. OVER THE WEEKEND...STRONG TRADES WILL LIKELY WARRANT THE
ISSUANCE/EXTENSION OF THE SCA...WHICH MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED INTO
EARLY NEXT WEEK...AS THE TRADE WIND SWELL WILL MAINTAIN COMBINED SEA
HEIGHTS OF 10 FEET OR GREATER. THE TRADE SWELL MAY ALSO BRING HIGH
SURF TO EAST FACING SHORES BEGINNING THIS WEEKEND.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF WARNING FOR NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU KAUAI
OAHU AND MOLOKAI AND NORTH FACING SHORES OF MAUI UNTIL 4 AM FRIDAY.

HIGH SURF WARNING FOR WEST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND FROM 6 AM
THURSDAY UNTIL 4 AM FRIDAY.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU KAUAI
OAHU AND MOLOKAI AND NORTH FACING SHORES OF MAUI FROM 4 AM FRIDAY
UNTIL 4 PM FRIDAY.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN WATERS EXCEPT PAILOLO CHANNEL
AND MAALAEA BAY UNTIL 4 PM FRIDAY.

&&

R BALLARD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 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, Kauai Windward

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 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, Waianae Coast

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 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, Oahu North Shore

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 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, Oahu Koolau

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 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, Maui Central Valley

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 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, Kohala

When: February 15, 5:00 AM HST to February 16, 1:30 PM HST
Where: Kohala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 19.602, -155.523 (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 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, February 2007

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: 12496, 12497, 12498, 12499, 12500, 12501, 12502, 12503, 12504, 12505, 12506, 12507, 12508.