High Surf in Hawaii, January 11 to 14, 2007

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, January 11 to 14, 2007
Start: 2007-01-11T12:00
End: 2007-01-14T06:00
Location: Hawaii

January 11 to 14, 2007 · NWS HFO · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

A strong low northwest of the Aloha State generated surf of 12 to 20 feet along the north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 8 to 16 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Oahu, and Kauai; and 6 to 9 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. No significant injuries or property damage were reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 Jan 11, 8:25 AM HST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 11, 8:25 AM HST, 3 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
825 AM HST THU JAN 11 2007

.SYNOPSIS...
A LOW WEST OF KAUAI HAS WEAKENED TO A TROUGH BUT IT IS STILL PULLING
HIGH CLOUDS UP OVER THE ISLANDS. THESE CLOUDS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST OF
THE ISLANDS BY FRIDAY. TRADE WINDS HAVE SPREAD BACK ACROSS THE
ISLANDS. WITH TRADE WINDS BLOWING...SHOWERS WILL BE CONCENTRATED
OVER WINDWARD AREAS...WHILE MOST LEE AREAS WILL BE ON THE DRY SIDE.
THE EXCEPTION WILL BE KAUAI AND NIIHAU TODAY...WHERE SHOWERS WILL BE
MORE FREQUENT...BOTH WINDWARD AND LEEWARD. OTHERWISE...TRADE-WIND
WEATHER WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.UPDATE...
HAVE UPDATED FORECASTS TO INCREASE CLOUD AND SHOWER COVERAGE OVER
NIIHAU AND KAUAI...AND WATERS TO THE SOUTH AND WEST TODAY...AS THE
UPPER TROUGH IS ENHANCING THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE THAT IS MOVING
NORTHWESTWARD WITH THE STEERING FLOW. HAVE ALSO UPDATED THE HIGH
SURF ADVISORY...PRIMARILY TO MODIFY FORECAST SURF HEIGHTS.
OTHERWISE...FORECAST PHILOSOPHY IS THE SAME...AND PREVIOUS
DISCUSSION IS APPENDED.

.PREV DISCUSSION ISSUED 400 AM HST...
SURFACE ANALYSES SHOW THE SURFACE LOW WEST SOUTHWEST OF KAUAI HAS
OPENED UP INTO A TROUGH WHILE A LOW ALOFT PERSISTS 620 MILES WEST
SOUTHWEST OF KAUAI. THE SURFACE TROUGH HAS BECOME WEAK ENOUGH AND
FAR ENOUGH WEST TO ALLOW THE LOW LEVEL FLOW OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS TO BACK TO A MORE EASTERLY DIRECTION. THE LOW ALOFT IS STILL
CREATING INSTABILITY OVER THE ISLANDS BUT THE LIFTED INDEX AT LIHUE
HAS INCREASED FROM -7.1 TO -4.6 OVER THE PAST 12 HOURS WHILE THE
LIFTED INDEX AT HILO HAS INCREASED FROM -3.4 TO -1.4. DESPITE THE
LINGERING INSTABILITY...THE THREAT OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL APPEARS TO
BE OVER. THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE OVER WATER SOUTH OF KAUAI LAST
EVENING HAVE NOW DISSIPATED. THERE ARE STILL ACTIVE SHOWERS AROUND
KAUAI BUT THEY ARE MOVING ALONG IN THE TRADE FLOW AND WILL NOT
REMAIN OVER ANY SPOT LONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLOODING. SOUTHWEST FLOW
AROUND THE LOW ALOFT IS STILL CARRYING HIGH CLOUDS OVER THE ISLANDS.
SKIES WILL REMAIN RATHER CLOUDY TODAY...BUT BY FRIDAY THE HIGH
CLOUDS WILL BE GONE.

A SURFACE RIDGE TO THE NORTH WILL KEEP TRADE WINDS BLOWING OVER THE
ISLANDS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THE LOW ALOFT MAY MAKE THE TRADES
A BIT SHOWERY TODAY...BUT STARTING FRIDAY THE GFS SHOWS NO
SIGNIFICANT SHOWER AREAS AFFECTING THE ISLANDS. THE GFS MODEL
CONTINUES TO SHOW A NEW SURFACE HIGH MOVING EASTWARD TO A POSITION
NORTH OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SUNDAY NIGHT. AS THE HIGH MOVES
BY NORTH OF THE ISLANDS...TRADE WINDS WILL BECOME BREEZY EARLY NEXT
WEEK.

&&

.MARINE...
A NEW WEST-NORTHWEST SWELL WILL PRODUCE ADVISORY-LEVEL SURF ALONG
NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES BY THIS AFTERNOON. SINCE THE SWELL WILL
BE COMING IN FROM THE WEST NORTHWEST...THE SWELL WILL HIT THE KONA
COAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. WE HAVE ISSUED A HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR THE
SHORELINES AFFECTED BY THIS SWELL AND A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR
LARGE WAVES IN THE COASTAL WATERS.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR LARGE SEAS.

&&

BIRCHARD/DONALDSON

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: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM 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: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM 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: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM 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: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM 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: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Central Valley

When: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM 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: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM 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, South Big Island

When: January 11, 12:00 PM HST to January 14, 6:00 AM HST
Where: South Big Island 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 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, January 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: 7855, 7856, 7857, 7858, 7859, 7860, 7861, 7862, 7863, 7864, 7865, 7867, 7868.