High Surf in Hawaii, January 22 to 25, 2007

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, January 22 to 25, 2007
Start: 2007-01-22T23:00
End: 2007-01-25T03:00
Location: Hawaii

January 22 to 25, 2007 · NWS HFO · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

A storm low northwest of the islands caused surf of 20 to 30 feet along the north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 15 to 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu; and 6 to 9 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: 14

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 22, 8:30 PM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 22, 8:30 PM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST MON JAN 22 2007

.SYNOPSIS...DRY AND COOL WEATHER WILL BECOME A BIT RAINIER FROM
TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. SLACK WIND WILL BECOME MODERATE TO STRONG
FROM THE NORTHEAST...THEN WEAKER FORM THE SOUTHEAST BY WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.

&&

.DISCUSSION...HIGHS TO THE NORTHEAST AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT KEPT
THE INVERSION RELATIVELY STRONG AND LOW OVER HILO...WHILE THE 00Z
SOUNDING FROM LIHUE SHOWED SOME WEAKENING OF THE INVERSION AHEAD OF
A NEARLY DISSIPATED FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST. THE AXIS
OF THE SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDED ACROSS THE ISLANDS...CREATING A
DEFORMATION ZONE BETWEEN IT AND THE FRONT...IN WHICH PARALLEL BANDS
OF STRATOCUMULI DEVELOPED. IN MANY SIMILAR CASES THESE PRE-FRONTAL
BANDS TURN OUT TO BE QUITE SHOWERY...BUT RADAR DATA SHOWED ONLY WEAK
ECHOES UNDER THE BAND EXTENDING NORTHEAST FROM OAHU...WEAKER THAN
THE SPARSE ECHOES UNDER THE MAIN FRONTAL BAND JUST NORTH OF KAUAI.
RAIN GAUGE DATA ALSO SHOWED LITTLE PRECIPITATION...THOUGH ONE COULD
ARGUE THAT THE BANDS WERE NOT ACTUALLY OVER THE ISLANDS...MAKING
THESE OBSERVATIONS IRRELEVANT TO THIS PARTICULAR QUESTION.

GIVEN THE DATA AVAILABLE...AND MODEL GUIDANCE THAT AGREED WITH A
SERIOUSLY DRY FORECAST...IT SEEMS SENSIBLE TO KEEP CURRENT THINKING
THAT THE FRONT AND ITS FORERUNNERS WILL HAVE LITTLE EFFECT ON THE
STATE. HOWEVER...SOME RAINFALL IS LIKELY WITH THE FRONTAL BAND AS IT
OSCILLATES AND DISSIPATES BETWEEN MAUI AND KAUAI COUNTIES FROM
TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. MODERATE TO STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS
BEHIND THE FRONT WILL TRANSITION TO TRADES FROM TONIGHT THROUGH
WEDNESDAY...BEFORE A MORE VIGOROUS FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE
NORTHWEST TURNS THE WIND SOUTHEASTERLY AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
VIGOROUS OR NOT...THIS SECOND FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL OUT JUST
NORTH OF KAUAI ON FRIDAY. A PERIOD OF VARIABLE WINDS LIKELY WILL
PREVAIL FROM FRIDAY INTO THE FIRST HALF OF THE COMING WEEKEND.

GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT A DEEP SURFACE LOW WELL TO THE NORTH WILL
PRODUCE STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WIND ACROSS THE ISLANDS BEFORE A
THIRD...STILL STRONGER FRONT BRUSHES THE STATE ON SUNDAY NIGHT. A
FOURTH FRONT MAY REACH KAUAI BY NEXT TUESDAY. THIS RAPID ZONAL
PROGRESSION SEEMS PLAUSIBLE OVERALL DURING THE PACIFIC WINTER...
THOUGH THE STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW MAY BE A BIT OVERDONE. ALSO...MORE
RECENT MODEL RUNS HAVE TRENDED TOWARD SLIGHTLY FASTER FRONTAL
ARRIVALS AND PASSAGES.

ASIDE FROM THE RISING SWELL TONIGHT...THE MOST LIKELY CANDIDATE FOR
AN NON-ROUTINE ISSUANCE MIGHT BE A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS NEXT SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

&&

.MARINE...A LARGE SWELL ARRIVING AT THE NORTHWEST BUOY CONTINUES TO
SUPPORT A HIGH SURF WARNING. SURF IS EXPECTED TO REACH 25 FEET BY
WEDNESDAY MORNING ON MOST ISLANDS...BUT ON KAUAI BEFORE DAYBREAK.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF WARNING FOR NORTH- AND WEST-FACING SHORES

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR LARGE OPEN OCEAN SWELLS FOR ALL ZONES
EXCEPT MAALAEA BAY.

&&

RYSHKO

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 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 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 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 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 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 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 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 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 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, Maui Central Valley

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 AM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 AM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 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, Big Island North and East

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 AM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kohala

When: January 22, 11:00 PM HST to January 25, 3:00 AM HST
Where: Kohala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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: 7876, 7877, 7878, 7879, 7880, 7881, 7882, 7883, 7884, 7885, 7887, 7888, 7889, 7890.