High Surf in Hawaii, November 4 to 6, 2007

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, November 4 to 6, 2007
Start: 2007-11-04T10:00
End: 2007-11-06T22:00
Location: Hawaii

November 4 to 6, 2007 · NWS HFO · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

A deep low in the southern hemisphere east of New Zealand produced surf of 8 to 12 feet along the south-facing shores of all the Hawaiian Islands. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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: 16

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 Nov 4, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 4, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST SUN NOV 4 2007

.SYNOPSIS...
A LOW NORTH NORTHWEST OF KAUAI WILL DROP SOUTHWARD TODAY...BEFORE
TURNING SOUTHWEST AND SLOWLY MOVING AWAY FROM THE STATE THROUGH THE
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. THIS SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE UNSETTLED WEATHER WITH
THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL THROUGH EARLY THIS WEEK. DRIER
TRADE-WIND WEATHER WILL RETURN LATER IN THE WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A LARGE BAND OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS IS APPARENT ON
REGIONAL RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY EXTENDING FROM EASTERN OAHU TO
WEST MAUI. IR CLOUD TOPS AND RADAR VWP/S INDICATE LAYERED CLOUDS
EXTEND THROUGH 40000 FT. THIS BAND PRECEDES THE PARENT LOW...WHICH
REMAINS NORTH-NORTHWEST OF KAUAI. THE SYSTEM IS NOT AS VERTICALLY
STACKED AS IT WAS PREVIOUSLY...WITH AN ELONGATED UPPER LOW 225 MILES
NORTH-NORTHWEST OF LIHUE/PHLI...WITH THE SURFACE CIRCULATION 350
MILES NORTHWEST OF PHLI. THE MORNING QUIKSCAT PASS SHOWS A WELL
DEFINED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER...WHICH CAN ALSO BE SEEN ON
VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY. THIS IS BETTER THAN BOTH THE 12Z
GFS/ECMWF INDICATE...WHICH ONLY SHOW A WEAK REFLECTION OF THE SYSTEM
AT THE SURFACE. THE GFS STILL APPEARS TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH
GRIDSCALE FEEDBACK ACROSS THE ISLANDS...INDICATING 5 INCHES OF
STABLE PRECIP BUT LESS THAN AN INCH OF CONVECTIVE PRECIP SOUTH OF
THE BIG ISLAND IN BOTH THE 06Z-12Z AND 12Z-18Z PERIODS TONIGHT. THIS
CAUSES THE GFS TO DEVELOP WHAT APPEARS TO BE A SPURIOUS SECONDARY
SURFACE WAVE THAT IT TAKES JUST NORTHEAST OF THE STATE...WHICH
EVENTUALLY BECOMES A MORE DOMINATE FEATURE THAN THE DEPARTING
SYSTEM. WILL CONTINUE TO STICK WITH MORE OF AN ECMWF SOLUTION...
WHICH INDICATES A RETURN TO A MORE TYPICAL TRADE WIND PATTERN FOR
WEDNESDAY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.

IN THE NEAR TERM...THE 100 MILE WIDE BAND OF RAIN CENTERED NEAR
MOLOKAI WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS MAUI TODAY...AND
SHOULD REACH THE BIG ISLAND TONIGHT. THE 12Z GFS SHOWS THE PRECIP
STALLING OVER MAUI COUNTY TONIGHT AS THE PARENT LOW STARTS TO TURN
SOUTHWEST...BUT THE MODEL IS ALSO NEARLY 6 HOURS TOO SLOW WITH THE
PROGRESS OF THE CURRENT RAIN. WITH THIS IN MIND...WILL CONTINUE TO
EXTRAPOLATE THE SOUTHEASTWARD MOVEMENT THROUGH TONIGHT...BRINGING
THE WIDESPREAD RAIN ACROSS THE BIG ISLAND AFTER MIDNIGHT. IT STILL
MAY STALL AT SOME POINT AND WEAKEN IN PLACE...FURTHER EXACERBATING
THE FLOODING POTENTIAL. EVEN THOUGH THE GFS IS SUFFERING FEEDBACK
PROBLEMS...IT IS KEYING IN ON SOME FEATURE THAT IS ALSO PRESENT IN
THE ECMWF TO INITIATE A NEW AREA OF CONVECTION SOUTHWEST OF THE BIG
ISLAND BY TONIGHT. CATEGORICAL POPS LOOK GOOD FROM MAUI COUNTY
EASTWARD. WHILE THE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL HAS ENDED IN KAUAI AND
STARTED TO DIMINISH ACROSS OAHU...ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL OF A
MORE SCATTERED NATURE IS STILL POSSIBLE WITH THE COLD POOL OF THE
UPPER LOW NEARBY. IN FACT...VISIBLE SATELLITE SHOWS A NARROW LINE OF
SHOWERS ALREADY DEVELOPING NORTHWEST OF KAUAI. THEREFORE MAINTAINED
THE SAME COVERAGE AND TIMING FOR THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH...ACROSS THE
ENTIRE STATE THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.

&&

.MARINE...
THE HIGH SURF WARNING CONTINUES FOR SOUTH FACING SHORES. THE LARGE
SOUTH SWELL CONTINUES TO INCREASE...WITH THE LANAI WAVERIDER BUOY
CLIMBING TO 5 FT/20 SECONDS AT 18Z...SIMILAR TO THE WAVEWATCH
COMBINED SEAS GUIDANCE BUT WITH A LONGER DOMINATE PERIOD. UPDATED
THE MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT FOR THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE COASTAL
WATERS AND FOR HARBOR SURGES AND BREAKING WAVES IN CHANNEL ENTRANCES.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MONDAY FOR SOUTH-FACING SHORES OF ALL
ISLANDS.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT FOR ALL ISLANDS.

&&

BRAVENDER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 4, 6:53 AM HST, 3 hours 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
653 AM HST SUN NOV 04 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0445 AM     FLASH FLOOD      WAIKANE                 21.50N 157.88W
11/04/2007                   HONOLULU           HI   EMERGENCY MNGR

            WAIKANE STREAM OVERFLOWED FORCING A BRIEF CLOSURE OF
            KAMEHAMEHA HIGHWAY.

&&

KODAMA

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 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: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 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, Oahu South Shore

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu South Shore forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Waianae Coast

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 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, Molokai Windward

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Lanai Makai

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Lanai Makai forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kahoolawe

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 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, Maui Leeward West

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 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, Maui Central Valley

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Leeward Haleakala

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Leeward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 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, South Big Island

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: November 4, 10:00 AM HST to November 6, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Big Island North and East 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, November 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: 63799, 63800, 63801, 63802, 63803, 63804, 63805, 63806, 63807, 63808, 63809, 63810, 63811, 63812, 63813, 63814.