High Surf, Niihau
- When
- February 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 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 in Hawaii, February 19, 2008
A low east of Japan caused surf of 10 to 15 feet along the north facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; and 6 to 12 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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 low east of Japan caused surf of 10 to 15 feet along the north facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; and 6 to 12 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.
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 19, 4:03 AM HST, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 4:03 AM HST, 1 hour 57 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 403 AM HST TUE FEB 19 2008 .SYNOPSIS... WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND VARIABLE THIS WEEK...AND SEA BREEZES WILL RESULT IN AFTERNOON AND EVENING CLOUDS. NIGHT AND MORNING SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR WITH LOW TEMPERATURES DROPPING SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE. && .DISCUSSION... THE TEMPERATURE INVERSION ABOVE BOTH LIHUE AND HILO REMAIN NEAR 6 THOUSAND FEET. ADD THE LOW...STABLE INVERSION TO A 15 DEGREE DEW POINT DEPRESSION AT THE SURFACE AND YOU COME UP WITH AN EQUATION FOR DRY WEATHER ACROSS THE ALOHA STATE. RAIN GAGES CONCUR. THE HIGHEST 24 RAIN TOTAL TOPS OFF AT A MEAGER 4 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH. WINDS HAVE REMAINED LIGHT WITH THE RIDGE RUNNING EAST TO WEST OVER MAUI COUNTY. SKIES HAVE CLEARED OVERNIGHT AND RADIATION COOLING HAS DROPPED LOW TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL FOR MANY LOCATIONS. TODAYS WEATHER WILL BE SIMILAR TO YESTERDAYS WITH SUNNY MORNING SKIES GIVING WAY TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES IN THE AFTERNOON. DAYTIME HEATING WILL BRING ON AFTERNOON SEA BREEZES AND THE AFOREMENTIONED CLOUD COVER. THE SURFACE RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER OR NEAR THE ISLANDS THROUGH THE WEEK. SEA BREEZES WITH AFTERNOON CLOUDS ALONG WITH NIGHTTIME CLEARING AND COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO TRANSITION TO A SOUTHERLY FLOW SATURDAY AS A FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. BOTH THE EUROPEAN AND GFS MODELS AGREE ON BRINGING THE FRONT ACROSS KAUAI ON SUNDAY...AND THROUGH THE BIG ISLAND BY MONDAY NIGHT. POST FRONTAL WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH AND THEN NORTHEAST AS THE FRONT MOVES ON. && .MARINE... THE NORTHWEST SWELL HAS BEEN SLOW TO ARRIVE...BUT INCREASED OVERNIGHT AND IS STILL EXPECTED TO REACH MINIMAL ADVISORY LEVELS TODAY. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS AFTERNOON FOR NIIHAU- KAUAI WINDWARD-KAUAI LEEWARD-WAIANAE COAST-OAHU NORTH SHORE-OAHU KOOLAU-MOLOKAI-MAUI WINDWARD WEST-MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY-WINDWARD HALEAKALA. && MORRISON
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Kauai Windward
- When
- February 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kauai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kauai Leeward
- When
- February 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 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, Waianae Coast
- When
- February 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 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, Oahu North Shore
- When
- February 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 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 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu Koolau forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Molokai Windward
- When
- February 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Molokai Leeward
- When
- February 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Leeward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Maui Windward West
- When
- February 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 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 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Maui Central Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Windward Haleakala
- When
- February 19, 6:00 AM HST to 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Windward Haleakala 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
- Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, February 19, 2008
- Lake-Effect Snow in New York, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Extreme Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Extreme Cold in North Dakota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Extreme Cold in South Dakota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Extreme Cold in North Dakota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in Iowa, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in South Dakota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008
- Cold in Minnesota, February 19 to 20, 2008
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 2008
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: 77361, 77362, 77363, 77364, 77365, 77366, 77367, 77368, 77369, 77370, 77371.