High Surf in Hawaii, January 13 to 18, 2008

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, January 13 to 18, 2008
Start: 2008-01-13T02:00
End: 2008-01-18T19:00
Location: Hawaii

January 13 to 18, 2008 · NWS HFO · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 15

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 powerful low passing far north of the islands produced surf of 20 to 35 feet along the north facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 20 feet along the west facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and the Big Island of Hawaii; and 6 to 12 feet along the east facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, and the Big Island. The hazardous surf kept lifeguards busy on these isles with assisting and rescuing swimmers and surfers. Water coming over the pavement closed a portion of Bayfront Highway in Hilo on the Big Island for a time on the 16th. Water was crossing other shoreline roadways on these islands during this episode as well, though no significant disruption to traffic flow was noted. No serious property damage or injuries were reported.

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 12, 8:30 PM HST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 12, 8:30 PM HST, 5 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST SAT JAN 12 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT WILL REACH KAUAI LATE TONIGHT AND PASS SOUTHEASTWARD
THROUGH SUNDAY...BRINGING IN GUSTY NORTH WINDS. CLOUD COVER WILL
INCREASE WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE BUT RAINFALL WILL BE LIGHT AND FOCUSED
ON NORTHERN AND WINDWARD AREAS. WINDS WILL DECREASE AND VEER BACK TO
TRADES BY MIDWEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
THE RIDGE NORTH OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HAS WEAKENED ENOUGH TO
ALLOW A COLD FRONT TO APPROACH THE CHAIN FROM THE NORTHWEST. MODELS
SHOW THIS FRONT WILL REACH KAUAI LATER TONIGHT...THEN MOVE RAPIDLY
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY. SATELLITE LOOPS
SHOW BANDS OF STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS INCREASING JUST NORTHWEST OF
KAUAI...BUT RADAR SHOWS ALMOST NO ASSOCIATED RAINFALL. WE EXPECT
CLOUD COVER TO INCREASE ACROSS THE ISLANDS TONIGHT...BEGINNING WITH
KAUAI AFTER MIDNIGHT...WITH RAINFALL INCREASING ONLY MODESTLY ACROSS
NORTHERN AND WINDWARD AREAS THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY. IT SEEMS THAT
THIS FRONT WILL NOT BE MUCH OF A RAINMAKER SINCE THE SUPPORTING
UPPER TROUGH AND ALMOST ALL OF THE DYNAMICS WILL REMAIN NORTH OF
30N. HOWEVER...LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WILL BE REPLACED BY BRISK
AND GUSTY NORTHERLIES AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE. GFS SHOWS 25 TO 30 MPH
WINDS MAY REACH AS FAR SOUTHEAST AS THE KAIWI CHANNEL BY SUNDAY
EVENING. WINDS THIS STRONG WILL LIKELY REACH THE PAILOLO AND
ALENUIHAHA CHANNELS MONDAY MORNING. THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE MOST
NOTICEABLE ACROSS OPEN WATER AND ALONG NORTHERN SHORELINES.

THE LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACHING FRONT WILL STALL NEAR
34N140W ON SUNDAY...THEN MOVE BACK TOWARDS THE WEST INTO THE
FOLLOWING RIDGE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL WEAKEN THE RIDGE
AND CAUSE WINDS TO DECREASE AS THEY VEER BACK TO NORTHEASTERLY
TRADES ON THOSE DAYS. GFS SHOWS WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE
THROUGH THE WEEK...POSSIBLY BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE ONCE AGAIN
BY NEXT WEEKEND. NOGAPS KEEPS LIGHT TRADE WINDS IN PLACE THROUGH THE
WEEK BEYOND WEDNESDAY...SO WE WILL KEEP LIGHT TRADES IN THE LONG
RANGE GRIDS FOR NOW.

&&

.MARINE...
THE LOW MENTIONED ABOVE HAS GENERATED A LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL THAT
WILL PRODUCE RAPIDLY BUILDING SURF ALONG NORTH AND WEST FACING
SHORES OF MOST OF THE SMALLER HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. HIGH SURF WARNINGS
ARE IN EFFECT FOR THOSE LOCATIONS. WE HAVE HELD OFF ON ISSUING
WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES FOR WEST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND AT
THIS TIME AS WE AWAIT SWELL ARRIVAL AND CAN DETERMINE HOW MUCH
BLOCKAGE MAY OCCUR.

THE COMBINATION OF SEAS AND EXPECTED GUSTY WINDS PROMPTS US TO
CONTINUE THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR MOST CHANNELS AND COASTAL
WATERS. EXPECT LITTLE CHANGE IN THIS AS WE START THE WORK WEEK.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR KAUAI NORTHWEST WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD
WATERS-KAUAI LEEWARD WATERS-KAUAI CHANNEL-OAHU WINDWARD WATERS-OAHU
LEEWARD WATERS-KAIWI CHANNEL-MAUI COUNTY WINDWARD WATERS-MAUI COUNTY
LEEWARD WATERS-ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL-BIG ISLAND WINDWARD WATERS.

HIGH SURF WARNING FOR NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU KAUAI
OAHU AND MOLOKAI AND FOR NORTH FACING SHORES OF MAUI.
&&

POWELL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 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: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 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: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 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: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 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: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Olomana

When: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Olomana 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: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 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: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 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, Big Island North and East

When: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 PM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kohala

When: January 13, 2:00 AM HST to January 18, 7:00 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 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, January 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: 71294, 71295, 71296, 71299, 71300, 71301, 71302, 71304, 71305, 71306, 71307, 71308, 71309, 71310, 71311.