High Surf in Hawaii, March 17 to 21, 2008

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, March 17 to 21, 2008
Start: 2008-03-17T09:00
End: 2008-03-21T11:00
Location: Hawaii

March 17 to 21, 2008 · NWS HFO · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A trade wind swell produced surf of 6 to 12 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. No significant injuries or property damage were reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 9

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 trade wind swell produced surf of 6 to 12 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. No significant injuries or property damage 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 Mar 17, 4:10 AM HST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 17, 4:10 AM HST, 4 hours 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
410 AM HST MON MAR 17 2008

UPDATED TO ADD AVIATION SECTION

.SYNOPSIS...
MODERATE TRADE WINDS AND A LOW ALOFT OVER THE ISLANDS WILL KEEP
CONDITIONS WET WINDWARD TODAY...AND AFTERNOON SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP
ON THE LEE SIDE OF THE BIG ISLAND AS WELL. BOTH TRADES AND SHOWERS
WILL DIMINISH SLIGHTLY BY TUESDAY...THEN PICK UP AGAIN STARTING ON
WEDNESDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE AT THE SURFACE TO THE NORTHEAST KEPT MODERATE
TRADE WINDS BLOWING ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. HOWEVER...
ALOFT A BAGGY LOW DESTABILIZED THE ATMOSPHERE. ALTHOUGH THIS FEATURE
WAS NOT IMPRESSIVE DYNAMICALLY...THE COLD POOL ASSOCIATED WITH IT
SHOWED UP CLEARLY IN BOTH LOCAL 12 UTC SOUNDINGS. THE AIR MASS
AROUND THE ISLANDS SHOWED INCREASED MOISTURE IN THE MIXED
LAYER...WHICH TOGETHER WITH THE INSTABILITY ALOFT ENCOURAGED TRADE-
WIND SHOWERS TO DEVELOP MORE THAN THEY WOULD OTHERWISE. THIS
COMBINATION MAY LEAD TO THUNDER OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE
STATE. HOWEVER...THE LINGERING CIRROSTRATUS OVERCAST SWIRLING AROUND
THE LOW MITIGATED CONVECTION SOMEWHAT BY REDUCING SOLAR HEATING OF
THE GROUND BY DAY...AND CLOUD-TOP COOLING AT NIGHT. THUS...FOR THE
NEXT 24 HOURS THE FORECAST APPEARS TO BE ON TRACK IN LIMITING
CHANCES FOR THUNDER MAINLY TO THE BIG ISLAND INTERIOR AND WATERS
EAST OF MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND.

GUIDANCE AGREES IN PREDICTING THAT THE UPPER LOW WILL DRIFT
GENERALLY NORTHWEST AND DISSIPATE SLOWLY BY AROUND WEDNESDAY...
THOUGH THE SOLUTIONS DIFFER ON THE DETAILS...AND IN ANY CASE THE
TRANSITION LOOKS MESSY. GIVEN THE DIFFICULTY THAT MOST MODELS
EXPERIENCE WITH CUT-OFF LOWS...IT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISING IF AT
LEAST A FRAGMENT OF THE LOW WERE TO LINGER NEAR THE ISLANDS INTO THE
SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK...PERHAPS TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE UPPER
RIDGE EXPECTED TO BUILD NORTHWESTWARD FROM EAST OF THE ISLANDS. NEAR
THE SURFACE...THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE TO THE NORTHEAST WILL WEAKEN
ONLY SLIGHTLY THROUGH MID-WEEK...AND STRENGTHEN AGAIN THROUGH THE
SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK BEFORE WEAKENING AGAIN BY NEXT WEEKEND.
THUS...WET TRADES WILL PERSIST THROUGH MOST OF THE FORECAST
PERIOD...THOUGH SOME LIMITED DRYING WILL OCCUR AROUND TUESDAY.

&&

.MARINE...
MODERATE TRADE WINDS AND ASSOCIATED ROUGH SEAS WILL CONTINUE TO
REQUIRE A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE CHANNELS AND AROUND POINTS
INTO WEDNESDAY...WHEN BUILDING WINDS LIKELY WILL REQUIRE THE
ADVISORY TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL AREAS.

THE CURRENT NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED TO KEEP SURF AT ADVISORY
LEVELS UNTIL LATE TONIGHT BEFORE SUBSIDING SLOWLY ON TUESDAY MORNING.

EASTERLY TRADE WIND SWELL ALSO WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST TONIGHT.

&&

.AVIATION...
DCO HILO REPORTED A PROBLEM WITH SENSOR ICING DURING THE 12Z RAOB
RELEASE. A SECOND RELEASE SHOWS A MOIST LAYER NEAR 16KFT...WHERE
THE TEMPERATURE IS -6C. THE SOUTH POINT RADAR SHOWS WEAK ECHOES
ALOFT BETWEEN 15KFT AND 22KFT THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A THICK BAND
OF HIGH CLOUDS EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. 06Z GFS SHOWS A WEAK BAND OF
DEFORMATION IN THIS AREA...ALONG THE EASTERN FLANK OF THE UPPER LOW
OVER THE STATE. THIS DEFORMATION BAND WEAKENS BETWEEN 12Z AND 18Z
THIS MORNING. HAVE UPDATED AIRMET ZULU TO MENTION LIGHT ICE IN CLOUD
BETWEEN 15KFT AND 18KFT...OR WITHIN THE NARROW MOIST LAYER APPARENT
ON THE HILO SOUNDING. THE ICING POTENTIAL SHOULD BE TRANSITORY...AND
DIMINISH DURING THE MORNING.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST TUESDAY FOR SHORES FACING NORTH
OR EAST IN KAUAI WINDWARD-KAUAI LEEWARD-OAHU NORTH SHORE-OAHU
KOOLAU-OLOMANA-MOLOKAI-MAUI WINDWARD WEST-MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY-
WINDWARD HALEAKALA-SOUTH BIG ISLAND-BIG ISLAND NORTH AND EAST.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST TUESDAY FOR SHORES FACING EAST IN
SOUTH BIG ISLAND-BIG ISLAND NORTH AND EAST.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST TUESDAY FOR SHORES FACING NORTH
ON NIIHAU.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST TUESDAY FOR KAUAI NORTHWEST
WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS-KAUAI LEEWARD WATERS-KAUAI CHANNEL-
OAHU WINDWARD WATERS-KAIWI CHANNEL-MAUI COUNTY WINDWARD WATERS-
PAILOLO CHANNEL-ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL-BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS-BIG
ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS.

&&

DISCUSSION/MARINE...RYSHKO
AVIATION...BRAVENDER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Kauai Windward

When: March 17, 9:00 AM HST to March 21, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Oahu Koolau

When: March 17, 9:00 AM HST to March 21, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Olomana

When: March 17, 9:00 AM HST to March 21, 11:00 AM 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: March 17, 9:00 AM HST to March 21, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: March 17, 9:00 AM HST to March 21, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: March 17, 9:00 AM HST to March 21, 11:00 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, Windward Haleakala

When: March 17, 9:00 AM HST to March 21, 11:00 AM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, South Big Island

When: March 17, 9:00 AM HST to March 21, 11:00 AM HST
Where: South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: March 17, 9:00 AM HST to March 21, 11:00 AM 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 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, March 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: 83867, 83868, 83869, 83870, 83871, 83872, 83873, 83874, 83875.