Hawaii, 2009

High Surf in Hawaii, December 6 to 10, 2009

December 6 to 10, 2009 · NWS HFO · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Swells from powerful lows far northwest of the islands caused surf of 20 to 45 feet on north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 25 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai; and 8 to 14 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. The wrap-around effect was also in evidence as surf rose to 6 to 10 feet along the…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
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.

Swells from powerful lows far northwest of the islands caused surf of 20 to 45 feet on north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 25 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai; and 8 to 14 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. The wrap-around effect was also in evidence as surf rose to 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, and the Big Island. A professional surfer was injured at Waimea Beach Park on Oahu on December 7th because of the conditions. There were no reports of serious property damage, though the surf did deposit sand and other debris on coastal roads and property near the shore in several locales.

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 Dec 6, 11:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 6, 11:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1100 AM HST SUN DEC 6 2009

.SYNOPSIS...
A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE TO KAUAI TONIGHT THEN DOWN THE ISLAND
CHAIN TO MAUI COUNTY WHERE IT WILL DISSIPATE MONDAY. THE FRONT WILL
BRING SOME SHOWERS TO THE ISLANDS. THE LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WILL
BECOME LIGHT OUT OF THE NORTHEAST BEHIND THE FRONT.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL REACH KAUAI TONIGHT THEN DISSIPATE SOMEWHERE
OVER MAUI COUNTY MONDAY. SHOWERS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT...BUT THEY
SHOULD NOT AMOUNT TO MUCH. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO OUT OF THE NORTH THEN
NORTHEAST BEHIND THE FRONT. A TRAILING HIGH WILL MOVE TO JUST NORTH
OF THE ISLANDS TUESDAY...KEEPING THE TRADE WINDS LIGHT OUT OF THE
NORTHEAST. THE HIGH WILL WEAKEN TO A RIDGE ON WEDNESDAY...SUPPORTING
LIGHT EASTERLY TRADES THROUGH THURSDAY. THE TRADES MAY BE LIGHT
ENOUGH TO ALLOW LOCAL SEA BREEZES TO SET UP WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
AFTERNOON.

ANOTHER FRONT WILL STALL AND DISSIPATE NORTH OF HAWAII BY FRIDAY. A
HIGH TRAILING THE FRONT WILL MOVE NORTH OF HERE...MAINTAINING THE
LIGHT TRADES INTO NEXT WEEKEND. AM NOT ANTICIPATING ANY HEAVY RAIN
OR STRONG WINDS THIS WEEK.

&&

.MARINE...
SMALL FORERUNNERS OF THE NEXT LARGE SWELL REACHED BUOY ONE NORTHWEST
OF KAUAI AT 8 AM HST. THESE RARE 27 SECOND PERIOD FORERUNNERS WILL
REACH THE ISLANDS THIS AFTERNOON. SHORTER PERIOD SWELLS WITH MUCH
HIGHER HEIGHTS WILL FILL IN TONIGHT...BRINGING DANGEROUSLY LARGE
SURF TO THE ISLANDS BY MORNING. THE SURF WILL REMAIN AT WARNING
LEVELS INTO WEDNESDAY...THEN SLOWLY LOWER THEREAFTER. HIGH SURF
WARNINGS AND HIGH SURF ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE
ISLANDS.

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR MOST COASTAL ZONES FOR
THE LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 6 PM HST WEDNESDAY FOR NORTH AND WEST FACING
SHORES OF NIIHAU...KAUAI...OAHU...MOLOKAI...AND MAUI...AND FOR WEST
FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST WEDNESDAY FOR EAST FACING SHORES
OF OAHU...AND FOR NORTHEAST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST MONDAY 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.

&&

CRAIG

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
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 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, Kauai Windward

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 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
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 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
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Oahu North Shore forecast zone
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Surf, Oahu Koolau

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

High Surf, Olomana

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 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
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 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 Leeward West

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 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
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 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
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kohala

When
December 6, 11:00 AM HST to December 10, 3:00 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

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, December 2009

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: 201528, 201529, 201530, 201531, 201532, 201533, 201534, 201535, 201536, 201537, 201538, 201539, 201540, 201541, 201542, 201543.