High Surf in Hawaii, January 21 to 22, 2009

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, January 21 to 22, 2009
Start: 2009-01-21T07:00
End: 2009-01-22T15:00
Location: Hawaii

January 21 to 22, 2009 · NWS HFO · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A strong low far northwest of the isles generated surf of 10 to 20 feet along the north-facing shores, and 8 to 15 feet along west-facing shores, of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui. There were no 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

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 21, 3:30 AM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 3:30 AM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
330 AM HST WED JAN 21 2009

.SYNOPSIS...
POST FRONTAL NORTHERLIES WILL SWITCH TO NORTHEASTERLY TRADE WINDS
THROUGH THE DAY TODAY. TRADE WINDS WILL THEN PERSIST THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL FAVOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA
AREAS...WITH ONLY LIGHT RAINFALL EXPECTED.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
THE REMNANT CLOUD BAND MARKING THE COLD FRONT PASSING OVER THE BIG
ISLAND LIES ACROSS PUNA DISTRICT THIS MORNING. FRESH POST FRONTAL
NORTHERLY WINDS AFFECT ALL OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS THIS MORNING AS A
FIELD OF STABLE POST FRONTAL STRATOCUMULUS COVERS WINDWARD AREAS OF
THE SMALLER ISLANDS AND WINDWARD WATERS. MODELS SHOW WINDS WILL VEER
TO NORTHEASTERLY TRADES ACROSS ALL OF THE MAIN ISLANDS THROUGH THE
DAY TODAY AS THE FOLLOWING HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE MOVES EAST ALONG 30N.
VERY LITTLE RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED WITH THIS FRONTAL PASSAGE...WITH
MOST GAGES SHOWING NO RAINFALL AT ALL OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS ENDING
AT 2 AM HST. AS WINDS VEER BACK TO TRADES...WE CAN EXPECT A RETURN
TO A TRADE WIND DISTRIBUTION OF CLOUDS AND SHOWERS...WITH BOTH
FAVORING WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS. RAINFALL WILL REMAIN ON THE LIGHT
SIDE SINCE THE AIR MASS IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN STABLE WITH MINIMAL
MOISTURE AND AVAILABLE CONVECTIVE ENERGY. MODELS SHOW TRADES WILL
PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND...POSSIBLY WEAKENING BELOW MODERATE
LEVELS EARLY NEXT WEEK AS TROUGHING DEVELOPS WEST OF THE MAIN ISLAND
CHAIN.

AFTER PEAKING BRIEFLY ABOVE 30 MPH BEFORE MIDNIGHT...WINDS AT THE
SUMMITS OF MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND HAVE DROPPED BELOW ADVISORY
THRESHOLD AND ARE CONTINUING TO DECREASE. THE WIND ADVISORY FOR
THESE AREAS IS THEREFORE CANCELLED AS OF 4 AM HST.

&&

.MARINE...
AS A NORTHWEST SWELL ARRIVES...WE EXPECT SURF TO INCREASE TO
ADVISORY LEVELS ALONG NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF THE SMALLER
ISLANDS THROUGH TODAY. THIS SWELL WILL ALSO AFFECT WEST FACING
SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND...BRINGING ADVISORY LEVEL SURF TO THAT AREA
AS WELL. THIS SWELL WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. ANOTHER
NORTHWEST SWELL EXPECTED TO ARRIVE LATE FRIDAY MAY RETURN SURF
HEIGHTS TO NEAR HIGH SURF ADVISORY LEVELS.

FRESH POST FRONTAL WINDS CONTINUE...REQUIRING SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES
FOR ALL CHANNELS BUT THE PAILOLO CHANNEL AND FOR ALL WATERS BUT
MAALAEA BAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY THROUGH 6 PM THURSDAY FOR NIIHAU-KAUAI
WINDWARD-KAUAI LEEWARD-WAIANAE COAST-OAHU NORTH SHORE-OAHU
KOOLAU-MOLOKAI-MAUI WINDWARD WEST-MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY-WINDWARD
HALEAKALA-KONA-KOHALA.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALL CHANNELS AND WATERS EXCEPT PAILOLO CHANNEL
AND MAALAEA BAY THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.

&&

POWELL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 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: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 3:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 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: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 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: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 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: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 3:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 3:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 3:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 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: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 3:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: January 21, 7:00 AM HST to January 22, 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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, January 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: 145706, 145707, 145708, 145709, 145710, 145711, 145712, 145713, 145714, 145715, 145716.