High Surf in Hawaii, August 3 to 5, 2010

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, August 3 to 5, 2010
Start: 2010-08-03T20:00
End: 2010-08-05T06:00
Location: Hawaii

August 3 to 5, 2010 · NWS HFO · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

A swell from a storm low in the southern hemisphere generated surf of 5 to 8 feet along the south-facing shores of all the islands. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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
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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: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 swell from a storm low in the southern hemisphere generated surf of 5 to 8 feet along the south-facing shores of all the islands. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

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 Aug 3, 5:30 PM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 5:30 PM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
530 PM HST TUE AUG 3 2010

.UPDATE...
THE AIRMET FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION IS BEING DROPPED SINCE CLOUDS
AND SHOWERS HAVE DECREASED.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
A LOW ALOFT NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL KEEP THE WEATHER SHOWERY
THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT. THE WEATHER WILL DRY OUT THURSDAY AS
THE LOW MOVES FARTHER NORTH. ANOTHER LOW ALOFT WILL APPROACH FROM
THE SOUTHEAST AND BRING ANOTHER PERIOD OF SHOWERY WEATHER FRIDAY
NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. A STRONG HIGH FAR NORTH OF THE ISLANDS
WILL MAINTAIN LOCALLY BREEZY TRADE WINDS THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
WINDS WILL EASE OFF LATER IN THE WEEK AS THE HIGH WEAKENS.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A STRONG HIGH FAR NORTH NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS IS MAINTAINING A
TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE ISLANDS. THE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE
NOAA DATA BUOYS NORTHWEST AND SOUTHWEST OF KAUAI HAS CONTINUED TO
INCREASE SINCE YESTERDAY MORNING. THIS GRADIENT WILL BE STRONG
ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN LOCALLY BREEZY TRADE WINDS THROUGH WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.

WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A LOW ALOFT ABOUT 500 MILES NORTH
NORTHEAST OF KAUAI NEAR 29N157W WITH A TROUGH EXTENDING DOWN JUST
WEST OF KAUAI. THE LOW AND TROUGH ARE MAKING THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE
ISLANDS A BIT MORE UNSTABLE THAN USUAL. INVERSION HEIGHTS HAVE
DROPPED FROM 9000 FEET TO AROUND 7500 FEET SINCE LAST NIGHT BUT THIS
IS STILL HIGH ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE TRADE-WIND CLOUDS TO BUILD HIGH
ENOUGH TO PRODUCE QUITE A FEW SHOWERS OVER WINDWARD AREAS AND FOR
THE SHOWERS TO SPREAD LEEWARD OVER THE SMALLER ISLANDS.

THE GLOBAL MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING THE LOW AND TROUGH
LIFTING NORTH WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE ISLANDS
WILL GET MORE STABLE...AND SHOWERS WILL DECREASE...ON THURSDAY.

THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN PRETTY STABLE THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY
BUT THE MODELS ARE SHOWING A LOW ALOFT 1500 MILES EAST OF HILO
MOVING TOWARD THE ISLANDS FROM THE EAST. BY FRIDAY NIGHT THE
APPROACHING LOW WILL DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE ENOUGH TO TURN THE
WEATHER SHOWERY AGAIN. AS THE LOW CONTINUES MOVING WEST...THE
ATMOSPHERE WILL STABILIZE AGAIN AND OUR WEATHER WILL DRY OUT EARLY
NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...
AIRMETS REMAIN UP FOR LOW LEVEL TURBULENCE...DUE TO THE STRONG TRADE
WINDS.

NOTICE: THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU WILL PRESENT A
SERIES OF WEATHER TRAINING SEMINARS FOR THE AVIATION COMMUNITY. FOR
MORE INFORMATION...PLEASE EMAIL /LOWER CASE/ W-HFO.AVIATION@NOAA.GOV
OR VISIT /LOWER CASE/ HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/HAWAII/

&&

.MARINE...
THE HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE AREA IS NOT CHANGING VERY FAST...SO
THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...SCA...FOR THE KAUAI AND KAIWI CHANNELS
WILL LIKELY REMAIN UP THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND THE SCA
FOR THE WINDIER WATERS AROUND THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI COUNTY WILL
LIKELY REMAIN UP THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.

THE BUOYS SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS ARE STILL SHOWING A RISING TREND...SO
WE WILL CONTINUE THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY THROUGH 6 PM HST THURSDAY FOR SOUTH FACING SHORES.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST THURSDAY FOR MAALAEA BAY...
PAILOLO AND ALENUIHAHA CHANNELS...WATERS SOUTH OF THE BIG ISLAND.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY FOR KAUAI AND KAIWI
CHANNELS.

&&

DONALDSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM 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: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM 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, Oahu South Shore

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu South Shore forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Lanai Makai

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Lanai Makai forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kahoolawe

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Kahoolawe 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: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM 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, Windward Haleakala

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Leeward Haleakala

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM HST
Where: Leeward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM 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, South Big Island

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 AM HST
Where: South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: August 3, 8:00 PM HST to August 5, 6:00 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 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, August 2010

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: 248353, 248354, 248355, 248356, 248357, 248358, 248359, 248360, 248361, 248362, 248363, 248364, 248365.