High Surf, Niihau
- When
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 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 in Hawaii, February 9 to 14, 2010
A swell from a powerful low far northwest of Hawaii produced surf of 15 to 30 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, and along the north-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai; 10 to 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and the Big Island of Hawaii; and 15 to 25 feet along the north-facing shores of Maui. There were no reports of serious injuries or…
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
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 powerful low far northwest of Hawaii produced surf of 15 to 30 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, and along the north-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai; 10 to 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and the Big Island of Hawaii; and 15 to 25 feet along the north-facing shores of Maui. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.
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 Feb 9, 8:30 PM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 8:30 PM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 830 PM HST TUE FEB 9 2010 .SYNOPSIS... MODERATE TRADE WINDS AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY. A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL BRING A FEW SHOWERS TO KAUAI AND OAHU BY LATE WEDNESDAY AS IT DISSIPATES. THE TRADES WILL FRESHEN FROM THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY...AND THEN DIMINISH SLIGHTLY INTO THE WEEKEND. && .DISCUSSION... OBSERVATIONS ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS REPORTED LIGHT TO MODERATE TRADE WINDS...AND STILL VIRTUALLY NO RAIN. ALOFT...RIDGING STRENGTHENED THROUGH A DEEP LAYER FROM THE WEST...PROVIDING AMPLE SUBSIDENCE...AS SHOWN BY THE LOW INVERSION BASE IN LOCAL SOUNDINGS. MOISTURE CONTENT THROUGH THE MIXED LAYER APPROACHED THE LOWER LIMIT OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE FOR A TROPICAL MARITIME AIR MASS. DRY TRADES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT...WHEN THE NEXT FRONT WILL APPROACH THE STATE FROM THE NORTHWEST. ALTHOUGH GUIDANCE PREDICTS THIS FEATURE TO REACH FAR ENOUGH SOUTH TO BRUSH THE ISLANDS AS IT PASSES...THE ACCOMPANYING TROUGH ALOFT WILL MAKE ONLY A SMALL DENT IN THE PREVAILING RIDGE. WITHOUT ADEQUATE SUPPORT...THE FRONT NEAR THE SURFACE LIKELY WILL STALL OUT EVEN BEFORE REACHING KAUAI. INDEED...ITS MAIN LOCAL EFFECTS MAY BE LIMITED TO WEAKENING THE TRADES BRIEFLY BEFORE IT ARRIVES...AND PROVIDING A LITTLE EXTRA MOISTURE FOR TRADE-WIND SHOWERS FROM WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY AFTER IT DISINTEGRATES. THE TRADE WINDS WILL INCREASE SOMEWHAT FROM WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY AS THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE RECOVERS...BUT THEN WILL WEAKEN AGAIN BY LATE FRIDAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT FRONT. MOST SOLUTIONS STILL PORTRAY THIS FEATURE AS BEING EVEN LESS IMPRESSIVE THAN THE ONE DUE EARLIER IN THE WEEK...SO DRY TRADE WINDS LIKELY WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE COMING WEEKEND...ALBEIT AT SLIGHTLY LOWER SPEEDS. GUIDANCE STARTS TO DISAGREE MORE BY MONDAY. SOME SOLUTIONS WEAR AWAY THE RIDGE ALOFT OVER THE ISLANDS...WHILE OTHERS BRING A STRONGER MID-LEVEL TROUGH AS A DISTINCT FEATURE. IN ANY CASE...IT LOOKS LIKE A FRONT APPROACHING THE STATE EARLY NEXT WEEK MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE MORE SUPPORT ALOFT...AND SO MAY ACTUALLY PRODUCE A BIT OF RAIN. && .MARINE... A NORTHWEST SWELL GENERATED BY A LARGE AND INTENSE STORM SYSTEM FAR NORTHWEST OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL BRING SURF HEIGHTS TO WARNING LEVELS FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY...BEFORE LOWERING TO ADVISORY LEVELS ON FRIDAY. A REINFORCING SMALLER NORTHWEST SWELL EXPECTED TO COME IN ON SATURDAY WILL MAINTAIN ADVISORY-LEVEL SURF INTO THE WEEKEND. A SOUTH SWELL WILL ARRIVE ON WEDNESDAY AND PEAK LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING ALONG SOUTH-FACING SHORES. THE SURF FROM THIS SWELL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REACH THE 8-FOOT HIGH SURF ADVISORY THRESHOLD FOR SOUTH-FACING SHORES. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 6 PM HST 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 UNTIL 6 PM HST THURSDAY 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-BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS. && RYSHKO
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
13 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Kauai Windward
- When
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kauai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kauai Leeward
- When
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 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
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 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
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 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
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu Koolau forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Molokai Windward
- When
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Molokai Leeward
- When
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Leeward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Maui Windward West
- When
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 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
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 PM HST
- Where
- Maui Central Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Windward Haleakala
- When
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 PM HST
- Where
- Windward Haleakala forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kona
- When
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 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, Kohala
- When
- February 9, 10:00 PM HST to February 14, 4:00 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
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Delaware, February 9 to 11, 2010
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, February 9 to 11, 2010
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in New Jersey, February 9 to 11, 2010
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 9 to 10, 2010
- Winter Storm in Ohio, February 9 to 10, 2010
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Maryland, February 9 to 10, 2010
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, February 9 to 10, 2010
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Virginia, February 9 to 11, 2010
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 9 to 11, 2010
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Kentucky, February 9 to 10, 2010
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Virginia, February 9 to 11, 2010
- Winter Weather in Virginia, February 9 to 10, 2010
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 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: 209861, 209874, 209875, 209876, 209877, 209878, 209879, 209880, 209881, 209882, 209883, 209884, 209885.