High Surf in Hawaii, February 11 to 14, 2011

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, February 11 to 14, 2011
Start: 2011-02-11T23:00
End: 2011-02-14T02:00
Location: Hawaii

February 11 to 14, 2011 · NWS HFO · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Swells from distant and nearby lows north of the islands generated surf of 10 to 15 feet along the north-facing shores, and 6 to 10 feet along the east-facing shores, of Niihau, 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; 4 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 Feb 11, 8:30 PM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 8:30 PM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST FRI FEB 11 2011

.SYNOPSIS...
MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A STALLED AND DISSIPATING FRONT WILL BRING
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS TO MOST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THIS
WEEKEND...AFFECTING MAINLY WINDWARD AND MAUKA SECTIONS. TRADE WINDS
WILL RETURN BRIEFLY TO THE ISLANDS AS WELL. THE LINGERING MOISTURE
WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS EARLY NEXT WEEK...AS SOUTHEAST FLOW
DEVELOPS. DRIER AND POTENTIALLY HAZY WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR EARLY
NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
MOISTURE FROM A STALLED AND DISSIPATING FRONT CONTINUE TO AFFECT
MAUI COUNTY THIS EVENING. HEAVIER SHOWERS THAT PAUSED BRIEFLY ALONG
WINDWARD WEST AND CENTRAL MAUI EARLIER THIS EVENING HAVE STARTED UP
ONCE AGAIN...PROMPTING THE ISSUANCE OF A FLOOD ADVISORY FOR THAT
AREA. WEATHER HAS QUIET DOWN QUITE A BIT FOR KAUAI AND OAHU...WITH
LIGHT TRADE WINDS RETURNING AS WELL. BIG ISLAND CONTINUES TO STAY
MOSTLY DRY AS NONE OF THE MOISTURE FROM THE DECAYING FRONT REACHING
THE AREA. LOOKS LIKE BIG ISLAND WILL BE IN THE FAIR WEATHER REST OF
TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...WHILE KAUAI AND OAHU WILL
SEE SHOWERS AFFECTING MAINLY WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN AREAS. MAUI
COUNTY WILL REMAIN AN AREA OF CONCERN...AS LINGERING MOISTURE WILL
CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SHOWERS...LOCALLY HEAVY AT TIMES.

THERE IS NOT MUCH CHANGE IN THINKING ABOUT THE WEATHER SCENARIO FOR
THE ISLANDS OVER THE WEEKEND AT THIS POINT. TRADE WINDS WILL BRIEFLY
RETURN TO THE ISLANDS BEHIND THE DECAYING FRONT WHILE MOISTURE
ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT MOST OF THE
ISLANDS. LATEST FORECAST CHARTS STILL KEEP MOST OF THE MOISTURE
NORTH OF THE BIG ISLAND OVER THE WEEKEND...WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH
WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. WIND SITUATION ACTUALLY GETS A LITTLE
TRICKY...AS THE STRONGEST TRADE WINDS ARE JUST NORTH OF THE ISLANDS.
THERE ARE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODELS UPON HOW FAR SOUTH THESE
STRONGER TRADE WINDS WILL ADVANCE SOUTHWARD OVER THE WEEKEND. AT
THIS POINT...LOOKS LIKE KAUAI AND OAHU MAY EXPERIENCE THE STRONGER
TRADE WINDS OVER THE WEEKEND...WHILE LIGHTER WINDS WILL CONTINUE
OVER MAUI COUNTY AS WELL AS THE BIG ISLAND. THUS LOOK FOR TRADE WIND
WEATHER TO RETURN TO THE NORTHERN ISLANDS...WITH CLOUDS AND SHOWERS
AFFECTING MAINLY WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN SECTIONS. THE SOUTHERN
ISLANDS MAY SEE HYBRID TRADE WIND AND CONVECTIVE WEATHER...WITH
MORE CLOUDS DEVELOPING DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. AIR MASS WILL
REMAIN MARGINALLY UNSTABLE OVER THE ISLANDS...THUS ISOLATED HEAVIER
SHOWERS MAY BE POSSIBLE UNDER THE MORE FAVORABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

WINDS ARE STILL EXPECTED TO SHIFT SOUTHEASTERLY OVER THE ISLANDS
ONCE AGAIN BY EARLY NEXT WEEK...AS COMPLEX LOW PRESSURE TROUGH WEST
OF THE ISLANDS DEVELOPS NORTHWARD. LINGERING MOISTURE OVER THE
ISLANDS SHOULD MOVE NORTH UNDER THE SOUTHERLY FLOW. A MORE
CONVECTIVE TYPE WEATHER SCENARIO IS EXPECTED OVER THE ISLANDS...WITH
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS DEVELOPING UNDER DAY TIME HEATING OVER THE
LAND...WHILE SOME CLEARING MAY OCCUR AT NIGHT. VOG MAY BECOME
WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE ISLAND CHAIN AS WELL UNDER THE SOUTHEASTERLY
WINDS. IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THERE WILL BE RELIEF SOON AS THE
SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH NEXT WEEK.

&&

.MARINE...
AN EXTENSIVE FETCH OF N-NE WINDS EXTENDING NE FROM THE ISLANDS WILL
BRING A GENERALLY SHORTER PERIOD NORTHERLY SWELL THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. THIS SWELL COMBINING WITH A NNE SWELL FROM A MORE DISTANT
SOURCE WILL PROVIDE ADVISORY LEVEL SURF FOR NORTH AND EAST FACING
SHORES...AS WELL AS ROUGH AND CHOPPY SEAS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS.

&&

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

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

&&

HUI

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 11, 5:27 PM HST, 5 hours 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
527 PM HST FRI FEB 11 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0455 PM     FLASH FLOOD      KIHEI                   20.76N 156.45W
02/11/2011                   MAUI               HI   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SOUTH KIHEI ROAD CLOSED DUE TO WATER FLOWING ACROSS
            ROADWAY.

&&

BIRCHARD

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: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 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: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Oahu North Shore

When: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 AM 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 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Olomana

When: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 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: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 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, Maui Central Valley

When: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 AM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 AM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: February 11, 11:00 PM HST to February 14, 2:00 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 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, February 2011

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: 277026, 277027, 277028, 277029, 277030, 277031, 277032, 277033, 277034, 277035, 277036.