High Surf in Hawaii, January 2 to 7, 2011

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, January 2 to 7, 2011
Start: 2011-01-02T02:00
End: 2011-01-07T21:00
Location: Hawaii

January 2 to 7, 2011 · NWS HFO · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 14

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 series of swells from a powerful low far northwest of the Hawaiian Islands generated surf of 15 to 25 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai; 10 to 20 feet along the north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; and 10 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lanai, and the Big Island of Hawaii. County officials on the Big Island reported beach closures from Magic Sands to Mahukona on the 6th of January because of high surf. However, there were no reports of serious property damage or injuries across the Aloha State with all these events.

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 1, 8:26 PM HST, 5 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 1, 8:26 PM HST, 5 hours 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
826 PM HST SAT JAN 1 2011

.SYNOPSIS...
LIGHT TRADE WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN ON SUNDAY...AND WILL FOCUS THEIR
LIMITED MOISTURE OVER WINDWARD SLOPES AND COASTS. AN UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH AND LOW WEST OF KAUAI WILL BRING PERIODS OF HIGH CLOUDS
THROUGH SUNDAY...BUT LITTLE INSTABILITY. HIGH CLOUDS WILL CLEAR THE
ISLANDS BY MONDAY...AND QUIET TRADE WIND WEATHER WILL PREVAIL FROM
MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A SHEAR LINE IS EXPECTED TO BRING A BRIEF
PERIOD OF INCREASED WINDWARD SHOWERS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY.
COOL NORTHEAST WINDS WILL FOLLOW THE SHEAR LINE...BUT WINDS WILL
VEER TO A WARMER SOUTHEAST DIRECTION BY NEXT WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A POSITIVELY-TILTED UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WITH A CLOSED LOW AT THE
BASE IS POSITIONED ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTHWEST OF KAUAI. THE LIHUE
SOUNDING FROM EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON SHOWS THIS UPPER LOW CREATING
A LOT OF INSTABILITY ALOFT...MAINLY 11 KFT AND ABOVE...DUE TO COLD
AIRMASS BROUGHT OVER THE STATE AT THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS OF THE
ATMOSPHERE. WHILE THE INSTABILITY IS THERE... IT REMAINS ISOLATED
FROM SURFACE-BASED PARCELS DUE TO A WEAK CAPPING INVERSION AT 7
KFT. THIS INVERSION IS ONE FACTOR PREVENTING CONVECTION FROM
DEVELOPING. ANOTHER REASON IS THAT PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE
CURRENTLY AROUND 1.05 INCHES WHICH IS BELOW NORMAL AND MOST OF
THIS MOISTURE IS TRAPPED BELOW THE INVERSION LEVEL SEPARATED FROM
THE UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT.

THE UPPER LOW IS EXPECTED TO DIG SOUTH THROUGH MONDAY AS AN UPPER
RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE STATE FROM THE NORTHWEST MONDAY INTO
TUESDAY. CIRRUS CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW CURRENTLY ACROSS
KAUAI TONIGHT SHOULD BEGIN TO DRAG SOUTH AWAY FROM THE STATE BY
SUNDAY.

AT THE SURFACE...A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH NEAR KAUAI WILL DISSIPATE
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND ALLOW TRADE WINDS TO GRADUALLY
STRENGTHEN SUNDAY...AND INTO MONDAY. THE TRADES WILL BE SUPPORTED
BY 1028 MB HIGH CENTERED WELL NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS. THIS HIGH WILL
MOVE SLOWLY EAST FROM MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...SUPPLYING MODERATE
TO LOCALLY FRESH TRADE WINDS. LATEST GUIDANCE INDICATES A SHEAR
LINE MOVING OVER THE ISLANDS FROM THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
THURSDAY WITH MARGINAL SUPPORT ALOFT...BRINGING A BRIEF PERIOD OF
INCREASED WINDWARD SHOWERS...AND COOL NORTHEAST WINDS. THE
MODERATE NORTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AND VEER TO THE
EAST...AND THEN SOUTHEAST...BY NEXT WEEKEND.

THE BUILDING TRADE WINDS WILL FOCUS CLOUDS AND LIMITED SHOWERS
OVER WINDWARD COASTS AND SLOPES TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. DEEP LAYER
RIDGING BUILDING OVER AND NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL BRING INCREASING
STABILITY SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AND RATHER BENIGN TRADE WIND
CONDITIONS...UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SHEAR LINE
LATER IN THE WEEK.

WINDS OVER THE SUMMITS OF THE BIG ISLAND AND ACROSS MOUNT HALEAKALA
ON MAUI ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE STARTING SUNDAY NIGHT DUE TO THE
BUILDING UPPER RIDGE...POSSIBLY EXCEEDING ADVISORY THRESHOLDS.

&&

.MARINE...
A LARGE...LONG-PERIOD WEST-NORTHWEST SWELL WILL BUILD TONIGHT AND
PEAK SUNDAY...WITH MAXIMUM SURF HEIGHTS APPROACHING WARNING LEVELS
ALONG NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES. SHADOWING OF THE SWELL BY
KAUAI LOWERS CONFIDENCE IN WARNING LEVEL SURF OVER THE ISLANDS
FROM OAHU TO MAUI...BUT THIS SWELL IS EXPECTED TO BRING WARNING
LEVEL SURF TO WEST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND...WITH THE PEAK
THERE OCCURRING SUNDAY NIGHT. A COASTAL FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN
IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THIS SWELL AND WAVE FORERUNNERS
HAVE SHOWN UP AT BUOY 51101 THIS EVENING. THE SWELL WILL GRADUALLY
DIMINISH ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...BUT ANOTHER SIMILARLY SIZED
WNW SWELL WILL BUILD TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH PEAK SURF
HEIGHTS ONCE AGAIN NEAR WARNING LEVELS.

THE ANTICIPATED WNW SWELL WILL LEAD TO COMBINED SEAS IN EXCESS OF
10 FEET...WHICH IS THE LOCAL THRESHOLD FOR THE ISSUANCE OF A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY /SCA/. STRENGTHENING TRADE WINDS SUNDAY AND MONDAY
WILL LIKELY REACH SCA THRESHOLD IN THE TYPICALLY WINDY AREAS
ADJACENT TO MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM HST MONDAY
FOR WAIANAE COAST-OAHU NORTH SHORE-OAHU KOOLAU-WAIANAE MOUNTAINS-
MOLOKAI-LANAI MAKAI-MAUI WINDWARD WEST-MAUI LEEWARD WEST-
WINDWARD HALEAKALA.

HIGH SURF WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM HST MONDAY FOR
NIIHAU-KAUAI WINDWARD-KAUAI LEEWARD.

HIGH SURF WARNING FROM NOON SUNDAY TO 6 PM HST MONDAY FOR KONA-
KOHALA.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 4 AM SUNDAY TO 4 PM HST MONDAY FOR
KAIWI CHANNEL-MAUI COUNTY WINDWARD WATERS-MAUI COUNTY LEEWARD
WATERS-PAILOLO CHANNEL-ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM HST MONDAY
FOR KAUAI NORTHWEST WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS-KAUAI LEEWARD
WATERS-KAUAI CHANNEL-OAHU WINDWARD WATERS-OAHU LEEWARD WATERS.

&&

FOSTER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 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 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 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 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 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 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 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 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Lanai Makai

When: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 PM HST
Where: Lanai Makai forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 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: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 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, Windward Haleakala

When: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 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: January 2, 2:00 AM HST to January 7, 9:00 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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, January 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: 274090, 274091, 274092, 274093, 274094, 274095, 274096, 274097, 274098, 274099, 274100, 274101, 274102, 274103.