High Surf, Niihau
- When
- March 9, 10:00 PM HST to March 10, 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 in Hawaii, March 9 to 10, 2011
A swell from a low far northwest of the Aloha State generated surf of 10 to 15 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai. No significant property damage or injuries were reported.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 3
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 low far northwest of the Aloha State generated surf of 10 to 15 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai. No significant property damage or injuries were reported.
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 Mar 9, 9:30 PM HST, 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 9:30 PM HST, 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 930 PM HST WED MAR 9 2011 .UPDATE... WE ARE EXPANDING THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TO INCLUDE THE WINDWARD OAHU WATERS BECAUSE OF THE RISING NORTHWEST SWELL. && .SYNOPSIS... A HIGH FAR NORTH OF THE AREA WILL KEEP LOCALLY BREEZY TRADE WINDS BLOWING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. A TROUGH ALOFT AND A BAND OF LOW CLOUDS WILL KEEP THE WEATHER RATHER SHOWERY...ESPECIALLY OVER KAUAI AND OAHU. HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE AREA WILL WEAKEN BY FRIDAY AND A RIDGE ALOFT WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST. THAT WILL BRING LIGHTER WINDS AND DRIER WEATHER THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... A 1027 MB HIGH ABOUT 600 MILES NORTH OF KAUAI WILL MOVE EAST SLOWLY AND PRODUCE LOCALLY BREEZY TRADE WINDS THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. A TROUGH ALOFT JUST NORTHWEST OF KAUAI WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST AND KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE A BIT UNSTABLE THROUGH THURSDAY. THE TRADE WINDS ARE CARRYING A BAND OF SHOWERY LOW CLOUDS OVER THE NORTHERN ISLANDS FROM KAUAI TO MOLOKAI...ESPECIALLY OVER OAHU. THE INSTABILITY FROM THE TROUGH ALOFT MAY BRING SOME LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS IN THIS BAND. THE GLOBAL MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING THE HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WEAKENING THURSDAY NIGHT. THE TRADE WINDS WILL SLACK OFF TO MODERATE LEVELS BY THE WEEKEND AND MAY BECOME GENTLE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. RIDGING ALOFT WILL BUILD EAST BEHIND THE TROUGH AND THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE ISLANDS WILL BECOME QUITE STABLE. RAINFALL SHOULD BE GENERALLY LIGHT OVER THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE MODELS ARE NOT IN SUCH CLOSE AGREEMENT LATER NEXT WEEK BUT THE GFS HAS BEEN SHOWING A LARGE AND STRONG SURFACE HIGH MOVING EASTWARD ALONG 35 DEGREES NORTH. THIS HIGH MAY PUSH A SHEAR LINE DOWN OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS AROUND WEDNESDAY WITH STRONG TRADE WINDS BEHIND THE SHEAR LINE. IF THE GFS IS CORRECT...THE TRADE WINDS COULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO REQUIRE WIND ADVISORIES OVER LAND AND GALE WARNINGS FOR THE CHANNELS. THIS IS STILL TOO FAR OFF TO BE TOO CONFIDENT ABOUT YET BUT WE WILL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON THIS SITUATION. && .AVIATION... AN EAST WEST CLOUD BAND STALLED IN THE TRADE WIND FLOW NEAR OAHU WILL PRODUCE MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION ON OAHU AND POSSIBLY NEIGHBORING ISLANDS OVERNIGHT. THIS BAND COULD ALSO PRODUCE SOME LOW VISIBILITIES IN HEAVY SHOWERS. AIRMET SIERRA CONTINUES FOR MT OBSC ON OAHU. VFR CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY FOR MOST TERMINALS TONIGHT... THOUGH THERE COULD BE OCCASIONAL MVFR CEILINGS. && .MARINE... A NORTHWEST SWELL WILL PEAK TONIGHT AND THURSDAY...PRODUCING HIGH SURF ON NIIHAU AND KAUAI. WE WILL BE WATCHING THE BUOYS OVERNIGHT TO SEE IF THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY NEEDS TO BE EXPANDED TO ANY OF THE OTHER ISLANDS. THE HIGH NORTH OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL KEEP THE PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE ISLANDS TIGHT ENOUGH TO PRODUCE WINDS ABOVE THE 25 KT SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...SCA...LEVEL OVER MANY AREAS. THE LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL MENTIONED ABOVE WILL ALSO PRODUCE COMBINED SEAS ABOVE THE 10 FOOT ADVISORY LEVEL IN SOME ZONES. THE WINDS AND SWELL WILL BOTH DIMINISH ON FRIDAY AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DROP THE SCA BY THE WEEKEND. A NEW NORTHWEST SWELL ARRIVING SUNDAY NIGHT IS LIKELY TO PRODUCE MORE SURF ABOVE THE ADVISORY LEVEL AND ANOTHER NORTHWEST SWELL ARRIVING TUESDAY MAY PRODUCE MORE ADVISORY-LEVEL SURF. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST THURSDAY FOR NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU AND KAUAI. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST THURSDAY FOR KAUAI NORTHWEST WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS-KAUAI CHANNEL-OAHU WINDWARD WATERS- KAIWI CHANNEL-MAALAEA BAY-PAILOLO CHANNEL-ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL-BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS. && DONALDSON
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Kauai Windward
- When
- March 9, 10:00 PM HST to March 10, 3:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kauai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kauai Leeward
- When
- March 9, 10:00 PM HST to March 10, 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)
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
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Alabama, March 9 to 10, 2011
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Mississippi, March 9, 2011
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Mississippi, March 9, 2011
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Alabama, March 9 to 12, 2011
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Georgia, March 9, 2011
- Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, March 9, 2011
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Georgia, March 9, 2011
- High Wind in Tennessee, March 9, 2011
- Strong Wind in Tennessee, March 9, 2011
- Winter Weather in Wisconsin, March 9, 2011
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Michigan, March 9, 2011
- High Wind in Wyoming, March 9 to 11, 2011
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 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: 282792, 282793, 282794.