High Surf in Hawaii, January 30 to 31, 2012

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, January 30 to 31, 2012
Start: 2012-01-30T06:00
End: 2012-01-31T23:00
Location: Hawaii

January 30 to 31, 2012 · NWS HFO · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Another swell from a strong low far northwest of the Aloha State produced surf of 15 to 25 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, and the north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; and 10 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai; and 5 to 8 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island. No serious property damage or injuries were reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 12

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 Jan 30, 4:00 AM HST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 4:00 AM HST, 2 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST MON JAN 30 2012

.SYNOPSIS...
A STRONG SURFACE HIGH FAR NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS WILL BRING BREEZY
TRADE WINDS TO THE STATE THROUGH TONIGHT. THE WINDS WILL WEAKEN
TUESDAY AS A FRONT APPROACHES THE ISLANDS FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS
FRONT MAY BRING WETTER WEATHER TO THE ISLANDS THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY...AND IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE SATURDAY. A SURFACE RIDGE
WILL MOVE OVER THE ISLANDS BY THE WEEKEND...BRINGING LIGHT WINDS AND
DRY WEATHER.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
LOW CLOUDS HAVE DECREASED A BIT IN OAHU VICINITY EARLY THIS
MORNING...THOUGH KAUAI IS SEEING THE BULK OF IT AT THIS TIME. THESE
CLOUDS DID PROVIDE SOME SHOWERS TO THE ISLANDS...WITH WINDWARD OAHU
SEEING THE MOST. RAINFALL TOTALS WERE AS HIGH AS A QUARTER OF AN
INCH FOR A COUPLE OF MOUNTAIN SITES ON OAHU. LATEST SATELLITE
IMAGERY STILL SHOWS SOME LOW CLOUDS JUST EAST OF THE ISLAND CHAIN AT
TIMES...AND THESE CLOUDS WILL AFFECT MAINLY WINDWARD AREAS THROUGH
THIS MORNING. MORNING LIHUE AND HILO SOUNDINGS REVEAL A PRETTY
MUCH TYPICAL TRADE WIND WEATHER PROFILE...WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
EXTENDING TO 6 TO 7 THOUSAND FEET UNDER A STABLE AIR MASS. A STRONG
HIGH PRESSURE FAR NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS IS PROVIDING BRISK TRADE
WINDS TO THE STATE. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG TRADE WINDS AS WELL AS
A STABLE AIR MASS WILL LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL OVER THE AREA.

THE CURRENT TRADE WIND WEATHER WILL PREVAIL FOR ONE MORE DAY.
LATEST FORECAST CHARTS CONTINUE TO SHOW A CHANGE OF WEATHER FOR THE
ISLANDS BEGINNING TUESDAY...AS A FRONT ADVANCES TOWARDS THE STATE
FROM THE NORTHWEST. AS THE FRONT PUSHES CLOSER TO THE ISLANDS...A
SURFACE RIDGE WILL SAG SOUTH NEAR THE STATE. THIS WILL LEAD TO THE
WEAKENING OF THE TRADE WINDS. THIS FRONT IS STILL EXPECTED TO WEAKEN
TO A SHEAR LINE AND ADVANCE TO NEAR THE ISLANDS AROUND THURSDAY.
INTERESTINGLY...LATEST FORECAST MODELS STILL HAVE DISAGREEMENT UPON
HOW FAR SOUTH THIS SHEAR LINE WILL REACH...WITH THE EUROPEAN MODEL
HAS IT OVER KAUAI THURSDAY...WHILE GFS KEEPS THIS SHEAR LINE A FEW
DEGREES NORTH OF KAUAI. HENCE...UNCERTAINTY IN THE FORECAST
CONTINUES WITH SUCH DIVERGED SOLUTIONS. ON THE OTHER HAND...BOTH
MODELS INDICATE SOME MOISTURE INCREASE IN THE ISLAND VICINITY. THUS
THE STATE MAY STILL SEE WETTER WEATHER ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

DRIER WEATHER WILL RETURN TO THE ISLANDS BY THE NEXT WEEKEND...AS A
HIGH SURFACE RIDGE STAYS NEAR THE ISLANDS. WINDS WILL ALSO BE
LIGHT...WITH LAND AND SEA BREEZES DEVELOPING.

&&

.FIRE WX...
RATHER DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TODAY OVER THE
ISLANDS...LIKELY BRINGING CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. A RED
FLAG WARNING CONTINUES THROUGH THIS EVENING.

&&

.MARINE...
READINGS FROM BUOY FAR NORTHWEST IN THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS
CONTINUE TO INCREASE...WITH LONG PERIOD SWELL HEIGHTS. THIS LARGE
NORTHWEST SWELL SHOULD REACH THE ISLANDS IN THE COMING HOURS. A HIGH
SURF WARNING AS WELL AS A HIGH SURF ADVISORY CONTINUE FROM 6 AM
TODAY FOR NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF MOST OF THE SMALLER
ISLANDS. STRONG TRADE WINDS AND THE LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL WILL
PRODUCE HAZARDOUS WINDS AND/OR SEAS ACROSS THE HAWAIIAN WATERS.
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL COASTAL WATERS.

&&

.AVIATION...
AN AIRMET FOR LOW LEVEL TURBULENCE OVER AND IMMEDIATE DOWNWIND OF
THE ISLANDS CONTINUES AS STRONG TRADE WINDS PERSIST.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS EVENING FOR THE DRIER DISTRICTS
OF ALL ISLANDS.

HIGH SURF WARNING FROM 6 AM TODAY TO 6 PM HST TUESDAY FOR
NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU AND KAUAI AND NORTH FACING
SHORES OF OAHU MOLOKAI AND MAUI.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TODAY TO 6 PM HST TUESDAY FOR
WEST FACING SHORES OF OAHU.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST TUESDAY FOR ALL WATERS.

WIND ADVISORY TILL NOON HST TODAY FOR THE SUMMITS OF HALEAKALA MAUNA
KEA AND MAUNA LOA.

&&

HUI

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: January 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 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 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: January 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 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 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 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 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 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 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: January 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: January 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: January 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 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: January 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: January 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: January 30, 6:00 AM HST to January 31, 11:00 PM HST
Where: Kona forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, January 2012

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: 357448, 357449, 357450, 357451, 357452, 357453, 357454, 357455, 357456, 357457, 357458, 357459.