High Surf in Guam, December 25, 2013

Name: High Surf in Guam, December 25, 2013
Start: 2013-12-25T12:00
End: 2013-12-25T19:00
Location: Guam

December 25, 2013 · NWS GUM · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A second Hazardous Surf and Strong Rip Current Event.

The toll

Deaths: 2
Injuries: 2
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 GUM wrote it up.

A second Hazardous Surf and Strong Rip Current Event.

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 Guam wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 24, 8:52 PM UTC, 5 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 24, 8:52 PM UTC, 5 hours 8 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TIYAN GU
652 AM CHST WED DEC 25 2013

.MARIANAS SYNOPSIS...
A SHEAR LINE PASSES TO THE SOUTH OF GUAM NEAR 12N. CONVECTION
ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHEAR LINE WAS COVERING THE SOUTHERNMOST 20
MILES OF THE GUAM MARINE ZONE. WATER VAPOR LOOP AND INITIAL GFS
200 MB WIND FIELDS SHOW A TUTT ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER THE FORECAST
ZONES. TRADE-WIND DISTURBANCES WERE NOTED TO THE EAST OF THE
FORECAST ZONES NEAR 155E AND 160E. A FEW CBS FIRED UP ALONG THE
SHEAR LINE TO THE SOUTH OF GUAM OVERNIGHT.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
FORECAST INVOLVED SEVERAL NEAR TERM ADJUSTMENTS. GFS INITIALIZED THE
SHEAR LINE THE BEST OF ALL THE MODELS...SO LEANED ON IT FOR SHORT
TERM GUIDANCE. HAVING SAID THIS...EVEN THE GFS WAS TOO FAR TO THE
NORTH ON THE 12Z POSITION OF THE SHEAR LINE...SO HAD TO EMPLOY
SATELLITE AND RADAR TRENDS IN THE SHORT TERM FORECAST. NARROWNESS OF
BAND OF CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHEAR LINE ON RADAR AND IN
SHORT TERM MODEL SOLUTIONS SUGGESTS SCATTERED SHOWER COVERAGE WILL
REMAIN LIMITED AS THE SHEAR LINE RETREATS NORTHWARD. ACCORDINGLY...
HAVE FORECASTED SCATTERED POPS TODAY FOR GUAM AND ROTA AND
SCATTERED POPS TONIGHT FOR TINIAN AND SAIPAN. ADDED SLIGHT CHANCE
THUNDER TO GUAM AND ROTA ZONES FOR TODAY ONLY...AS TUTT APPEARS TO
BE WEAKENING. AFTER TONIGHT...SHEAR LINE MOVES NORTH OF SAIPAN AND
WEAKENS. DRIER WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO RETURN DURING THE LATTER
HALF OF THE WEEK AS MODEL GUIDANCE CARRIES THE TRADE-WIND
DISTURBANCES CURRENTLY EAST OF THE MARIANAS TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST...
EVENTUALLY PASSING TO THE SOUTH OF GUAM.

&&

.MARINE...
MARINE SWELL GRIDS INITIALIZED WELL WITH THE LATEST BUOY READINGS.
COMBINED SEAS INITIALIZED IN THE 9 TO 11 FOOT RANGE. STILL
ANTICIPATE DROPPING THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY ON NORTH FACING REEFS
LATER TODAY AND THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ON FRIDAY. ANOTHER STRONG
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPING NEAR JAPAN WILL WEAKEN THE
SUBTROPICAL RIDGE TO THE NORTH OF THE MARIANAS AS THE WEEKEND
APPROACHES.

&&

.EASTERN MICRONESIA...
LATEST SCATTEROMETRY DATA INDICATES MODERATE TO STRONG WINDS
ACROSS EASTERN MICRONESIA. BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ON
MAJURO THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK ON
POHNPEI. WINDS WILL BE A LITTLE LIGHTER FARTHER SOUTH OVER
KOSRAE. CURRENT SATELLITE SHOWS SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW TSTMS
ASSOCIATED WITH A TRADE-WIND DISTURBANCE BETWEEN BUTARITARI AND
MAJURO. EXPECT THESE STORMS TO REMAIN SOUTH OF MAJURO AND
CONTINUE TO DRIFT WESTWARD TOWARD KOSRAE AND POHNPEI...DECREASING
IN OVERALL COVERAGE. AS THE SYSTEM ARRIVES OVER KOSRAE THURSDAY
AND OVER POHNPEI THURSDAY NIGHT...EXPECT ISOLATED TSTMS OVER
KOSRAE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AND OVER POHNPEI THURSDAY NIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY. DRY TRADE WINDS WILL MOVE IN FROM MAJURO...
WITH DRIER CONDITIONS SPREADING WESTWARD OVER KOSRAE BY FRIDAY AND
OVER POHNPEI BY SATURDAY.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR KOSRAE. CURRENT
ALTIMETRY DATA SHOWS SEAS OF 8 TO 9 FEET NEAR KOSRAE WHILE
TABULAR WAVE WATCH MODEL DATA SHOWS SEAS INCREASING TO AROUND 9
TO 10 FEET BY THE WEEKEND. THE CONDITIONS WILL NEED TO BE CLOSELY
MONITORED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS FOR POSSIBLE HIGHER SEAS THAN
THE CURRENT MODELS SUGGEST. SEAS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE
SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE HAZARDOUS SURF ON MAJURO OR POHNPEI...BUT
WIND WAVES AND SWELL PRODUCED BY A TRADE-WIND SURGE WILL MAINTAIN
ROUGH SEAS AT BOTH LOCATIONS.

&&

.WESTERN MICRONESIA...
THE SHEAR LINE THAT BROUGHT CONVECTION TO YAP AND KOROR TUESDAY
HAS DRIFTED NORTHWARD OVERNIGHT. EXPECT THIS ACTIVITY TO REMAIN
NORTH OF YAP...BUT IT WILL BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO ADD MENTION OF
SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS TO THE YAP FORECAST FOR TODAY. PLEASANT
CONDITIONS WILL DOMINATE ON YAP THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND ON KOROR
FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE TO THE NORTH
OF A NEAR-EQUATORIAL TROUGH IS APPROACHING CLOSE TO CHUUK THIS
MORNING. THE MAJORITY OF THE ACTIVITY WITH THE TROUGH WILL REMAIN
SOUTH OF WENO ISLAND. ISOLATED TSTMS ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE
CHUUK COASTAL WATERS THROUGH THE DAY UNTIL THE CONVERGENCE ZONE
WAVERS A LITTLE FARTHER SOUTH AND WEST TONIGHT. THIS WILL ALLOW
DRIER CONDITIONS TO MOVE IN OVER CHUUK FOR TONIGHT THROUGH THE END
OF THE WEEK. THE TROUGH WILL MOVE INTO THE REPUBLIC OF
PALAU...BRINGING A SMALL INCREASE IN CONVECTION TO KOROR LATE IN
THE WEEK THROUGH THE WEEKEND. LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE WILL DRIFT
CLOSER TO CHUUK AGAIN FOR THE WEEKEND...BRINGING AN INCREASED RISK
OF TSTMS DURING THE WEEKEND.

FRESH TO STRONG TRADE WINDS WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION FOR
THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AND MAINTAIN ROUGH SEAS ACROSS THE REPUBLIC
OF PALAU...AND IN YAP AND CHUUK STATES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

&&

.GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GU...HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CHST THIS EVENING FOR GUZ001>004.

MARIANAS WATERS...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CHST FRIDAY FOR
PMZ151>154.

&&

MCELROY/KLEESCHULTE

Event by event

1 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Guam

When: December 25, 12:00 PM GST to 7:00 PM GST
Where: Guam forecast zone
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Newspaper

At around 12:00pm, Wednesday, December 25, 2013, Katwin Dois (37) and Edward Sotam (40) arrived at the Jonestown Overlook in Tamuning with two other relatives|where they started drinking beer and vodka at the fishing area. Around 3:40 pm, Katwin fell off the right side of the cliff line onto a rock platform, rendering Katwin unconscious. The waves of the ocean swept him out to sea. Anso Sotam and Katner Dois jumped into the ocean towards the left side of the cliff line to help Katwin. A few minutes later, Edward Sotam jumped into the ocean by the white wash area, where the current was strong and Edward Sotam could not swim out from the white wash area, where the waves slammed Edward Sotam against the cliff line, rendering him (Edward) unconscious. | Anso and Katner were able to retrieve Katwin’s body, however they could not bring Katwin’s body to shore, due to the current was too strong for them, so they treaded water in the deeper portion of the ocean. Shortly thereafter, Anso swam to shore to call help. | The GPD Harbor Patrol Unit, The GFD’s Anchor #1, Rescue #1, Rescue #2, Rescue #3, Engine #3 and Medic #5 were activated and later arrived at scene. The GFD’s units were able to locate Edward Sotam and Edward Sotam was transported to the Navy Regional Medical Center (NRMC) for further medical treatment, where Edward Sotam was later pronounced dead at 5:22 pm. | At around 5:30 p.m., this date, GFD’s Units were able to locate the body of Katwin, which was later taken to Hagatna Boat Basin by the GPD Harbor Patrol Unit, where Katwin’s body was transported by GFD medic units to GMH for further medical treatment, where Katwin was pronounced dead on arrival at 6:30 p.m., this date. | |A High Surf Advisory was in effect.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
High Surf, Guam	2013-12-25	37	Male	In Water	Direct
High Surf, Guam	2013-12-25	40	Male	In Water	Direct

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.

Every storm in Guam in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Guam, December 2013

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: 491888.