High Surf in Hawaii, February 1 to 2, 2013

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, February 1 to 2, 2013
Start: 2013-02-01T01:00
End: 2013-02-02T01:00
Location: Hawaii

February 1 to 2, 2013 · NWS HFO · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

A swell from a powerful low far northwest of the islands generated surf of 15 to 30 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, and the north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai; and 6 to 10 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious injuries or property damage were reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: 13

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 31, 8:30 PM HST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 8:30 PM HST, 4 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST THU JAN 31 2013

.SYNOPSIS...
WINDWARD SHOWERS WILL PERSIST OVER MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND
OVERNIGHT...BUT SHOWER INTENSITY SHOULD DECREASE. TRADES WILL SPREAD
ACROSS THE ISLANDS FRIDAY...AND REMAIN IN PLACE FOR MUCH OF
SATURDAY. EXPECT THE WINDS TO WEAKEN AGAIN LATE SATURDAY...ALLOWING
LAND AND SEA BREEZES TO FINISH THE WEEKEND. TRADES ARE EXPECTED TO
BUILD BACK IN ON MONDAY...WITH TYPICAL TRADE WINDS SHOWERS FAVORING
WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
SHOWERS PERSIST OVER THE WINDWARD AREAS OF MAUI...AND THE WINDWARD
SLOPES OF THE KOHALA MOUNTAINS ON THE BIG ISLAND. THESE SHOWERS ARE
CONTINUING TO MOVE AT A BRISK PACE OVER THE AREA. WITH LIMITED
MOISTURE UPSTREAM OF THE ISLANDS...ANTICIPATE THE SHOWER INTENSITIES
TO DECREASE AS THE NIGHT WEARS ON.

LOW CLOUD MOTION NEAR THE ISLANDS AND THE OBSERVATIONS FROM AROUND
THE STATE SHOW TRADE WINDS HAVE SET UP ACROSS THE ISLAND...AND THE
TRADES SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF SATURDAY AS THE HIGH PRESSURE
NORTH OF THE ISLANDS MOVES TO THE EAST. BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON...THE
HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL BECOME DISRUPTED BY A COLD FRONT NORTHWEST
OF THE ISLANDS. THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE FRONT WILL
REMAIN NORTH OF THE ISLANDS...AND BE QUICKLY REPLACED BY THE NEXT
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN NORTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS. AS SUCH...WINDS
WILL BRIEFLY WEAKEN LATE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THIS WILL LEAD TO SOME
LOCAL LAND AND SEA BREEZES TO END THE WEEKEND.

LIMITED TRADE WINDS SHOWERS ARE ANTICIPATED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS
THERE IS LIMITED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE UPSTREAM OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS. SOME LEFT OVER MOISTURE FROM THE TROUGH THAT PASSED THROUGH
THE ISLANDS EARLIER IN THE WEEK IS EXPECTED TO PASS SOUTH OF THE BIG
ISLAND THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

AS THE TRADES BRIEFLY SHUT DOWN...LOOK FOR CLOUDS TO FORM OVER THE
INTERIOR OF THE ISLANDS SUNDAY AFTERNOON...BUT CLEAR OUT SUNDAY
NIGHT. BY MONDAY MORNING...THE GFS AND ECMWF HAVE THE NEW 1030 MB
HIGH NEAR 30 NORTH...NORTH OF THE ISLANDS...AND SLOWS ITS EASTWARD
MOVEMENT. WITH THE SLOWING OF THE EASTWARD MOVEMENT...THE HIGH WILL
REMAIN THE DOMINANT FEATURE FOR MOST OF THE WEEK.

THE GFS BRINGS THE SOUTHERN END OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT NEAR THE
ISLANDS NEXT FRIDAY...AND THIS IS WHERE THE ECMWF AND GFS START TO
DIVERGE IN THEIR HANDLING OF THE WEATHER SITUATION. STILL HAVE
SEVERAL RUNS TO SEE HOW THE SITUATION PANS OUT.

&&

.MARINE...
A LONG PERIOD NW SWELL IS CURRENTLY BUILDING ACROSS HAWAIIAN
WATERS...WITH THE RESULTANT SURF EXPECTED TO EXCEED WARNING LEVEL
HEIGHTS ALONG N AND W FACING SHORES OF MANY ISLANDS OVERNIGHT AND
FRIDAY. THE SWELL IS EXPECTED TO PEAK EARLY FRIDAY BEFORE DROPPING
RATHER QUICKLY BY LATE FRIDAY. THIS SWELL WILL ALSO RESULT IN SURF
EXCEEDING ADVISORY LEVELS ALONG W FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND.

THE SWELL WILL ALSO BRING SEAS IN EXCESS OF 10 FEET...WHICH HAS
PROMPTED THE ISSUANCE OF A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY /SCA/ FOR ALL
HAWAIIAN WATERS EXCEPT MAALAEA BAY. TRADE WINDS INCREASING ON
FRIDAY WILL LEAD TO WIND SPEEDS NEAR 25 KT IN THE WINDIER ZONES
AROUND MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND ON FRIDAY...AND MAALAEA BAY WILL JOIN
THE SCA EARLY FRIDAY. WITH WINDS AND SEAS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH OVER
THE WEEKEND...SCA CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED UNTIL EARLY NEXT
WEEK...WHEN TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE.

&&

.AVIATION...
LOW CLOUDS AND SHOWERS CONTINUE TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF MAUI COUNTY
AND THE BIG ISLAND EARLY THIS EVENING. OCCASIONAL MVFR CEILINGS AND
VISIBILITIES IN SHOWERS WILL BE FOCUSED MAINLY ALONG WINDWARD FACING
SLOPES THIS EVENING. AS A RESULT...AIRMET SIERRA FOR MOUNTAIN
OBSCURATION ON MAUI AND MOLOKAI IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THIS
EVENING. THE AIRMET FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION ALONG THE WINDWARD BIG
ISLAND MAY ALSO NEED TO BE EXTENDED BEYOND 0800 UTC. CONDITIONS WILL
LIKELY IMPROVE LATER TONIGHT OR EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AS THESE LOW
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS EVENTUALLY PUSH WEST AND SOUTHWEST OF THE STATE.

HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING NORTH OF THE STATE HAS ALREADY INCREASED
WINDS ACROSS THE ISLANDS. SURFACE WIND OBSERVATIONS AND THE VAD WIND
PROFILES ARE ALREADY SHOWING STRONGER LOW-LEVEL NORTHEASTERLY
WINDS...SO AIRMET TANGO FOR TEMPO MODERATE TURBULENCE IN THE AIR
SPACE BELOW 8 KFT LEEWARD OF THE MOUNTAINS ON ALL ISLANDS WAS
ISSUED EARLIER THIS EVENING. THIS AIRMET WILL LIKELY CONTINUE
THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 6 PM HST FRIDAY FOR THE NORTH AND WEST
FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU KAUAI OAHU AND MOLOKAI...AND THE NORTH
FACING SHORES OF MAUI.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM FRIDAY FOR WEST FACING SHORES OF THE
BIG ISLAND.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST FRIDAY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN
WATERS...EXCEPT MAALAEA BAY.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 6 PM HST FRIDAY FOR MAALAEA
BAY.

&&

DISCUSSION/MARINE...M BALLARD
AVIATION...HOUSTON
MBALLARD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 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 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM 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: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM 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: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 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 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 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 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM 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: February 1, 1:00 AM HST to February 2, 1:00 AM 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 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, February 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: 429995, 429996, 429997, 429998, 429999, 430000, 430001, 430002, 430003, 430004, 430005, 430006, 430007.