High Surf, Niihau
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 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, June 4 to 6, 2013
A long period swell from the southern hemisphere generated surf of 6 to 12 feet along the south-facing shores of all the main Hawaiian Islands. In a few instances, water from the high surf flowed over adjacent roads and deposited sand and other debris.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 16
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 long period swell from the southern hemisphere generated surf of 6 to 12 feet along the south-facing shores of all the main Hawaiian Islands. In a few instances, water from the high surf flowed over adjacent roads and deposited sand and other debris.
Lifeguards were busy throughout the episode, rescuing more than 100 surfers and swimmers, and issuing several hundreds of warnings. One surfer died from injuries suffered at Ala Moana Bowls on Oahu on June 6th, while another male on the same day on Oahu sustained serious injuries while surfing at Sandy Beach. There were no reports of serious property damage.
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 Jun 4, 11:16 AM HST, 44 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 4, 11:16 AM HST, 44 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 1116 AM HST TUE JUN 4 2013 .UPDATE... EXTENDED THE WIND ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE SUMMITS OF HALEAKALA AND BIG ISLAND. && .SYNOPSIS... GUSTY TRADE WINDS CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEK AS STABLE LOW CLOUDS BRING MISTY SHOWERS TO WINDWARD SLOPES. SHOWERS WILL SLOWLY INCREASE TOWARD THE WEEKEND AS MOISTURE LEVELS GRADUALLY RISE. && .DISCUSSION... A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE REMAINS ENTRENCHED NORTH OF THE ISLANDS... CONTINUING GUSTY TRADE WINDS OVER THE ALOHA STATE. THE CLOUD FIELD UPSTREAM OF THE ISLANDS IS VERY STABLE WITH LOW TOPPED STRATOCUMULUS PUSHING INTO WINDWARD SLOPES. SOME MISTY SHOWERS CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS BUT RAINFALL AMOUNTS REMAIN VERY LOW. SOME OF THE STRATOCU FIELD WILL BURN OFF DURING THE DAY...LIGHTENING WINDWARD SKIES...ONLY TO REFORM OVERNIGHT. THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH DRY...STABLE AIR FROM THE EAST MOVING OVER THE STATE. MOISTURE LEVELS WILL INCREASE BY THE WEEKEND AND WINDWARD SHOWERS WILL INCREASE IN KIND. HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS FAR NORTHEAST OF THE AREA THOUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. WINDS WILL FLUCTUATE A BIT THIS WEEK AS A FRONT NEAR THE DATELINE TRIES IN VAIN TO PUSH INTO THE AREA...BUT ALL AND ALL...GUSTY TRADES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SUMMITS WINDS ON HALEAKALA AND THE BIG ISLAND CONTINUE TO FLUCTUATE ABOVE AND BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS AND THE WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT. THE SAME RIDGE TO THE NORTH RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GUSTY TRADE WINDS EXTENDS UPWARD TO THE SUMMIT LEVEL...BRINGING THE STRONGER WINDS. && .AVIATION... AIRMET TANGO FOR LOW LEVEL TURB LEE OF THE ISLANDS DUE TO STRONG TRADE WINDS. VFR COND WILL PREVAIL WITH ISOL MVFR ALONG WINDWARD COASTS AND MTN SLOPES. && .MARINE... GUSTY TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN THE WINDIER WATERS AROUND THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI COUNTY THROUGH THE WEEK. A STEEP TRADE WIND SWELL WILL KEEP SURF ALONG EAST- FACING SHORES ROUGH THROUGH THE WEEK...BUT HEIGHTS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS. AN INCREASING LONG-PERIOD SOUTH SWELL WILL BRING SURF HEIGHTS ABOVE ADVISORY LEVELS LATER TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS SWELL ALSO MAY PRODUCE HARBOR SURGES IN SOME SOUTH-FACING HARBORS...SO A MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT ADDRESSES THIS CONCERN. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST THURSDAY FOR NIIHAU-KAUAI WINDWARD-KAUAI LEEWARD-OAHU SOUTH SHORE-WAIANAE COAST-MOLOKAI- LANAI MAKAI-KAHOOLAWE-MAUI LEEWARD WEST-MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY- LEEWARD HALEAKALA-KONA-SOUTH BIG ISLAND-BIG ISLAND NORTH AND EAST-KOHALA. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY FOR HALEAKALA SUMMIT-BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST WEDNESDAY FOR MAALAEA BAY- PAILOLO CHANNEL-ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL-BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS. && MORRISON...PUBLIC AND MARINE KINEL...AVIATION
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
16 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Kauai Windward
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kauai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kauai Leeward
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 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, Oahu South Shore
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu South Shore forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Waianae Coast
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 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, Molokai Windward
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Molokai Leeward
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Leeward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Lanai Makai
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Lanai Makai forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kahoolawe
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kahoolawe 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
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 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, Maui Central Valley
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Maui Central Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Leeward Haleakala
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Leeward Haleakala forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kona
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 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, South Big Island
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- South Big Island forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Big Island North and East
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Big Island North and East forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kohala
- When
- June 4, 12:00 PM HST to June 6, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kohala forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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, Oahu South Shore | 2013-06-06 | 55 | 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.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado and Hail in South Carolina, June 4, 2013
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, June 4 to 5, 2013
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, June 4, 2013
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Georgia, June 4, 2013
- Flood in Alaska, June 4 to 6, 2013
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, June 4, 2013
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, June 4 to 5, 2013
- Hail in Texas, June 4 to 5, 2013
- Heavy Rain in Florida, June 4 to 7, 2013
- Flooding in Montana, June 4 to 18, 2013
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Colorado, June 4, 2013
- Flooding in South Carolina, June 4 to 5, 2013
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, June 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: 451418, 451419, 451420, 451422, 451423, 451424, 451425, 451426, 451427, 451428, 451429, 451430, 451431, 451432, 451433, 451434.