High Surf in Hawaii, November 10 to 14, 2014

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, November 10 to 14, 2014
Start: 2014-11-10T22:00
End: 2014-11-14T18:00
Location: Hawaii

November 10 to 14, 2014 · NWS HFO · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

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: 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.

A swell from a powerful low off the Kamchatka Peninsula generated surf of 20 to 30 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, and along the north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai, and the north-facing shores of the Big Island; and 8 to 12 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island. Lifeguards on Oahu rescued 16 individuals from north and west shore beaches, and made more than 3500 warnings and preventative actions during the day on the 11th. However, no significant injuries or property damage 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 Nov 10, 8:30 PM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 10, 8:30 PM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST MON NOV 10 2014

.SYNOPSIS...
A FRONT WILL SPREAD SHOWERS OVER KAUAI BY TUESDAY NIGHT...BUT THEN
STALL NEAR OAHU ON WEDNESDAY. MOIST AIR FROM THE DEEP TROPICS WILL
BRING LESS ORGANIZED SHOWERS TO THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI COUNTY...BUT
OTHERWISE CONDITIONS WILL BE DRY WITH LIGHT WINDS. A SECOND FRONT
WILL CARRY THE OLD ONE SOUTH TO NEAR THE BIG ISLAND FROM FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY...PRODUCING MORE SIGNIFICANT RAIN FOR MOST OF THE STATE.
COOL AND MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS WILL RETURN BY EARLY NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
OBSERVATIONS AROUND THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS REPORTED GENERALLY
LIGHT WINDS. MORE SIGNIFICANTLY...A FRONT APPROACHED THE STATE
GRADUALLY FROM THE NORTH...ON TRACK FOR REACHING KAUAI BY LATE
TUESDAY MORNING.

AHEAD OF THE FRONT...BROAD FIELDS OF STRATOCUMULI PREVAILED OVER
KAUAI COUNTY...AND STRATUS AROUND THE BIG ISLAND. THESE BENIGN
CLOUDS FORMED AND DISSIPATED RAPIDLY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF
ATMOSPHERIC GRAVITY WAVES...AND SHOULD BEGIN A CLEARING TREND INTO
THE FIRST HALF OF THE NIGHT.

IN THE MID-TERM...GUIDANCE BROADLY AGREED THAT THE FRONT WILL STALL
OVER OAHU OR THE KAUAI CHANNEL FROM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.
IRONICALLY...THE REST OF THE STATE MAY EXPERIENCE MORE RAIN AS
SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE FRONT BRINGS UP A SURGE OF WATER VAPOR
FROM THE DEEP TROPICS. THE RESULTING DISORGANIZED SHOWERS WILL WORK
THEIR WAY NORTH FROM THE BIG ISLAND TO THE REST OF THE STATE FROM
WEDNESDAY INTO FRIDAY.

BY FRIDAY...SOLUTIONS PREDICTED THE BROAD BUT SHALLOW MID-LEVEL
TROUGHING TO THE NORTH TO DEEPEN SHARPLY...FINALLY PROVIDING DYNAMIC
SUPPORT FOR THE STAGNANT FRONT. ALSO...A SECOND FRONT APPROACHING AT
THE SURFACE MAY REINFORCE THE OLD BOUNDARY. IN ANY CASE...THE
STRONGER PUSH THROUGH MOST OF THE ATMOSPHERE FINALLY SHOULD CARRY
THE FRONTS OVER OAHU AND INTO MAUI COUNTY FROM FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY. DEEP MOISTURE LINGERING OVER THE SOUTH HALF OF THE STATE
WILL PROVIDE ADEQUATE FUEL FOR PRECIPITATION...SO LOCAL ACCUMULATION
MAY BE SUBSTANTIAL...DEPENDING ON HOW WELL THE FRONT OR FRONTS HOLD
TOGETHER TO PROVIDE LOW-LEVEL FORCING. COOLER...DRIER CONDITIONS
WILL PREVAIL IN THE POST-FRONTAL AIR MASS BY EARLY NEXT WEEK.

&&

.MARINE...
A LARGE...LONG-PERIOD NORTHWEST SWELL WILL ARRIVE THIS EVENING...
BRINGING WARNING-LEVEL SURF TO NORTH- AND WEST-FACING SHORES OF
NIIHAU...KAUAI...OAHU...AND MOLOKAI...AND ALSO TO NORTH-FACING
SHORES OF MAUI. THE SURF IS EXPECTED TO REACH ADVISORY LEVELS ALONG
NORTH-FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND. THE SWELL IS EXPECTED TO PEAK
TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...AND THEN TO LOWER GRADUALLY THROUGH THE
REST OF THE WEEK. THE WARNING AND ADVISORY ARE IN EFFECT THROUGH 6
AM WEDNESDAY...BUT MAY REQUIRE EXTENSION DEPENDING ON HOW EVENTS
UNFOLD.

THE LARGE SWELL ALSO WILL BUILD SEAS IN EXCESS OF 10 FT...SO A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY /SCA/ CONTINUED THROUGH 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY FOR WATERS
EXPOSED TO THE SWELL. AS WITH THE SURF PRODUCTS...THE SCA MAY
REQUIRE EXTENSION.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY FOR NIIHAU-KAUAI-
WAIANAE COAST-OAHU NORTH SHORE-OAHU KOOLAU-MOLOKAI-MAUI WINDWARD
WEST-MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY-WINDWARD HALEAKALA.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY FOR BIG ISLAND NORTH
AND EAST.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY FOR KAUAI
NORTHWEST WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS-KAUAI LEEWARD WATERS-
KAUAI CHANNEL-OAHU WINDWARD WATERS-KAIWI CHANNEL-MAUI COUNTY
WINDWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND WINDWARD WATERS.

&&

RYSHKO

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: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 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: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 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: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 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: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 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: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 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: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 14, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: November 10, 10:00 PM HST to November 13, 2:00 AM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: November 12, 7:00 AM HST to November 13, 2:00 AM HST
Where: Kona forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, November 2014

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: 544856, 544857, 544858, 544859, 544860, 544861, 544862, 544863, 544864, 544865, 544866, 544869, 544868.