High Surf in Hawaii, December 16 to 23, 2015

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, December 16 to 23, 2015
Start: 2015-12-16T09:00
End: 2015-12-23T12:00
Location: Hawaii

December 16 to 23, 2015 · NWS HFO · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A trade wind swell caused surf of 6 to 12 feet along the east-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious injuries or property damage were reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 trade wind swell caused surf of 6 to 12 feet along the east-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. No serious 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 Dec 16, 4:00 AM HST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 4:00 AM HST, 5 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST WED DEC 16 2015

.SYNOPSIS...
TRADE WINDS WILL BUILD IN SPEED RAPIDLY THROUGH FRIDAY...AND THEN
REMAIN STRONG INTO NEXT WEEK. CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL BE LIGHT AT
FIRST...AND LIMITED MAINLY TO WINDWARD SLOPES. BY LATE IN THE
WEEKEND...SHOWERS WILL INCREASE...AND DRIFT LEEWARD MORE OFTEN TOO.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AROUND THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS REPORTED
MODERATE...AND INCREASING...EASTERLY WINDS OVER THE STATE. SUBSIDENCE
LARGELY SUPPRESSED CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION...BUT A SHALLOW
TROUGH IN THE ONCOMING EASTERLY FLOW...ACCOMPANIED BY MODEST CLUMPS
OF CONVERGED MOISTURE...APPEARED LIKELY TO BRING A BRIEF BURST OF
SHOWERS TO THE ISLANDS FROM THE EAST. UNDER MORE TYPICAL CONDITIONS...
THE SHOWERS WOULD REMAIN LIMITED MAINLY TO WINDWARD SLOPES...BUT WIND
SPEEDS AT CLOUD LEVEL MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY AN ATYPICALLY
LARGE FRACTION LEEWARD. LEE ACCUMULATION SHOULD REMAIN ON THE LIGHT
SIDE THOUGH.

IN THE BIGGER PICTURE...GUIDANCE AGREED WELL IN PREDICTING A STRONG RIDGE
CURRENTLY LOCATED TO THE NORTH THROUGH NORTHEAST TO SHIFT WEST SLIGHTLY
AND STRENGTHEN THROUGH THE NEXT 18 TO 24 HOURS. INDEED...STRONG RIDGING
WILL PREVAIL THROUGH A DEEP LAYER...BUILDING THE TRADE WINDS RAPIDLY.
THE DEGREE OF STRENGTHENING WILL NEED CONTINUED SCRUTINY...BUT THE
OVERALL TREND SEEMED QUITE SOLID. THUS...BY THURSDAY OR FRIDAY IT MAY
BECOME NECESSARY TO CONSIDER A GALE WARNING FOR THE CHANNELS...AND A
WIND ADVISORY FOR SELECT AREAS ON LAND. THIS BASIC SCENARIO SHOWED
LITTLE FURTHER CHANGE INTO NEXT WEEK.

CLEARLY SUBSIDENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE RIDGE WILL TEND TO SUPPRESS
SHOWERS THROUGH MID-WEEK AND BEYOND...THOUGH ENOUGH WATER VAPOR SHOULD
REMAIN TO SUPPORT SOME PRECIPITATION ALONG WINDWARD SLOPES. SOME
SOLUTIONS ALSO PREDICTED A FRONTAL REMNANT TO REACH THE ISLANDS FROM THE
NORTHEAST BY LATE IN THE WEEKEND OR EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS FEATURE WOULD
BE HEAVILY DEGRADED BY PASSING THROUGH THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE...SO ITS
MAIN EFFECT SHOULD BE LIMITED TO ENHANCING TRADE-WIND SHOWERS FOR A FEW
DAYS.

&&

.MARINE...
A NORTHWEST SWELL WILL BRING ADVISORY-LEVEL SURF TO NORTH-FACING SHORES
THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SURF HEIGHTS SHOULD FALL BELOW THE ADVISORY
THRESHOLD AGAIN TONIGHT. STRENGTHENING TRADE WINDS ALSO WILL BUILD
EASTERLY SWELL...PRODUCING SURF ALONG EAST-FACING SHORES THAT MAY REACH
ADVISORY LEVELS BY TONIGHT.

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALSO WILL BE NEEDED FOR MOST WATERS TONIGHT
THROUGH THE WEEKEND FOR STRENGTHENING TRADE WINDS AND RELATED SEAS.
SPEEDS MAY APPROACH THE THRESHOLD FOR A GALE WARNING OVER TYPICALLY
WINDY ZONES AROUND THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI BY LATE IN THE WEEK.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS EVENING FOR NIIHAU-KAUAI
WINDWARD-KAUAI LEEWARD-OAHU NORTH SHORE-OAHU KOOLAU-MOLOKAI-MAUI
WINDWARD WEST-MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY-WINDWARD HALEAKALA.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST THURSDAY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN
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

9 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: December 16, 9:00 AM HST to December 23, 12:00 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: December 16, 9:00 AM HST to December 23, 12:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Oahu Koolau

When: December 16, 9:00 AM HST to December 23, 12:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Olomana

When: December 16, 9:00 AM HST to December 23, 12:00 PM HST
Where: Olomana 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: December 16, 9:00 AM HST to December 23, 12:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: December 16, 9:00 AM HST to December 23, 12:00 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, Windward Haleakala

When: December 16, 9:00 AM HST to December 23, 12:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, South Big Island

When: December 16, 9:00 AM HST to December 23, 12:00 PM HST
Where: South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: December 16, 9:00 AM HST to December 23, 12:00 PM HST
Where: Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

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 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, December 2015

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: 607918, 607919, 607920, 607921, 607922, 607923, 607924, 607925, 607926.