High Surf in Hawaii, December 8 to 10, 2015

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, December 8 to 10, 2015
Start: 2015-12-08T14:00
End: 2015-12-10T18:00
Location: Hawaii

December 8 to 10, 2015 · NWS HFO · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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.

Another swell from a powerful low far northwest of the Aloha State caused surf of 15 to 30 feet along the north-facing, and 12 to 20 feet along the west-facing, shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai. The surf was also 15 to 30 feet along the north-facing shores of Maui. Ocean safety officials were again busy with performing several rescues and more than 1500 preventive actions on Oahu alone. There were no reports of significant injuries or 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 Dec 8, 10:16 AM HST, 3 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 8, 10:16 AM HST, 3 hours 44 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1016 AM HST TUE DEC 8 2015

.SYNOPSIS...
A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL MAINTAIN LIGHT
WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS TODAY...WITH LOCALIZED SEA BREEZES DEVELOPING
DURING THE DAY. LOW CLOUDS WITH SOME SHOWERS MAY AFFECT THE
ISLANDS...BUT OVERALL RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LOW. A NEW
HIGH PASSING NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WILL
BRING A RETURN OF MODERATE TO STRONG TRADES.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST TODAY. LIGHT WINDS TODAY
WILL ALLOW FOR SOME LOCALIZED SEA BREEZES THIS AFTERNOON WHICH
WILL BRING SOME ADDITIONAL CLOUDS AND SHOWERS TO THE INTERIOR OF
THE ISLANDS. A NEW HIGH MOVING TO THE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS TONIGHT
AND TOMORROW WILL RAMP TRADE WINDS BACK UP...WITH MODERATE TO
STRONG TRADES RETURNING WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

THE ECMWF AND GFS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE PLACEMENT AND
STRENGTH OF THE HIGH THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. THE HIGH WILL
MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS BY FRIDAY...WITH A RIDGE
REMAINING NORTH OF THE ISLANDS. THE MODELS ALSO AGREE WITH A LOW
MOVING TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS WEDNESDAY AND MOVING TO THE
NORTHEAST. AS WE HEAD INTO SATURDAY...THE MODELS DIVERGE IN THEIR
HANDLING OF THE LOW AND ITS ASSOCIATED FRONT. FOR NOW THE FORECAST
CONTINUES WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE TRADES...BUT THAT WILL BE SUBJECT
TO CHANGE DEPENDING ON FUTURE MODEL RUNS.

&&

.AVIATION...
NO AIRMETS ARE IN EFFECT AT THIS TIME WITH VFR COND EXPECTED TODAY.
HOWEVER...CLOUDS BANKED ALONG WINDWARD SLOPES OF THE ISLANDS MAY
RESULT IN BRIEF MTN OBSC...THOUGH COVERAGE NOT LIKELY EXTENSIVE
ENOUGH TO BRING AIRMET SIERRA COND.

TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. AIRMET
TANGO FOR TEMPO MOD TURB MAY BE NECESSARY FOR AREAS LEEWARD OF MTNS
BY TONIGHT OR WEDNESDAY.

&&

.MARINE...
THE INCOMING NORTHWEST SWELL SHOWED UP AT THE 51101 AND 51001
BUOYS BETWEEN 8 AND 9AM...A LITTLE LATER THAN WE WERE
ANTICIPATING. THIS WILL DELAY ADVISORY LEVEL SURF BY A FEW HOURS.
CURRENTLY EXPECTING ADVISORY LEVEL SURF ON KAUAI THIS
AFTERNOON...CLOSER TO SUNSET FOR OAHU AND MOLOKAI...AND TONIGHT
FOR MAUI. SURF IS STILL EXPECTED TO PEAK AT WARNING LEVELS
TONIGHT. WITH BE MONITORING THE NORTHWEST BUOYS TODAY TO SEE HOW
HIGH THEY PEAK AND WHEN. THIS MAY AFFECT THE END TIME OF THE
CURRENT HIGH SURF HAZARD.

THE INCOMING SWELL WILL GENERATE COMBINED SEAS IN EXCESS OF 10
FEET FOR MOST ZONES...AND INCREASING TRADE WINDS WILL BRING SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY /SCA/ LEVEL WINDS TO THE TYPICAL WINDIER AREAS. AS
SUCH THE SCA HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE AREAS IMPACTED BY
THE WIND INCREASE.

&&

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

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST WEDNESDAY FOR KAUAI
NORTHWEST WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS-KAUAI LEEWARD WATERS-
KAUAI CHANNEL-OAHU WINDWARD WATERS-KAIWI CHANNEL-MAUI COUNTY
WINDWARD WATERS-MAALAEA BAY-PAILOLO CHANNEL-ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL-
BIG ISLAND WINDWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND
SOUTHEAST WATERS.

&&

DISCUSSION/MARINE...M BALLARD
AVIATION...FOSTER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 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: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 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: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 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: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 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: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 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: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: December 8, 2:00 PM HST to December 10, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala 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: 607888, 607889, 607890, 607891, 607892, 607893, 607894, 607895, 607896, 607897, 607898.