High Surf in Hawaii, January 12 to 13, 2015

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, January 12 to 13, 2015
Start: 2015-01-12T14:00
End: 2015-01-13T18:00
Location: Hawaii

January 12 to 13, 2015 · NWS HFO · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A swell from a strong low far northwest of the islands generated surf of 10 to 20 feet along the north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; and 8 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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 12, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 12, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST MON JAN 12 2015

.SYNOPSIS...
VARIABLE WINDS WITH DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH
AT LEAST THURSDAY AS A RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE ISLANDS. A LAND AND
SEA BREEZE PATTERN WILL DOMINATE...FEATURING AFTERNOON CLOUDS
ACROSS ISLAND TERRAIN WITH LITTLE RAINFALL FOLLOWED BY PARTIAL
CLEARING AT NIGHT. A WEAK FRONT MAY AFFECT KAUAI AND POSSIBLY OAHU
FRIDAY OR SATURDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A DEEP RIDGE OVER THE ISLANDS IS MAINTAINING DRY AND STABLE
CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS ON LAND. STRONG RIDGING
ALOFT OVER THE STATE IS EVIDENT ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AS A FAST
MOVING JET STREAM RACES NEARLY WEST TO EAST BETWEEN 30N AND 35N.
OVERNIGHT SOUNDINGS AND RECENT AIRCRAFT DATA REVEALED A STRONG
TEMPERATURE INVERSION BETWEEN 3500 AND 5000 FT WITH PRECIPITABLE
WATER VALUES RANGING FROM A DRY TWO THIRDS OF AN INCH AT LIHUE TO
NEARLY ONE INCH AT HILO. THE SURFACE RIDGE LIES NEAR MAUI THIS
MORNING...CREATING GENTLE SOUTHERLY WINDS OVER THE SOUTHERN ISLANDS
AND SOUTHWESTERLIES NEAR KAUAI AND OAHU WITH A DISSIPATING FRONT
STALLED ABOUT 150 MILES NORTH OF THE GARDEN ISLE. SEA BREEZES WILL
TAKE OVER AS THE LAND HEATS UP TODAY. SOME CLOUDS WILL DEVELOP ALONG
TERRAIN...BUT GIVEN THE DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS IN PLACE LITTLE TO
NO RAINFALL IS EXPECTED.

THE DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST
THURSDAY AS THE SURFACE RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE ISLANDS. THE RIDGE
WILL DRIFT BACK TO NEAR KAUAI OR OAHU TOMORROW THEN POSSIBLY SHIFT
SOUTHWARD AGAIN ON THURSDAY AS A FRONT APPROACHES. CHANGES IN THE
WEATHER WILL BE SUBTLE. A STABLE AND CONTINUED DRY DAYTIME SEA
BREEZE REGIME WILL BE FOLLOWED BY AT LEAST PARTIAL CLEARING WITH
LAND BREEZES AT NIGHT. GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT DEW POINTS WILL CREEP
UP ONLY TO THE MID 60/S...SO EVEN THOUGH WINDS WILL BE LIGHT...
RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL REMAIN SOMEWHAT LOW. THE UNIVERSITY
OF HAWAII VMAP MODEL SHOWS VOLCANIC HAZE MAINLY CONCENTRATED OVER
THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.

THE CURRENT WEATHER REGIME WILL LIKELY BE DISRUPTED FRIDAY OR
SATURDAY AS A WEAK FRONT STALLS NEAR THE NORTHERN ISLANDS. MODEL
DIFFERENCES ON TIMING REMAIN BUT THERE IS SOME CONSENSUS THAT LIGHT
TRADES WILL BUILD IN AT THIS TIME.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH A CONTINUED
LIGHT WIND PATTERN. ONSHORE SEA BREEZES WILL PRODUCE AREAS OF
CLOUDS ACROSS INTERIOR SECTIONS OF THE ISLANDS DURING THE AFTERNOON.
BRIEF/ISOLATED MVFR CEILINGS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG WITH A FEW LIGHT
SHOWERS. THIS EVENING...DEVELOPING OFFSHORE LAND BREEZES WILL CLEAR
OUT MOST AREAS...WITH SOME CLOUDS AND ISOLATED SHOWERS POSSIBLY
LINGERING ACROSS THE WINDWARD BIG ISLAND.

&&

.MARINE...
A HIGH SURF ADVISORY GOES INTO EFFECT AT NOON FOR MOST NORTH AND
WEST FACING SHORES OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS. LOOKING AT BUOY 51101...
THE NW SWELL HAS BEEN LATE TO ARRIVE. AS OF 9 AM SEAS ARE CURRENTLY
RUNNING AT 8 FT AT 14 SECONDS...WHILE WAVEWATCH GUIDANCE HAS BEEN
PREDICTING 11 FT AT 14 SECONDS AT THIS HOUR. WE WILL CONTINUE TO
MONITOR THE BUOY AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED...THOUGH GIVEN THE
LATEST READINGS ADVISORY LEVEL SURF WOULD NOT BE EXPECTED UNTIL LATE
AFTERNOON AT THE VERY EARLIEST ON OAHU. THE SWELL WILL PEAK TONIGHT
AND REMAIN ELEVATED THROUGH TUESDAY. SIMILARLY SIZED PULSES OF SWELL
ARE DUE ON THURSDAY AND AGAIN DURING THE WEEKEND. THESE SWELLS WILL
HAVE A GREATER WESTERLY COMPONENT AND WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SURF WELL
ABOVE THE ADVISORY LEVEL ALONG THE KONA COAST OF THE BIG ISLAND.

ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL BE GENTLE TO MODERATE AT MOST...A SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY /SCA/ GOES INTO EFFECT AT NOON AROUND KAUAI AND AT 6 PM FOR
MAINLY WINDWARD WATERS NEAR THE REST OF THE STATE DUE TO SEAS OF 10
FT OR MORE FROM THE NW SWELL. THE SCA RUNS THROUGH TUESDAY...AND A
SIMILAR TYPE OF SCA MAY BE NEEDED ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY NORTH
AND WEST FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU KAUAI OAHU MOLOKAI AND FOR NORTH
FACING SHORES OF MAUI.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM HST TUESDAY FOR
KAUAI NORTHWEST WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM HST TUESDAY
FOR KAUAI LEEWARD WATERS-KAUAI CHANNEL-OAHU WINDWARD WATERS-
KAIWI CHANNEL-MAUI COUNTY WINDWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND WINDWARD
WATERS.

&&

DISCUSSION/MARINE...WROE
AVIATION...JACOBSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 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: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 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: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 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: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 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: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 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, Windward Haleakala

When: January 12, 2:00 PM HST to January 13, 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, January 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: 551796, 551797, 551798, 551799, 551800, 551801, 551802, 551803, 551804, 551805.