High Surf in Hawaii, November 28 to 30, 2015

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, November 28 to 30, 2015
Start: 2015-11-28T06:00
End: 2015-11-30T14:00
Location: Hawaii

November 28 to 30, 2015 · NWS HFO · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

A swell from a strong low far northwest of the Aloha State generated surf of 15 to 20 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, the north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii; and 10 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai. Lifeguards were busy with helping distressed surfers and advising inexperienced beachgoers to stay…

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: 12

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 Nov 28, 3:36 AM HST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 28, 3:36 AM HST, 2 hours 24 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
336 AM HST SAT NOV 28 2015

.SYNOPSIS...
THE START OF A DRIER TRADE WIND PATTERN IS ON TAP FOR THIS
AFTERNOON...AND IS EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE
UPCOMING WEEK. BREEZY...LOCALLY GUSTY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST
THROUGH SUNDAY BEFORE EASING OFF SLIGHTLY BETWEEN SUNDAY NIGHT AND
TUESDAY. EVEN LIGHTER TRADES ARE EXPECTED OVER THE SECOND HALF OF
NEXT WEEK AS A FRONT THREATENS THE ISLANDS. THESE TRADE SHOWERS
WILL BE FAVORING THE WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN AREAS...WITH A FEW OF
THE SHOWERS DRIFTING INTO THE LEEWARD AREAS OF THE SMALLER
ISLANDS.

&&
.DISCUSSION...
ONE MORE BATCH OF SHOWERS TO DEAL WITH BEFORE THE START OF A DRIER
TRADE WIND REGIME. SO FAR THIS BATCH OF SHOWERS HAS REACHED MAUI
BUT APPEARS TO BE STRUGGLING FURTHER WESTWARD. THE ECMWF AND GFS
MODELS ARE HINTING THAT THIS SHOWER AREA TO DISSIPATE OVER MAUI
AND THE BIG ISLAND THIS MORNING. MID LEVEL RIDGING WILL SETTLING
OVER THE ISLANDS THIS MORNING...AIDING IN THIS DRIER AND STABLE
ENVIRONMENT. IT IS FORECAST TO STICK AROUND THE ISLANDS THROUGH
THE NEW WORK WEEK. KAUAI IS STILL GETTING A GOOD BIT OF TRADE
SHOWERS THIS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...BUT SATELLITE SHOWS A
THINNING OUT OF THE LOW CLOUD FIELD UPWIND OF THE ISLAND. SO...WE
ARE ANTICIPATING A DRIER SUNRISE THERE. UNDER THIS TRADE WIND
REGIME...THE SHOWERS WILL INCREASE DURING THE OVERNIGHT AND EARLY
MORNING HOURS...AND BE RATHER DRY BY MID-MORNING OR THE AFTERNOON
HOURS.

BREEZY TRADE WINDS SHOULD LAST ANOTHER DAY OR SO AS A TIGHT
PRESSURE GRADIENT REMAINS OVER THE ISLANDS. THE MODELS ARE
POINTING TO A SLIGHTLY STRONGER AND STIFFER TRADE WIND FLOW TODAY
  AND TONIGHT. SO THE WINDS FOR THESE 2 PERIODS HAVE BEEN BEEFED
UP...ESPECIALLY IN THE WINDIER AREAS OF THE BIG ISLAND SUCH AS THE
WAIMEA SADDLE AND PARTS OF THE PUNA DISTRICT. THESE WINDS HAVE THE
POTENTIAL OF REACHING WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA WHICH IS SUSTAINED
WINDS OF 30 MPH AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. SO WE WILL BE MONITORING
THE SITUATION CLOSELY. THIS GRADIENT SHOULD START RELAXING ABOUT
SUNDAY WITH TRADES LOWERING TO MODERATE TO LOCALLY STRONG BY
TUESDAY. THE TRADES MAY REBOUND BRIEFLY TO LOCALLY STRONG ABOUT
WEDNESDAY AS A 1025 MB HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSES DUE NORTH OF
THE ISLANDS. THIS HIGH SCOOTS OFF TO THE EAST RATHER FAST WHERE
THE TRADES WILL FALL OFF TO LIGHT TO MODERATE SPEEDS BY FRIDAY
NIGHT. THIS IS DUE TO A DISSIPATING COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE
ISLANDS FROM THE NORTHWEST.

THE LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ABOUT
TO MOVE THROUGH THE CENTRAL ISLANDS FROM THE NORTH.

&&

.AVIATION...
BRISK EASTERLY TRADE WINDS WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE STATE TODAY...
WITH CLOUDS AND SHOWERS FOCUSING ON WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS. SOME
SHOWERS WILL SPILL INTO LEEWARD SECTIONS OF KAUAI AND OAHU AT
TIMES THIS MORNING. AIRMET SIERRA IS POSTED AS OF 12Z FOR WINDWARD
SECTIONS OF KAUAI...MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND...DUE TO TEMPO
MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION. A DRYING TREND IS FORECAST ACROSS THE STATE
BY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH JUST PASSING LIGHT SHOWERS OVER WINDWARD
AREAS.

AIRMET TANGO FOR MODERATE TURBULENCE BELOW 7000 FEET IMMEDIATELY
SOUTH AND WEST OF THE HIGHER TERRAIN REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL
ISLANDS...AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE NECESSARY THROUGH TODAY.

&&

.MARINE...
FORERUNNERS FROM A NEW NORTHWEST TO NORTH-NORTHWEST SWELL HAVE
REACHED THE HANALEI BUOY OFF KAUAI/S NORTH SHORE ABOUT AN HOUR
AGO WITH A SWELL HEIGHT OF 6 FEET AND ABOUT 19 SEC PERIOD. OAHU/S
NORTH SHORE SHOULD BE GETTING 15 FOOTER BY NOON AND 20 FOOTER THIS
AFTERNOON.

THE DIRECTION OF THIS SWELL HAS SOME NW COMPONENT WHICH WILL
LIKELY CATCH A PART OF OAHU/S LEEWARD COAST. THEREFORE...A HIGH
SURF ADVISORY NOW INCLUDE THE WEST FACING SHORES OF OAHU. THE
STRONG TRADES WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE ROUGH SURF ALONG EAST
FACING SHORES...BUT SURF HEIGHTS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN JUST BELOW
ADVISORY LEVELS. THE REST OF THE SURF FORECAST LOOKS GOOD.

WE HAVE ADDED THE MAUI LEEWARD WATERS TO THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
DUE TO WINDS STARTING THIS MORNING AS PER THE HIGH RESOLUTION WIND
MODEL. WE WILL BE TRIMMING BACK THE MARINE ZONES UNDER THE SCA
ABOUT SUNDAY NIGHT.

&&

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

HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR THE NORTH FACING SHORES OF MAUI...AND THE
BIG ISLAND.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM HST SUNDAY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN WATERS
EXCEPT WINDWARD BIG ISLAND WATERS.

&&

AVIATION...JACOBSON
DISCUSSION AND MARINE...LAU

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 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, Kauai Windward

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 2:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 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, Waianae Coast

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 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, Oahu North Shore

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 2:00 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 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 2:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 2:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 2:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 2:00 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 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 2:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 2:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Big Island North and East

When: November 28, 6:00 AM HST to November 30, 2:00 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, November 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: 604044, 604045, 604046, 604047, 604048, 604049, 604050, 604051, 604052, 604053, 604054, 604055.