High Surf in Hawaii, January 14 to 19, 2016

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, January 14 to 19, 2016
Start: 2016-01-14T20:00
End: 2016-01-19T10:00
Location: Hawaii

January 14 to 19, 2016 · 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

A swell from a powerful low far northwest of the Aloha State generated surf of 25 to 50 feet along the north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; and 15 to 30 feet along the west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai. The dangerous surf kept lifeguards and ocean safety officials busy with rescues and preventive actions. However, no serious injuries or property damage were reported. The high swell and surf did complicate the search for possible survivors of two Marine Corps helicopters that had gone down two miles north of Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu late Thursday, Jan. 14. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard later declared all 12 men aboard the helicopters dead after several days of searching.

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 14, 4:06 PM HST, 3 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 4:06 PM HST, 3 hours 54 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
406 PM HST THU JAN 14 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
A WEAK FRONT WILL BRING CLOUDS AND SHOWERS TO KAUAI AND OAHU
TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY...THEN STALL AND DISSIPATE OVER THE CENTRAL
PORTION OF THE STATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. A STABLE LAND
AND SEA BREEZE REGIME WILL RETURN BY SUNDAY...WITH ANOTHER WEAK
FRONT FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH THE STATE NEXT TUESDAY OR TUESDAY
NIGHT.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS KAUAI AND OAHU TONIGHT BRINGING
AN INCREASE TO CLOUDS AND SHOWERS. WITH LITTLE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT
WITH THIS FRONT...EXPECT SHOWERS TO BE LIGHT TO MODERATE. THE
FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL AND DISSIPATE ACROSS OAHU AND MOLOKAI
FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS BEHIND THE
FRONT WILL FOCUS MORE OF THE PERCEPTION ACROSS WINDWARD FACING
SLOPES...AND SHOULD WORK TO CLEAR OUT THE HAZE ACROSS THE WESTERN
END OF THE STATE. A LAND AND SEA BREEZE PATTERN WILL A FEW
AFTERNOON SPRINKLES WILL AFFECT MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND.

INTO THE WEEKEND...THE SHALLOW BAND OF REMNANT MOISTURE MAY PRODUCE
HIGHER SHOWER CHANCES FOR THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE STATE. ESPECIALLY
ACROSS WINDWARD SECTIONS...THOUGH RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL REMAIN
LIGHT AS RIDGING ALOFT WILL KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE STABLE.

THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL SETTLE BACK OVER THE STATE SUNDAY AND
REMAIN NEARBY ON MONDAY...BRINGING A RETURN OF THE DRY AND STABLE
LAND AND SEA BREEZE PATTERN. ANOTHER WEAK FRONT WILL IS FORECAST
TO MOVE THROUGH ON TUESDAY OR TUESDAY NIGHT...BUT IT APPEARS THAT
MOISTURE WILL BE QUITE LIMITED ALONG THIS FRONT. MODELS THEN
FINALLY BRING GENTLE TO MODERATE TRADE WINDS BACK TO THE STATE
FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL AT ALL TAF SITES AND THESE CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY. THERE MAY BE SOME BRIEF MVFR
OVER THE SOUTHEAST SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND AND POSSIBLY OVER
INTERIOR SECTIONS OF KAUAI LATER TODAY. NO AIRMETS ARE CURRENTLY
POSTED BUT THERE MAY BE SOME MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION LATER TONIGHT
OVER PORTIONS OF KAUAI AND FRIDAY MORNING OVER PORTIONS OF OAHU.

&&

.MARINE...
A VERY LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL WILL BUILD OVERNIGHT...PEAK ON FRIDAY...THEN
DECLINE THIS WEEKEND. A HIGH SURF WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SURF
ALONG MOST NORTH AND WEST FACING SHORES OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS BEGINNING
TONIGHT...THOUGH MUCH OF THE BOOST IN SURF IS EXPECTED IN THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS ALSO POSTED
FOR THE WESTERN FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND BEGINNING FRIDAY.
UPSTREAM BUOYS AT 51101 AND 51001 HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FEEL THE HIGHER
PERIOD SWELL ARRIVING. A SLIGHTLY SMALLER NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED
TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK.

SOME OUT OF SEASON SOUTHERLY SWELL IS EXPECTED THIS WEEK. SOUTHWEST
SWELL FROM HURRICANE PALI WILL PERSIST FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS
BUT WILL BE RATHER SMALL. A SMALL SOUTH-SOUTHWEST SWELL OUT OF THE
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE IS POSSIBLE FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS...MAINLY IN LONG PERIOD
SWELL...ARE EXPECTED FOR MOST WATERS AS THE LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL
MOVES THROUGH TONIGHT THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY NIGHT.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 6 PM HST SATURDAY FOR NORTH AND WEST
FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU KAUAI OAHU AND MOLOKAI...AND FOR NORTH
FACING SHORES OF MAUI.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM 6 AM FRIDAY TO 6 PM HST SATURDAY FOR
WEST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND.

&&

DISCUSSION/MARINE...FOSTER
AVIATION...BURKE

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: January 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: January 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: January 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: January 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: January 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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: January 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: January 14, 8:00 PM HST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, January 2016

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: 610147, 610148, 610149, 610150, 610151, 610152, 610153, 610154, 610155, 610156, 610157.