High Surf in Hawaii, March 29 to 31, 2016

Name: High Surf in Hawaii, March 29 to 31, 2016
Start: 2016-03-29T12:00
End: 2016-03-31T22:00
Location: Hawaii

March 29 to 31, 2016 · NWS HFO · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 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.

A swell from a powerful low far northwest of the islands generated surf of 15 to 30 feet along the north- and west-facing shores of Niihau and Kauai, and along the north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui; 10 to 25 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai; and 8 to 15 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island. The dangerous surf kept lifeguards busy will warnings and assisting beach-goers that were in distress. The surf also forced officials to close several beaches in leeward Big Island for safety reasons on the 31st. There were no reports of serious 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 Mar 29, 9:18 AM HST, 2 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 29, 9:18 AM HST, 2 hours 42 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
918 AM HST TUE MAR 29 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS OAHU AND MAUI COUNTY
TODAY...DISSIPATING OVER THE BIG ISLAND THIS EVENING. SHOWERS WILL
BE FOUND ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT...BUT RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE
EXPECTED TO REMAIN GENERALLY LIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OVER
THE ISLANDS WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH LIGHT WINDS AND
DRY WEATHER PREVAILING. THE HIGH WILL LIFT TO THE NORTH FRIDAY
THROUGH THE WEEKEND...ALLOWING TRADE WINDS TO RETURN ACROSS THE
ISLANDS.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A WEAKENING COLD FRONT IS NEAR OAHU THIS MORNING...AND BRINGING A
FEW SHOWERS TO OAHU. OVERNIGHT THE FRONT BROUGHT SOME SHOWERS TO
KAUAI...WITH SOME GAGES ON THE GARDEN ISLE RECEIVING UP TO HALF
AN INCH OF RAIN. THE OVERNIGHT SOUNDING FROM KAUAI HAD 1.31 INCHES
OF PRECIPITABLE WATER /PW/ WHICH MATCHED WELL WITH THE SATELLITE
DERIVED PW.

THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE FRONT CONTINUING TO
WEAKEN OVER THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS AS IT MOVES DOWN THE ISLAND
CHAIN. IN GENERAL...THE GLOBAL MODELS KEEP THE POPS A LITTLE
HIGHER THAN THE MESOSCALE MODELS. HAVE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO
THE POPS BASED ON THE MODELS AND SATELLITE DATA. DROPPED POPS FOR
KAUAI WHICH IS NOW BEHIND THE FRONT...AND FOR SOME AREAS TONIGHT
AS THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN FURTHER.

AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSING NORTH OF THE ISLANDS IS KEEPING
ELEVATED WINDS ATOP THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. OVERNIGHT THE WINDS
DROPPED TO AT OR SLIGHTLY BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS. SINCE ABOUT 5
AM...WINDS AT THE SUMMIT OF MAUNA KEA HAVE INCREASED...MIRRORING
THE TREND IN THE GFS AT 600 MB. WINDS ARE BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE
24 HOURS AGO...AND THE GFS INDICATES WINDS AT 600 MB WILL INCREASE
THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS EVENING. IF THIS DOES PAN OUT...WE WILL
LIKELY NEED TO POST ANOTHER HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE BIG ISLAND
SUMMITS.

OTHERWISE NO CHANGE IN FORECAST PHILOSOPHY. BEHIND THE FRONT A
HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES OVER THE ISLANDS WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY...
BRINGING LIGHT WINDS AND A DRY AIRMASS TO THE REGION. THE HIGH
MOVES TO THE NORTHEAST FRIDAY/SATURDAY...ALLOWING TRADES TO BUILD
BACK IN ACROSS THE ISLANDS.

&&

.AVIATION...
A WEAKENING FRONT OVER OAHU THIS MORNING WILL SPREAD TO MAUI COUNTY
THIS AFTERNOON AND BIG ISLAND BY THIS EVENING. AIRMET SIERRA FOR
TEMPO MTN OBSC FOR OAHU NOW...WHICH WILL PROGRESS EASTWARD AS THE
CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONT PASS THE AFOREMENTIONED ISLANDS.
THE TOPS OF THE CLOUDS AND SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT ARE
NO HIGHER THAN 10 KFT.

AIRMET TANGO IS IN EFFECT FOR LOW LEVEL TURBULENCE FROM OAHU TO THE
BIG ISLAND DUE TO STRONG WESTERLIES ALONG THE FRONT. AS THE FRONT
MOVES EAST...OAHU IS LIKELY TO DROP OUT OF THE AIRMET...FOLLOWED BY
MAUI COUNTY AND THEN BIG ISLAND.

&&

.MARINE...
THE CURRENT LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL IS IN LINE WITH THE CURRENT
WAVE WATCH III MODEL DATA. THE SWELL ARRIVED AT BUOY 51101
NORTHWEST OF THE ISLAND IN THE PRE-DAWN HOURS...AND SHOULD BE
ARRIVING AT KAUAI BY MID DAY...AND TO SPREAD DOWN THE ISLAND CHAIN
THIS AFTERNOON. A HIGH SURF WARNING HAS BEEN POSTED BEGINNING AT
10 AM FOR THE BUILDING SURF ALONG NORTH AND WEST SHORES. EXPECT
THE SWELL TO PEAK WEDNESDAY...AND THEN GRADUALLY SUBSIDE THROUGH
THE END OF THE WEEK. A SMALL TO MODERATE SOUTH SWELL TODAY WILL
PEAK WEDNESDAY AND DIMINISH THURSDAY. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS
ALSO POSTED FOR THE INCOMING NORTHWEST SWELL.

&&

.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.

WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS.

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

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST THURSDAY FOR KAUAI NORTHWEST
WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS-KAUAI LEEWARD WATERS-KAUAI CHANNEL-
OAHU WINDWARD 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

12 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.

High Surf, Niihau

When: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 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: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kauai Leeward

When: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 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: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 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: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 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: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Oahu Koolau forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Windward

When: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Molokai Leeward

When: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Maui Windward West

When: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 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: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Windward Haleakala

When: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Windward Haleakala forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Surf, Kona

When: March 29, 12:00 PM HST to March 31, 10:00 PM HST
Where: Kona forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, March 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: 618489, 618490, 618491, 618492, 618493, 618494, 618495, 618496, 618497, 618498, 618499, 618500.