High Surf, Niihau
- When
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 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 in Hawaii, January 11 to 16, 2019
A swell from a powerful low far northwest of the Aloha State caused surf of 20 to 35 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 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai; and 8 to 12 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island. One individual surfer, a male in his 50's, died at a…
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
- 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 Aloha State caused surf of 20 to 35 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 20 feet along the west-facing shores of Oahu and Molokai; and 8 to 12 feet along the west-facing shores of the Big Island. One individual surfer, a male in his 50's, died at a hospital in Maui after being taken from the water off northwest West Maui. He had been unresponsive when brought to shore by fellow surfers. No other serious injuries or fatalities were reported. There were no reports of significant 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 Jan 11, 8:25 PM HST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 11, 8:25 PM HST, 1 hour 35 minutes before
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</html>The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
High Surf, Kauai Windward
- When
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kauai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kauai Leeward
- When
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 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
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 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
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 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
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Oahu Koolau forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Molokai Windward
- When
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Windward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Molokai Leeward
- When
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Leeward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Maui Windward West
- When
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Maui Windward West forecast zone
- Deaths
- 0 direct, 1 indirect
- 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 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Maui Central Valley forecast zone
- Deaths
- 0 direct, 1 indirect
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Windward Haleakala
- When
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Windward Haleakala forecast zone
- Deaths
- 0 direct, 1 indirect
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
High Surf, Kona
- When
- January 11, 10:00 PM HST to January 16, 2:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kona forecast zone
- Deaths
- 0 direct, 1 indirect
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Surf, Maui Windward West | 2019-01-12 | 52 | Male | In Water | Indirect |
| High Surf, Maui Central Valley | 2019-01-12 | 52 | Male | In Water | Indirect |
| High Surf, Windward Haleakala | 2019-01-12 | 52 | Male | In Water | Indirect |
| High Surf, Kona | 2019-01-12 | 52 | Male | In Water | Indirect |
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
- Winter Storm in Missouri, January 11 to 12, 2019
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Missouri, January 11 to 12, 2019
- Heavy Snow in Illinois, January 11 to 13, 2019
- Heavy Snow in Missouri, January 11 to 13, 2019
- Heavy Snow in Indiana, January 11 to 13, 2019
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Illinois, January 11 to 12, 2019
- Heavy Snow in Illinois, January 11 to 13, 2019
- Winter Storm in Iowa, January 11 to 12, 2019
- Winter Weather in Colorado, January 11 to 12, 2019
- Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 11 to 12, 2019
- Winter Storm in Iowa, January 11 to 13, 2019
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kansas, January 11 to 12, 2019
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, January 2019
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 796107, 796108, 796109, 796110, 796111, 796112, 796113, 796114, 796115, 796116, 796117, 796118.