MAUI, Hawaii — Dangerously high surf is forecast for parts of Hawaii this week as a series of strong storms carrying gale to hurricane-force winds pass north of the islands.
While the storms will stay far enough away for any direct severe weather impacts on the islands, the systems will send a plume of massive surf as high as 30-40 feet toward the islands’ northern shores.
High Surf Warnings are in effect through early Friday morning for the north and west-facing shores of Niihau, Kawai, Oahu, and Molokai, along with the north-facing shores of Maui.
While the northern shores could see surf of 30-40 feet, even west-facing shores could see dangerous surf of 18-22 feet through Friday.
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The National Weather Service in Honolulu warns of the potential for very high impacts in the surf warning zone, including “ocean water surging and sweeping across beaches, coastal benches, and lava flows creating the potential for impacts to coastal properties and infrastructure, including roadways.” Significant beach erosion on north and west-facing beaches is expected.
In addition, powerful rip currents are likely, presenting dangerous swimming conditions. Large breaking waves and strong currents may affect harbor entrances and channels, causing challenging boat handling, the NWS warned.
The times of greatest surf impacts are Thursday afternoon into Friday morning, according to the NWS.
While the seas should subside somewhat over the weekend, surf will remain elevated into the new year.
“The northern Pacific looks to remain fairly active and will continue to send swell to the islands for the start of 2024,” NWS forecasters said.
Meanwhile, surf will remain light along eastern-facing shores due to light winds and south-facing beach surf is expected to remain around winter averages.