High Surf Warning and Harbor Surges Expected Today

Ho’okipa / Image: Jimmie Hepp

By Meteorologist Malika Dudley / Email: [email protected]

Alerts

The High Surf Warning has been cancelled.

A High Surf Advisory replaces the Warning and is in effect through Thursday at 6 p.m. for surf of 8 to 13 feet along east-facing shores. Impacts include strong breaking waves, shore break and strong currents making swimming difficult and dangerous.

A Marine Weather Statement is posted for Kahului harbor and other east-facing harbors across Maui County due to the large northeast swell. Navigating harbor entrances could be difficult and dangerous. Moderate surges and large breaking waves are expected near harbor entrances. Mariners should exercise extreme caution when operating vessels inside harbors or near entrances.

The Small Craft Advisory has been extended for all Maui County waters until Thursday at 6 p.m. Winds of 25 knots are expected and rough seas up to 13 feet. Inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in these conditions.

**Click directly on the images below to make them larger. Charts include: Maui County projected winds, forecasted swell direction, height & period, tides, a surface map and expected wave heights.**

Maui County Surf Forecast, Wednesday December 3

North: Mix of northeast and northwest swells for northerly exposures. Surf heights overhead to well overhead out of the northeast. Double to triple overhead sets are possible at the best breaks. Overhead surf out of the northwest.

West: Spots open to the swells are expected to get overhead to well overhead wave heights, maybe even bigger on the sets. Breaks that don’t catch the swell are forecasted to get smaller surf at ankle high or flat.

South: Many areas will remain flat today.

Buoy 51000 was reporting a 12 foot swell with a 15 second period last night. This swell built over night to warning levels for the northeast exposed shores of Maui County. The swell is expected to peak Wednesday and begin to fade, dropping back to advisory levels tomorrow.

Our current west-northwest swell is expected to shift today into Thursday and will swing some it’s energy toward more Maui County northwest exposures. Slowly fading into the end of the work week.

A new north-northwest swell is expected to build Friday, peaking late Friday near advisory levels. Surf expected from overhead to well overhead, maybe even bigger at the best exposures. A new north-northwest swell is also expected for the weekend and a series of swells beyond that.

Super small trace amounts of swell expected out of the SPAC. Not much to get excited about.

**Click here for your detailed Maui County weather report.**

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS

Image: NOAA / NWS