Large WNW Shifts, Out of Season South Bump

Ho’okipa File Photo / Image: Jimmie Hepp

By Meteorologist Malika Dudley / Email: [email protected]

Alerts

The National Weather Service has continued the Gale Warning for Maʻalaea Bay and the Pailolo and ʻAlenuihāhā channels. The warning is in effect through Monday at 6 p.m. Beginning this morning, east winds of 30 to 35 knots are expected with higher gusts. Rough seas of 12 to 17 feet are also forecasted. The largest waves are expected to begin tonight after midnight. A Gale Warning means that these winds are imminent or occurring. Operating a vessel in gale conditions requires proper experience and equipment. Mariners without these things should remain in port until gale conditions end.

All areas not under the Gale Warning are under a Small Craft Advisory through 6 p.m. Monday for all Maui County waters and channels.  Rough seas of 10 to 17 feet are forecasted along with winds of 30 to 35 knots or more. 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,  Monday, December 15

North: The west-northwest continues to swing more out of the north. Surf heights expected to be overhead to double overhead with select spots getting even bigger waves early on in the day.

West: Spots open to the swells that are wrapping are expected to get waves in the head high to overhead range early in the day but fading out of the northerly direction. Waist to chest high out of the southerly direction.Otherwise, breaks that don’t catch the swell, and / or are shadowed from it, are forecasted to get smaller surf at ankle high or flat.

South: Out of season south swell brings ankle to waist high waves for southern shores open to the swell.

Our current swell started out as a west-northwest and is shifting more north. The west side will get bigger waves early on as the swell continues to swing more north today the waves will slowly fade. Tuesday the swell will fade further but still at decent size for best exposures at a little overhead on the sets.

Another set of northwest swells are expected for the second half of next week with yet another large northwest swell due for next weekend. All dependent on how the storms actually end up developing. Will keep an eye on it.

An out of season south swell is expected to continue into Monday and Tuesday. We could see a fun little boost up to head high at the best breaks on Monday. This swell should linger into Wednesday. Another pulse out of the south is expected for the weekend.

Keep in mind, surf heights are measured on the face of the wave from trough to crest. Heights vary from beach to beach, and at the same beach, from break to break.  

**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