Posted at 9:04 p.m., Wednesday, December 27, 2006
40-foot waves forecast; high-surf warning issued
Advertiser Staff
Waves could reach heights of 35 to 40 feet tomorrow, the National Weather Service said, prompting a high-surf warning for the north- and west-facing shores of Kaua'i, O'ahu, Maui and Moloka'i.The warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Friday. A high-surf advisory will be in effect on the Big Island from noon tomorrow until 6 a.m. Saturday.
On Kaua'i, surf along north- and west-facing shores is expected to begin rising after midnight and reach heights of 30 to 40 feet by daybreak tomorrow, the weather service said. On O'ahu, surf along west-facing shores is expected to rise to 10 to 15 feet late tomorrow morning, building to 18 to 24 feet by evening. On the North Shore, surf is expected to be 15 to 20 feet tomorrow morning, building to 30 to 35 feet by afternoon.
Surf will be slightly smaller on Moloka'i and Maui, the weather service said.
Increasing northerly winds are expected to create turbulent, unruly surfing conditions that won't even make for good wave-watching, lifeguards said.
The large northwest swell will reach the north-, east- and west-facing shores of the Big Island by tomorrow evening. Expect surf to reach 15 to 20 feet on that island's north and east shores and 6 to 10 feet on the west shores.
The swell is expected to peak tomorrow night and slowly decline on Friday. Another large northwest swell is expected Monday night and Tuesday.
