7am OBS Sunday, March 26th.
Beautiful morning with a few clouds in the sky and lite ESE winds, flowing in the 5-15+mph range. Isolated sea breezes expected for most leeward shores this afternoon. Small Craft Advisory for all Big Island waters and Maui channel waters.
Big Picture updated 3/19. Small WNW and NNW mix. Tiny background SSW. Rising trade swell. Call 596-SURF: 7a, noon, 3pm; plus, the 5p (recap-forecast).

North Shore:
Dropping 12 sec NNW + Rising 17 sec WNW. Surf's clean and glassy again w/ lite offshores. Sunset to Rocky Pt 1-2'+; Pipe 1-occ. 2'; Log Cabins 1-2'+; Chuns 1-2'+; Laniakea 1-2'+; Ali'i Beach Park 1-occ. 2'. Scattered clouds.
West:
Dropping 12 sec NNW + Rising 17 sec WNW. Surf's clean w/ lite side-offshore winds, sea breezes expected to mush things out by lunch. Makaha is 1-occ. 2' under mostly clear skies.
Town:
Dropping 10 sec SSW. Surf's semi-clean w/ some very lite side-shore texture and glassy patches. Waikiki reefs are nearly flat; Top spots: Kaisers-Rockpiles to Ala Moana to Kewalos are 0-1 very occ. 1.5'. Mostly clear skies.
Diamond Head:
Dropping 10 sec SSW. Surf's a bit textured from the lite side-shore winds. Surf's 1-occ. 2' on the trade wrap. Mostly clear skies.
Sandy's:
Up & Holding 9 sec East. Surf's a bit textured from the lite side-onshore winds, becoming mushier throughout the day. Full Pt/Half Pt are 1-2'+; Shorebreak's 1-2'. Partly cloudy.
East Makapu'u:
Up & Holding 9 sec East. Surf's semi-clean, for now, w/ lite onshore winds, slightly strengthening by lunch. Surf's 1-2' occ. 3' and breaking in the shorebreak across the bay. Partly cloudy.Winds
5-15+mph ESE
5-15mph ESE
5-10mph SE
5-15mph SSE
5-15mph ESE
North
Primary

Haw: 1-2+
Face: 1-3+
Secondary

Haw: 1-2+
Face: 1-3+
Fair to good
4' late afternoon
Primary
Up & dropping 12s WNWHaw: 2-3
Face: 3-5
Secondary

Haw: 0-1.5
Face: 0-2
Fair to good
Primary

Haw: 1-1.5
Face: 1-2
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Smooth early-mushy later
Primary

Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Secondary

Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
divin , paddlin
Primary
Up & Rising 15s NNWHaw: 2-4
Face: 3-7
Secondary

Haw: 1-2
Face: 1-3
Good offshores
3-5' late today
West
Primary

Haw: 0-2
Face: 0-3
Secondary

Haw: 0-1/2
Face: 0-1
Fair to good
Primary
Up & dropping 12s WNWHaw: 1-2+
Face: 1-3+
Secondary
Rising Slow 18s SWHaw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Fair to good
Primary

Haw: 0
Face: 0
Secondary
Up & holding 16s SWHaw: 0
Face: 0
Smooth early-mushy later
Primary

Haw: 0
Face: 0
Secondary

Haw: 0
Face: 0
Smooth early-mushy later
Primary
Up & Rising 15s NNWHaw: 1-2 occ 3
Face: 2-4 occ 5
Secondary

Haw: 0
Face: 0
Good offshores
South
Primary

Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
divin , paddlin
Primary
Rising Slow 18s SWHaw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
divin , paddlin
Primary
Up & holding 16s SWHaw: 1-1.5
Face: 1-2
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Smooth early-mushy later
Primary

Haw: 1-1.5
Face: 1-2
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Smooth early-mushy later
Primary

Haw: 1-1.5
Face: 1-2
Secondary

Haw: 0-1
Face: 0-1.5
Smooth Am-mushy Pm
east
Primary
Up & holding 9s EHaw: 1-2 occ 3
Face: 2-4 occ 5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
bumpy
Primary

Haw: 1-2 occ 3
Face: 2-4 occ 5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
Smooth earlier-mushy mid-morning
Primary

Haw: 1-2 occ 3
Face: 2-4 occ 5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
fairly clean
Primary

Haw: 1-2 occ 3
Face: 2-4 occ 5
Secondary
None NONEHaw: 0
Face: 0
fairly clean
Primary

Haw: 1-2
Face: 1-3
Secondary
Up & Rising 12s NNEHaw: 1-1.5
Face: 1-2
Smoother early-mushier midday

Current Swells:
Sunday 03/26Primary: Dropping 12s NNW surf @1-2+
Secondary: Up & holding 9s E surf @1-2 occ 3
Third: Holding 10s SSW surf @0-1

Marine Warnings:
Sunday 03/26Small Craft Advisory for all Big Island waters and Maui channel waters

Sailing Report:
Sunday 03/26Fair to good as ESE trades fill 5-15+mph.

Diving Report:
Sunday 03/26North: Fair for shallow zones due to a small NW swell and offshore trades, better for deeper dives. West shores: Fair for shallow zones due to a small NW swell and offshore trades, better for deeper dives. South shores: Fair-good for top zones (esp deeper) with small surf and sideshore winds. East shores: Poor for most spots with rising surf and onshore winds.
Oahu
Maui
Kauai
Big Island
Weather
Surf Advisory and Warning CriteriaLocation/shoreline Advisory Warning
North-Facing Shores- 15 Feet faces (8' Local) 25 Feet faces (15' local)
West-Facing Shores - 12 Feet (7' local) 20 Feet (12' local)
West-Facing- Big Is.- 8 Feet (4'+ local) 12 Feet (7' local)
South-Facing Shores- 8 Feet (4'+ local) 15 Feet (8' local)
East-Facing Shores- 8 Feet (4'+ local) 15 Feet (8' local)
Big Picture
INACTIVE.Get the latest on the tropics at www.hurricanes.gov
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center outlook for the 2017 Central Pacific Hurricane Season calls for 5 to 8 tropical cyclones to either develop or cross into the Central Pacific with a 40% chance for an above-normal season, a 40% chance for a normal season, and a 20% chance for a below-normal season. An average season has 4 to 5 tropical cyclones, which include tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes.
A tropical depression forms when a low-pressure area is accompanied by thunderstorms that produce a circular wind flow with maximum sustained winds below 39 mph. An upgrade to a tropical storm occurs when cyclonic circulation becomes more organized and maximum sustained winds gust between 39 mph and 73 mph. A tropical storm is then upgraded into Category 1 hurricane status as maximum sustained winds increase to between 74 mph and 95 mph. (The highest classification in the scale, Category 5, is reserved for storms with winds exceeding 156 mph).
Tropical cyclones go by many names around the world, and the terminology can get confusing. Once a tropical cyclone strengthens to the point where it has gale-force winds—39 mph or greater—it becomes a tropical storm. A storm that reaches tropical storm strength usually gets its own name to help us quickly identify it in forecasts and warnings. Once a tropical storm begins producing sustained winds of around 75 mph, we call the storm a typhoon in the western Pacific near Asia and a hurricane in the oceans on either side of North America. A “typhoon” and a “hurricane” are the same kind of storm, they just go by different names…it’s only a matter of geography.
NWS criteria for High Surf Advisories & Warnings.
In coordination with civil defense agencies & water safety organizations in Hawai`i, the NWS uses the criteria below for the issuance of High Surf Advisories & Warnings in coordination with civil defense agencies & water safety organizations in Hawai`i.
All surf height observations & forecasts are for the full face surf height, from the trough to the crest of the wave.
Advisory and Warning Criteria Location
Warning North-Facing Shores 15 Feet 25 Feet
West-Facing Shores - Remaining Islands 12 Feet 20 Feet
West-Facing Shores - Big Island 8 Feet 12 Feet
South-Facing Shores 8 Feet 15 Feet
East-Facing Shores 8 Feet 15 Feet
'Travel Time' Buoy 51101 to Waimea Buoy. Distance: 269 nautical miles (~310 miles). Angle: 307 deg
Wave Wave Wave Depth Wave Direction (deg)----------
Period Length Speed Shallow 295, 305, 315, 325, 335, 345, 355
(s) (ft) (nm/h) (ft) Travel Time (hours)----------
10sec. 512. 15. 256. 17.3, 17.7, 17.6, 16.9, 15.7, 14.0, 11.9
12sec. 737. 18. 369. 14.5, 14.8, 14.6, 14.0, 13.0, 11.6, 9.9
14sec. 1003. 21. 502. 12.4, 12.7, 12.5, 12.0, 11.2, 10.0, 8.5
16sec. 1310. 24. 655. 10.8, ,1 1.1, 11.0, 10.5, 9.8, 8.7, 7.4
18sec. 1658. 27. 829. 9.6, 9.8, 9.8, 9.4, 8.7, 7.8, 6.6
20sec. 2047. 30. 1024. 8.7 8.9 8.8 8.4 7.8 7.0 5.9
22sec. 2477. 33. 1239. 7.9 8.1 8.0 7.7 7.1 6.3 5.4
24sec. 2948. 36. 1474. 7.2 7.4 7.3 7.0 6.5 5.8 4.9
Tropical Storms - wind 39-73 mph (34-63 kt)
Category 1 - winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt)
Category 2 -winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt)
Category 3 -winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt)
Category 4 - winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt)
Category 5 -winds 156 mph and up (135+ kt)
Please visit the Central Pacific Hurricane Center website at www.weather.gov/cphc for the most recent bulletins.
ENSO is a single climate phenomenon, it has three states or phases. The two opposite phases, “El Niño” and “La Niña,” require certain changes in both the ocean and the atmosphere because ENSO is a coupled climate phenomenon. “Neutral” is in the middle of the continuum. The MJO (Madden-Julian Oscillation) is an eastward moving disturbance of clouds, rainfall, winds, and pressure that traverses the planet in the tropics and returns to its initial starting point in 30 to 60 days, on average, unlike ENSO which is stationary. In a nutshell, more active means more surf.
Kelvin wave (A Kelvin wave is a wave in the ocean or atmosphere that balances the Earth's Coriolis force against a topographic boundary such as a coastline, or a waveguide such as the equator. A feature of a Kelvin wave is that it is non-dispersive, i.e., the phase speed of the wave crests is equal to the group speed of the wave energy for all frequencies. This means that it retains its shape as it moves in the alongshore direction over time.)
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