American Samoa hurricanes and tropical storms
Every recorded hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996 · 5 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 28 hurricane and tropical storm records in American Samoa from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 2.2 a year since 2000. The costliest was the January 4, 2004 hurricane ($78.1 million in 2025 dollars).
Hurricanes and tropical storms in American Samoa, 1996 to 2026
Tropical records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 281996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 2.2average
- Deaths
- 020 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $167Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 19986 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are hurricane and tropical storm records common in American Samoa?
American Samoa averages about 2.2 hurricane and tropical storm records a year since 2000. The busiest year on record was 1998 (6).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
When is hurricane season in American Samoa?
79% of its hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (17 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 17 · Feb 5 · Mar 1 · Apr 2 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 1 · Dec 2 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
The costliest hurricane and tropical storm records in American Samoa
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-01-04 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Manu'a District · forecast zone Tutuila | 0 | 20 | $78M | |
| 2018-02-09 | Tropical Storm Gita · Tropical StormManu'a District · forecast zone Tutuila | 0 | 0 | $61M | |
| 2005-02-14 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Swains Island · forecast zone Manu'a | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2015-11-27 | Tropical StormManu'a District · forecast zone Tutuila | 0 | 0 | $12M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are hurricane and tropical storm records becoming more frequent in American Samoa?
American Samoa's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | American Samoa | United States | American Samoa's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 6 | 1,123 | 0.53% |
| 2000s | 7 | 4,928 | 0.14% |
| 2010s | 15 | 2,761 | 0.54% |
| 2020-26 | 0 | 2,697 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent hurricane and tropical storm records in American Samoa
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-02-09 | Tropical StormManu'a District · forecast zone Tutuila | 0 | 0 | $61M | |
| 2015-11-27 | Tropical StormManu'a District · forecast zone Tutuila | 0 | 0 | $12M | |
| 2005-02-14 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Swains Island · forecast zone Manu'a | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2004-01-04 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Manu'a District · forecast zone Tutuila | 0 | 20 | $78M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for hurricane and tropical storm records in American Samoa
FEMA has declared 9 disasters in American Samoa for hurricane and tropical storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name hurricane or tropical storm or typhoon in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 8 were major disasters, the latest on March 2, 2018.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-03-02 | DR-4357 | Tropical Storm Gita | 5 |
| 2018-02-11 | EM-3397 | Tropical Storm Gita | 5 |
| 2005-02-18 | DR-1582 | Tc Olaf, Includ. High Winds and Surf and Heavy Rainfall | 5 |
| 2004-01-13 | DR-1506 | High Winds, High Surf, and Heavy Rainfall Associated With Tropcial Cyclone Heta | 3 |
| 1991-12-13 | DR-927 | Hurricane Val | 5 |
| 1990-02-09 | DR-855 | Hurricane Ofa | 5 |
| 1987-01-24 | DR-785 | Hurricane Tusi | 5 |
| 1981-03-24 | DR-637 | Typhoon Esau | 5 |
| 1966-02-10 | DR-213 | Typhoon & High Tides | 5 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
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