Hawaii hurricanes and tropical storms
Every recorded hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996 · 3 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 26 hurricane and tropical storm records in Hawaii from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 5.2 a year since 2000. Hawaii ranks 25th of 34 states and territories by count and 18th of 33 per square mile.
Hurricanes and tropical storms in Hawaii, 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
- 261996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 5.2average
- Deaths
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $9Kas filed
- Busiest year
- 201812 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 Hawaii?
Hawaii averages about 5.2 hurricane and tropical storm records a year since 2000, 25th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2018 (12). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Hawaii records 40 hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996, 18th of 33 states and territories by that measure.
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.
Which counties in Hawaii have the most hurricane and tropical storm records?
Per square mile, Honolulu County leads Hawaii: 3 days with a hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996, 5.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Hawaii County has the most tropical records (12 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is hurricane season in Hawaii?
96% of its hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (15 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 10 · Aug 15 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 1 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
Are hurricane and tropical storm records becoming more frequent in Hawaii?
Hawaii'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 | Hawaii | United States | Hawaii's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 0 | 1,123 | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 | 4,928 | 0 |
| 2010s | 21 | 2,761 | 0.76% |
| 2020-26 | 5 | 2,697 | 0.19% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent hurricane and tropical storm records in Hawaii
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-04 | Storm Surge/TideHonolulu County · forecast zone Honolulu Metro | 0 | 0 | – |
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 Hawaii
FEMA has declared 10 disasters in Hawaii 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); 5 were major disasters, the latest on September 25, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-25 | EM-3654 | Tropical Storm Nolo | 4 |
| 2026-08-25 | EM-3652 | Hurricane Lala | 1 |
| 2020-07-25 | EM-3529 | Hurricane Douglas | 4 |
| 2018-09-27 | DR-4395 | Hurricane Lane | 3 |
| 2018-09-12 | EM-3404 | Tropical Storm Olivia | 4 |
| 2018-08-22 | EM-3399 | Hurricane Lane | 4 |
| 2014-09-12 | DR-4194 | Tropical Storm Iselle | 2 |
| 1992-09-12 | DR-961 | Hurricane Iniki | 6 |
| 1982-11-27 | DR-671 | Typhoon Iwa | 2 |
| 1959-08-16 | DR-94 | Hurricane Dot | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Honolulu County: the county's whole recordThe Hawaii county with the most hurricane and tropical storm records per square mile
- Hurricanes and tropical storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in HawaiiTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Rip currents and high surf in Hawaii9,301 records
- Drought in Hawaii1,685 records
- Floods in Hawaii865 records