PlainHazard

Hawaii lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 4 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 36 lightning records in Hawaii from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 2.2 a year since 2000. The costliest was the May 15, 2026 lightning ($1.0 million in 2025 dollars). Hawaii ranks 50th of 52 states and territories by count and 30th of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in Hawaii, 1996 to 2026

Lightning 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
361996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
2.2average
Deaths
05 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$1.3Mas filed
Busiest year
20137 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 lightning records common in Hawaii?

Hawaii averages about 2.2 lightning records a year since 2000, 50th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2013 (7). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Hawaii records 56 lightning records since 1996, 30th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 859
  2. 2. Delaware 744
  3. 3. Massachusetts 642
  4. 4. Rhode Island 571
  5. 5. Connecticut 353
  6. 6. Florida 331
  7. 7. Maryland 322
  8. 8. New Hampshire 232
  9. 9. Georgia 228
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 175
  11. 30. Hawaii 56

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 lightning records?

Per square mile, Honolulu County leads Hawaii: 11 days with a lightning record since 1996, 18.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Honolulu County has the most lightning 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).

  1. Honolulu County 18.3 (12)
  2. Maui County 5.2 (10)
  3. Kauai County 4.8 (4)
  4. Hawaii County 2.0 (10)

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 the lightning season in Hawaii?

Hawaii's lightning records by month. The busiest month is July (5 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 3 · Feb 3 · Mar 4 · Apr 3 · May 3 · Jun 3 · Jul 5 · Aug 2 · Sep 1 · Oct 1 · Nov 5 · Dec 3 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

The costliest lightning records in Hawaii

Hawaii: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-05-15 LightningKawela Bay, Honolulu County 0 0 $1.0M
2026-03-13 LightningMakakilo City, Honolulu County 0 0 $50K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are lightning 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.

Lightning: Hawaii and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeHawaiiUnited StatesHawaii's share
1996-99103,5210.28%
2000s68,0520.07%
2010s155,1030.29%
2020-2651,5440.32%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in Hawaii

The 7 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-05-15 LightningKawela Bay, Honolulu County 0 0 $1.0M
2026-03-13 LightningMakakilo City, Honolulu County 0 0 $50K
2013-12-01 LightningKailua, Honolulu County 0 1 –
2013-07-29 LightningHaiku, Maui County 0 1 –
2011-06-03 LightningKawailoa, Honolulu County 0 1 –
1997-11-18 LightningMilolii, Hawaii County 0 1 –
1997-08-15 LightningNanakuli, Honolulu County 0 1 –

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.

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