Hawaii severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 4 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 39 severe thunderstorm wind events in Hawaii from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 1.8 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 18, 2018 thunderstorm wind in Hawaii County: 1 death. Hawaii ranks 51st of 52 states and territories by count and 50th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Hawaii, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 391955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 1.8average
- Deaths
- 10 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.7Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 19967 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in Hawaii?
Hawaii averages about 1.8 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 51st of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1996 (7). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Hawaii records 61 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 50th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Kauai County leads Hawaii: 11 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 17.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Honolulu County has the most thunderstorm wind records (13 since 1955); 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 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Hawaii?
62% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in December and January. The busiest month is January (13 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 13 · Feb 4 · Mar 7 · Apr 2 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 1 · Nov 1 · Dec 11 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Hawaii?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-02-18 | Thunderstorm WindHolualoa, Hawaii County A shack-like structure was blown 150 feet off its foundation by the thunderstorm winds. Time of event estimated based on radar. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Hawaii
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-02-27 | Thunderstorm WindMilolii, Hawaii County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
| 2005-01-08 | Thunderstorm WindKalaheo, Kauai County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $151K |
| 2025-01-10 | Thunderstorm WindKanaha Bp, Maui County One storm episode: 4 records; the totals are the episode's. | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $100K |
| 1995-11-03 | Thunderstorm WindKauai Hiz001, Kauai County | 0 | 0 | $29K | |
| 1997-01-29 | Thunderstorm WindKekaha, Kauai County | 0 | 0 | $18K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 0 | 3,482 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 10,124 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 18,714 | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 | 39,604 | 0 |
| 1990s | 10 | 85,554 | 0.01% |
| 2000s | 10 | 129,990 | 0.01% |
| 2010s | 10 | 161,286 | 0.01% |
| 2020-26 | 9 | 126,815 | 0.01% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Hawaii
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-10 | Thunderstorm WindKanaha Bp, Maui County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $100K |
| 2025-01-10 | Thunderstorm WindPulehu, Maui County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-01-10 | Thunderstorm WindPulehu, Maui County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-01-10 | Thunderstorm WindNahiku, Maui County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-02-18 | Thunderstorm WindHolualoa, Hawaii County | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2005-01-08 | Thunderstorm WindKalaheo, Kauai County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $151K |
| 2004-02-27 | Thunderstorm WindMilolii, Hawaii County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
| 2002-02-25 | Thunderstorm WindCaptain Cook, Hawaii County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-01-29 | Thunderstorm WindKekaha, Kauai County | 0 | 0 | $18K | |
| 1995-11-03 | Thunderstorm WindKauai Hiz001, Kauai County | 0 | 0 | $29K |
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 severe thunderstorm wind events in Hawaii
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 9 declarations in Hawaii, 8 of them major disasters; the latest on February 15, 2022.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-02-15 | DR-4639 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides | 2 |
| 2020-07-09 | DR-4549 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2014-09-12 | DR-4194 | Tropical Storm Iselle | 2 |
| 2012-04-18 | DR-4062 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides | 2 |
| 2008-02-06 | DR-1743 | Severe Storms, High Surf, Flooding, and Mudslides | 3 |
| 2006-05-02 | DR-1640 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 2 |
| 2005-02-01 | DR-1575 | Severe Storms and Flash Flooding | 1 |
| 2000-11-09 | DR-1348 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 1996-11-18 | EM-3122 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Kauai County: the county's whole recordThe Hawaii county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in HawaiiTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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- Drought in Hawaii1,685 records
- Floods in Hawaii865 records