PlainHazard

Hawaii winter storms

Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 4 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 84 winter storm records in Hawaii from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 4.1 a year since 2000. Hawaii ranks 51st of 51 states and territories by count and 47th of 50 per square mile.

Winter storms in Hawaii, 1996 to 2026

Winter storm 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
841996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
4.1average
Deaths
00 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
200211 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 winter storm records common in Hawaii?

Hawaii averages about 4.1 winter storm records a year since 2000, 51st of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2002 (11). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Hawaii records 131 winter storm records since 1996, 47th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 6978
  2. 2. Rhode Island 5852
  3. 3. Vermont 5162
  4. 4. Maryland 4709
  5. 5. Massachusetts 3882
  6. 6. Delaware 3274
  7. 7. Connecticut 3017
  8. 8. West Virginia 2970
  9. 9. New Hampshire 2917
  10. 10. New York 2855
  11. 47. Hawaii 131

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 winter storm records?

Per square mile, Kauai County leads Hawaii: 16 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 25.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Hawaii County has the most winter storm records (46 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. Kauai County 25.8 (19)
  2. Honolulu County 13.3 (16)
  3. Hawaii County 11.4 (46)
  4. Maui County 2.6 (3)

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 winter storm season in Hawaii?

57% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is February (29 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 19 · Feb 29 · Mar 7 · Apr 8 · May 1 · Jun 1 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 3 · Dec 16 (records).

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

Are winter 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.

Winter storms: Hawaii and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeHawaiiUnited StatesHawaii's share
1996-99732,8930.02%
2000s4388,8050.05%
2010s23103,6260.02%
2020-261162,0150.02%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent winter storm records in Hawaii

The 0 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage

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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