connected to the storm. Tracks of all tropical cyclones (tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes) to pass within 100 miles of the Hawaiian Islands, 1949 - 2014. Damage was In the vast Pacific Ocean, Hawaii's total land area is only about 6,400 square miles, the fourth-smallest U.S. state by land area, larger than only Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island. No doubt about that. The island of Kauai was especially hard hit by damaging winds. Douglas' wind gusts downed some trees and produced bands of locally flooding rain in parts of the islands. the rain the storm had so rapidly wrought. * July 1994: Hurricane Emilia damaged trees and foliage while passing south of Hawaii. Dot brought sustained winds of 81 mph with gusts to 103 mph to Kilauea Light. Wave heights between 15 and 20 feet was reported on Kauai. BROWSE BY TOPIC. Additionally, more than 52 inches of rain fell over four days in Kauai. Hawaii may be paradise, but like the Caribbean Sea, hurricanes are part of its history. The state ranks as the 48th most active in terms of touch downs, with 40 confirmed tornadoes since 1950. . When tropical cyclones approach Hawaii, they tend to come from the southeast. Old movies. The article was first published on August 7, 2014. Iniki brought winds of 140 miles per hour. A Hawaiian hurricane is a tropical cyclone that forms in the Pacific Ocean and affects the Hawaiian Islands. (MORE:Fewer Atlantic Hurricanes Expected This Season). Drier, more stable air from the subtropical high to the northeast of Hawaii eventually inhibits thunderstorms from persisting and remaining clustered near the cyclone's center. The warmer water also allows for more tropical system formationcloser to Hawaii and across the eastern Pacific. Shoreline roads on all islands were damaged and some homes flooded. Heres a look at the hurricanes that left behind a mess in Hawaii since the 1950s. about 9 AM when it suddenly lulled into a calm fearfully in contrast with * August 1959: Hurricane Dot entered the Central Pacific as a Category 4 hurricane just south of Hawaii. ENSO is a Pacific- wide phenomenon during which ocean surface water warms in the Eastern Pacific and pressure of conclusive identification of hurricanes did not began until the tracking August 1950: Hurricane Hiki passed north of the islands, bringing gale winds. * July 2013: Tropical Storm Flossie passed through the central Hawaiian islands as a minimal tropical storm. Damages from Dot cost no more than a few million dollars, and rainfall was relatively light; around 4 inches. Over land, maximum sustained winds exceeded 140 mph, gusting to 175 mph, All the islands reported some surf damage along their southwest facing shores, and wind damage was widespread on Kauai. Hurricanes approaching from the east typically fall apart before they reach Hawaii due to the cool waters and dry air that lie to the east of the islands. This is because water currents bring cooler water from Alaska, down the eastern Pacific Ocean alongthe U.S. West Coast and into the central Pacific. High surf with waves of up to 10 feet impacted the eastern side of the Big Island. What that high does is it tends to deflect storms away from the islands, Cantin said. Like most of its predecessors, Iselle weakened as it approached the Islands eventually making landfall along the Kau coast on the Big Island just below hurricane strength. Rainfall totals are expected to reach 5 to 8 inches across the islands, with some isolated pockets possibly seeing as much as 12 inches. * December 19021903: A low pressure system (known later as The Froc Cyclone) took a path similar to that of a tropical cyclone, passing through Kaulakahi Channel in late December 1902. entered the Central Pacific as a Category 4 hurricane just south of Hawaii, but weakened to a Category 1 storm before making landfall on Kauai. where, "quite suddenly the weather cleared and the wind dropped to calm. By the way, did you know that you can now save $10/person on our Maui Princess Dinner Cruise or a Snorkel Adventure to the Island of Lanai? They've also been known to come from the southwest, but rarely from the northeast or due east, where much cooler water comes down from Alaska on the west coast of North America. But at the end of the day, Lane, like most hurricanes did not reach landfall in Hawaii. 'Iwa carried a broad reach, producing conditions and caused It's been more than two decades since the last hurricane hit the 50th state. According to the NOAA historical hurricane database, from 1950 - 2017, only 14 hurricanes have ever passed within 200 miles of Hawaii. * August 1999: Hurricane Dora caused minor wind gusts of up to 58 miles per hour on the southern part of Big Island as it passed south of Hawaii. , which made landfall along the southeast shore of Hawaii's Big Island on August 8, 2014 with 60 mph winds. * August 1966: Hurricane Connie brought heavy rain to Big Island and Maui without making landfall. Deadliest Storms , %*|? Tropical cyclone records were not kept before the 1950s. major agricultural damage, particularly to macadamia orchards. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM. * July 1994: The remnants of Tropical Storm Fabio brought heavy showers to Big Island and Oahu. * September 1992: Hurricane Iniki caused more damage than any other hurricane to affect Hawaii since records began. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription. From 1950 through 2021, around 30 hurricanes have passed within 200 nautical miles of the Big Island, Maui, Honolulu or Kauai, according to NOAA's historical hurricane database. It should be noted that the to the north, and towering ghostly white clouds nearby to the west". * November 1874: A possible tropical cyclone may have dropped more than 20 inches of rain on Honolulu and southerly gales destroyed 23 homes and damaged at least 50. Nina's closest approach to land, which was relatively far off the coast, was only about 120 miles (190 km) southwest of Kauai. Three hurricanes struck the island of Kauai hard, including the most. * August 1988: Hurricane Uleki approached the state. Daniel Nelson. codes, with Kaua'i opting for higher standards of construction by requiring It was also considered the first official hurricane in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands.The fourth tropical cyclone of the 1950 Pacific hurricane season, Hiki formed as a tropical depression to the southeast of Hawaii on August 12. 1960s Most years, the water is too coolfor most tropical systems to arrive from the due east. Virtually all hurricanes near the Hawaiian Islands since 1949 have approached from the southeast, south or southwest. As pointed out by University of North Carolina - Charlotte graduate student Eric Webb, there was a case of a major hurricane punching through the Big Island and Maui in August 1871, as a January 2018 study uncovered. The direct hit on the Big Island does present an interesting scientific prospect, in terms of monitoring how much the islands topography tears apart the storm. Since 1949, the Hawaiian Islands have received a direct hit from just two hurricanes--Dot in 1959, and Iniki in 1992. Two people on Oahu drowned in rough surf. Only two named storms approaching from the east have hit the islands since 1949, an unnamed 1958 tropical storm and Tropical Storm Iselle of 2014, which hit the Big Island. The frequency of tropical storms This path exposed Kaua'i to the most severe Nina set a record for the highest wind gust ever recorded in Honolulu: 82 miles per hour. Hurricanes need ocean waters of at least 80F to develop and maintain the convection engine at their core, so colder waters can shut them down. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. * October 1906: A tropical cyclone passed about 60 miles south of South Point. so extensive, it caused an insurance crisis in Hawai'i, prompting the State Damage was in excess of $6 million. More than three dozen hurricanes, or tropical cyclones, have impacted the Hawaiian islands since 1950, causing at least 12 deaths. Historically, But do you know what else is awesome? Dot entered the Central Pacific as a Category 4 hurricane just south of Hawaii. reversed direction as the eye passed over the Island. HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii is grateful for many near-misses from hurricanes in recent decades. 'Iwa formed south of Hawai'i during Also, a hurricane simply rounding the southwest side of a less expansive eastern Pacific Ocean subtropical high would put Hawaii in the crosshairs. * October 1983: Hurricane Raymond took a path similar to Gils, but as a depression, causing no damage. The storm supposedly tracked northward, passing through the Kauai channel. further damage to fields of pineapple and other crops. * August 1925: High seas and gusty winds were recorded. 68 mph (110 km/h) winds were recorded in Kauai. The storm slammed into Hawaii in September as a Category 4 hurricane and was blamed for six fatalities. Considered the most catastrophic hurricane in Hawaii history, Iniki originated in 1992, which was also an El Nio year. On Aug. 5, Dot seemed to turn more northwest, aiming it directly at Kauai. The island of Kauai was especially hard hit by damaging winds. Previous. On average, between four and five tropical cyclones are observed in the Central Pacific every year. especially both as hurricanes! Dot: August 1959. . Virtually every system approaching Hawaii from the east since 1950 tracking at least as far north as the latitude of the Big Island of Hawaii eventually weakened to a tropical storm or depression by the time it reached the islands. Cooler sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific waters to the east of the Big Island of Hawaii keep the air somewhat cooler above it, increasing the stability of the atmosphere, making it less susceptible to forming and maintaining thunderstorms. But right now, that high is sitting a little further north than usual, allowing storms to take aim at the islands. Hawaii may be paradise, but like the Caribbean Sea, hurricanes are part of its history. Part of the reason this doesn't happen that often is just geography. Hurricane season runs June 1 to Nov. 30 each year. When asking why hurricanes rarely reach landfall in Hawaii, it's important to see the big picture. * August 1993: Hurricane Fernanda brought heavy surf of up to 15 feet on the east facing beaches from the Big Island to Kauai. The mountainous terrain of the islands amplifies the rain threat and contributes to the threat of ensuingflash floodsand mudslides. Copyright 2020 Hawaii News Now. Like 'Iwa, Iniki formed south of Hawai'i during a strong The USGS states that "more commonly, near-misses that generate large swell and moderately high winds causing varying degrees of damage are the hallmark of hurricanes passing close to the islands. One person died. This is the reality of a meteorological rule of thumb. Dr.Knabb, also a former deputy director at NOAA's Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, points out thatthere is no meteorological reason why the core of a major hurricane can't directly hit Honolulu, resulting in destructive storm surge flooding, wind damage, and rainfall flooding affecting a metro population (minus tourists) of just under 400,000. Hurricane Lane was certainly a close call, the closest we've seen since 1992. By far the worst storm on record to hit Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki, which was a 145 mph Category 4 hurricane that crossed the island of Kauai on Sept. 10-11, 1992. Hurricane expertMichael Lowrysays that dating to 1950, there is a 13 percent increase in the chance of a named storm to track within 100 miles of the Hawaii islands during an El Nio year (35 percent chance) than a neutral year (22 percent chance). [46] Another example may be Hurricane Felicia which dropped from Category 4 down to a tropical depression with residual winds predicted at only 35 miles per hour (56km/h). The waters around Hawaii at present arent cool enough to cause dramatic weakening of Iselle before it hits the Big Island. Additionally, at total of 52 inches (1321 mm) of rain fell over 4 days in Kauai. * September 1972: Hurricane Fernanda may have caused flash flooding near Waipio as it passed to the northeast. During these years, sea surface temperature tends to be higher than average near the Islands and wind shear diminishes. heavily damaged structures along the south coast. * August 2000: Hurricane Daniel passed north of the islands, bringing a few thunderstorms but no significant flooding. either entering or forming in the Central North Pacific Zone between 140 and 180 west longitude has varied greatly Sea-surface temperatures are typically warmer the further south you get in the northern Pacific, which means a tropical cyclone moving toward Hawaii from the south would have a better chance of surviving to the islands. By contrast, the warmest month is August averaging 88/64 and 0 days of rain. List of Hawaii Hurricanes - List of Tropical Cyclones - 1950s. From 1950 through 2017, only 14 hurricanes have passed within 200 nautical miles of the Big Island, Maui, Honolulu or Kauai, according to NOAA's historical hurricane database. On average, about five tropical * 1986 Estelle 2 one of the most severe ENSO years on record. Knowledge awaits. sustained winds over Kaua'i still exceeding 80 mph, which snapped trees by Dr Jeff Masters, Weather Underground, October 16, 2014 (excerpt). about 6 o'clock A.M. from the North, and rapidly rotating to the West and night of August 6. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. . 1800s. January 25, 2004: A brief F0 tornado touched down . systems in the South Pacific reverse or weaken. Tropical Storm Iselle in 2014became only the second tropical storm, and the strongest, to landfall on the Big Island dating to 1950. * August 1988: Tropical Storm Gilma moved through the island chain as a depression, dropping locally heavy rainfall of up to 4 inches in some places. That's not to say. Nina caused about $100,000 damage in Kauai and dropped more than 20 inches of rain in 14 hours.