Honolulu County, Hawaii severe weather history spans 937 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is heavy rain, accounting for 60.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #178 nationally and #2 in Hawaii.
937
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$1.1B
Property damage
The record
What the Honolulu County, Hawaii severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Honolulu County, Hawaii severe weather history averages 13.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 408 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 924 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $1.1B in reported property damage. In total, 13 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Honolulu County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rain | 567 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 147 | 0 | $1.1B | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 78 | 0 | $51K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 37 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Wildfire | 29 | 0 | $230K | 0 | 1998–2003 |
| Tornado | 20 | 0 | $1.1M | F2 | 1957–2015 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 13 | 0 | $24K | 55 | 1996–2022 |
| Waterspout | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $152K | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Debris Flow | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2024 |
| Hail | 7 | 0 | $0 | 4.25 | 2012–2023 |
| Dust Devil | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2025 |
| High Surf | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Honolulu County, Hawaii severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-03-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-01-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-03-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-01-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-04-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Honolulu County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1999 | Flood | MAKAKILO CITY | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Oct 26, 2024 | Heavy Rain | KAIMUKI | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jan 4, 2001 | High Surf | WAIMANALO | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Nov 30, 2025 | Dust Devil | ALIAMANU | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Dec 20, 2023 | Flood | KAIMUKI | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 11, 2009 | Tornado | BARBERS PT HOUSING | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Dec 14, 2008 | Flash Flood | HALEIWA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2000 | Wildfire | WAHIAWA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain fell over the Koolau mountain range in the middle to later half of the morning, then a thunderstorm developed and anchored itself over the mountains. This thunderstorm then produced a large amount of rain in a short time frame, quickly overwhelming Manoa Stream and sending a flood surge down towards Manoa Valley. Manoa marketplace had nearly 2 feet of water and parked cars were inundated. Homes in Manoa reported flooding and an excavation site quickly became overwhelmed with water and sent mud and debris down the road. The overflowing Manoa and Palolo Streams inundated the entire campus of Hokulani Elementary School in St. Louis Heights and students were evacuated. Large boulders and debris were observed across many roads in Manoa Valley and flooding was also observed across the upper portion of the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. A home was also flooded in Laie.
Four feet of water from heavy rain flooded William Henry Road in Kaneohe in windward Oahu. A blocked drain caused the backup of water, inundating some homes in the area. Major flooding problems continued over windward portions of Oahu and the North Shore, especially around Haleiwa and Waialua. The Opaeula Stream overflowed at Haleiwa Road and caused flooding of homes in the area. Also in windward Oahu, flooding was reported along Okana Road and a partial road closure occurred on Kamehameha Highway between Wailehua Road and Waikane Store.
Traffic stalled in all lanes of Kalanianaole Highway in East Oahu near Niu Valley due to 10-12 inches of standing water on the roadway, and the water was still rising. Moments later, the roadway was closed from Aina Haina to Makapuu due to flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,001,146
Population (ACS)
$898K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 19, 2025 | Fire | KUNIA ROAD FIRE | FM |
| Feb 15, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Jul 25, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE DOUGLAS | EM |
| Apr 1, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Waikane 160
- Kahuku 130
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Honolulu County, Hawaii?
937 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.1B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Honolulu County?
Heavy Rain, with 567 recorded events — 60.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Honolulu County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Honolulu County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Honolulu County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Honolulu County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Honolulu County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 99 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Honolulu County, Hawaii severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Hawaii County 957
- Kalawao County 0
- Kauai County 546
- Maui County 875
Cite this page
“Honolulu County, Hawaii.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/hawaii/honolulu-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.