Hurricane Characteristics | Maui County, HI (2024)

FAQs

Hurricane Characteristics | Maui County, HI? ›

Hurricanes are especially dangerous storms because they combine the triple threat of violent winds, torrential rains, and abnormally high waves and storm surge.

Hurricane season in Hawaii runs from June to November, though the Aloha State sees the most hurricanes in July, August, and September.

Hurricanes are one of nature's most powerful storms. They produce strong winds, storm surge flooding, and heavy rainfall that can lead to inland flooding, tornadoes, and rip currents.

Hurricane Nina (1957) produced record winds in Honolulu. Hurricane Dot (1959) caused damage to Kauai. Hurricane Estelle (1986) produced very high surf on Hawaii and Maui and floods on Oahu.

The 2024 central Pacific hurricane season outlook from forecasters at NOAA's Central Pacific Hurricane Center and NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, calls for 1–4 tropical cyclones across the central Pacific Hurricane region.

Hurricane season is June 1 through November 30. This runs through the summer, which is some of the hottest months for tourism in Hawaii.

Hawaii's rainy season lasts from October to March, with Hawaii's rainiest month being December.

The Hawaiian Islands are small in comparison to the Pacific Ocean, so these hurricanes don't often actually hit Hawaii. However, if you happen to be in Hawaii when a hurricane is heading your way, there are some things you should do to prepare.

Since 1946, more than 220 people have died in Hawaii, including six on Oahu, due to tsunamis. Knowing if you're in an evacuation zone, recognizing the natural warning signs, and understanding how you will be alerted can make the difference between life and death. View our multilingual tsunami resources.

Hawaii is vulnerable to a number of natural disasters including hurricanes, tsunamis, flash flooding, and earthquakes.

How bad is hurricane season going to be in 2024? ›

This year, NOAA predicts a very high likelihood (85% chance) of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season (2), with 17-25 named storms (average is 14), 8-13 hurricanes (average is 7), and 4-7 major hurricanes (average is 3) (3).

This is still hurricane season for the Central Pacific and Hawaii. On average, about 4 to 5 tropical systems occur each year within 1500 miles or so of Hawaii. The vast majority of the time, the storms stay far enough away that no impact is noted in Hawaii.

The islands of Hawaii, situated in the Pacific Ocean, rarely experience tornadoes, averaging about one per year. The state ranks as the 48th most active in terms of touch downs, with 40 confirmed tornadoes since 1950. None of these tornadoes have caused loss of life and none exceeded F2 intensity.

Hawaii's heaviest rains are come from winter storms between October and April.

Hurricane season runs from June through November (since 1950, when accurate data collection began, only a handful of hurricanes have caused significant damage). Nature also demonstrates her might during the winter when storms in the Pacific drive ocean swells toward north-facing shores of the Islands.

The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October.

Hawaii's hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts more cyclone activity in the central Pacific than usual, due to it being an El Nino summer.