Honolulu County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Honolulu County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

The National Weather Service sets flood stages for 34 gauges here but lists no crests for them.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

High tide flooding

Other tide gauges here: Mokuoloe (record 29 days, 2020).

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Tsunamis

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Volcanoes within 100 miles

1. U.S. volcanoes within 100 miles, from the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. The threat category is the USGS 2018 National Volcanic Threat Assessment, which ranks volcanoes by how hazardous their past eruptions were and how many people and how much infrastructure lie near them. It is not a forecast of eruption.

USGS Volcano Hazards Program, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (37).

Deadly landslides

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Mar 20, 2026Flash Flood$1.0 billion
   National Weather Service narrative

   At approximately 800 pm HST, a mesoscale convective system was observed moving over the Kauai Channel towards Oahu. At around 900 pm HST, this mesoscale convective system moved over the west side of Oahu, then the Northern half of Oahu, and began to deliver large amounts of heavy rain. Due to the slow moving nature of this weather system, enormous rain amounts accumulated in a very short time frame. At approximately 1000 pm HST, stream levels rose above flood thresholds and reservoirs filled up. From 1100 pm HST to 200 AM HST, a massive flood wave surged through the North Shore. Multiple roads became impassable across Northern Oahu, Haleiwa became completely cut off, and multiple…

2. Oct 30, 2004Flash Flood$80.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy showers and thunderstorms generated flash flooding in southeast parts of the island of Oahu. The focus of the heaviest rain occurred over the southern portion of the Koolau Range, resulting in the Manoa Stream overflowing its banks and causing significant flooding in the Manoa Valley, including the University of Hawaii campus. Damages to businesses; to private homes and property; and to buildings and their contents at the university are estimated to be $80 million, though they could go as high as $100 million. On the other hand, no serious injuries were reported.

3. Feb 21, 2026Flash Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain began falling over the Koolau mountain range early in the morning and became anchored through most of the day. Widespread flooding occurred over much of the Koolau Mountains and eastern areas of Oahu. The following event summary includes a list of impacts that the flooding caused. A man in Kaneohe reported forty inches of water in his backyard with twenty inches of water in his house along the Keeahala Stream. The Kokokahi Gymnasium was reportedly flooded according to the broadcast media. Flood waters reportedly inundated homes in the neighborhoods bordered by the Likelike and Kamehameha Highways downstream of the Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens. A business was flooded on…

4. Mar 23, 2026Flash Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.…

5. Mar 9, 2021Flash Flood$2.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.

6. Apr 13, 2018Flash Flood$2.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.

7. May 15, 2026Lightning$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong thunderstorm brought frequent cloud to ground lightning strikes across Oahu. Some of the lightning struck utility poles which led to power outages for about 35000 customers. The outage areas included, but were not limited to, Makaha, Aiea, Ewa, Kapolei, Makakilo, Mililani, Pearl City, Waikele, Waimalu and Waipahu. According to HECO, a lightning strike ignited a fire in the switchyard at Kahe Power Plant shortly after 3 p.m., which damaged equipment. Flights at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport were also delayed due to the lightning.

8. Jul 6, 2025Wildfire, Waianae Coast$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   According to KITV, Honolulu fire Department received a call at 2:33pm for a wildfire near Paakea road in Maili. A total of twenty nine Honolulu fire Department units along with units from the Federal Fire Department worked to contain the fire. The fire was ninety percent contained at 1:30 on Monday morning, and burnt about ninety five acres. A total of two homes were damaged in the fire as well as an unconfirmed number of other small structures. According to mayor Rick Blangiardi, a ninety four year old woman had died. She was taken in critical conditions by EMS due to smoke inhalation and second-degree burns.

9. Jan 25, 1996Flash Flood$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A mesoscale low was detected by the Kauai WSR-88D during the early evening of the 24th just north of Oahu. Velocity and Storm Relative Velocity products indicated cyclonic circulation from 15 to 20 thousand feet. After 0100 HST on the 25th, the low began a slow drift south over Oahu. Heavy rains occurred over windward Oahu as the low moved over the island. Rainfall totals (inches) included: 9.02 at Olomana, 9.00 at Kailua, 7.78 at Maunawili, 6.15 at Kaneohe, 4.48 at Punaluu, and 5.00 at Kahuku. 60 Waimanalo residents were evacuated as flooding and mudslides closed many windward Oahu roads. 15 homes were damaged on Kakaina and Mekia Streets in Waimanalo. A bridge over the Makawao…

10. Aug 9, 2025High Surf, Honolulu Metro$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A seventy five foot passenger vessel called the Atlantis discovery ran aground on shallow reef near Kewalo Basin in Honolulu. This happened after the boat got caught by a set of large waves of ten to fourteen feet. A high surf advisory was in place during that time.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

95°F2 times, most recently Aug 31, 2019

All-time low

52°FJan 20, 1969

Warmest night

82°FSep 5, 2019

Coldest day

68°FJan 13, 1979

Wettest day

15.32 inMar 5, 1958

Hottest year

1995mean 79.3°F

Coldest year

1955mean 74.5°F

Wettest year

196542.78 in

Driest year

19984.52 in

Station Honolulu International Airport (USW00022521), 6 ft elevation, 3.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1940 to October 27, 2026; 99.7% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00022521.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• Volcanoes USGS Volcano Hazards Program, U.S. volcanoes and 2018 threat assessment.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built November 1, 2026.