NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Captain Cook, HI
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Captain Cook, Hawaii since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hone in 2024. No tornado has been recorded within 25 miles since 1950.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 0
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Captain Cook
The strongest storm to pass near Captain Cook was Hone in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Captain Cook begins with Dalilia in 1989; the most recent system was Hone in 2024. The busiest decade was the 2010s, with 2 systems. Of the 4 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 57 Hawaii cities on this site, 40% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Captain Cook. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 1997, with stones of 0.75 inches (penny size). Captain Cook has more hail reports within 10 miles than 49% of the 57 Hawaii cities.
Compare Captain Cook's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Captain Cook
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HoneAug 25 | 66 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2016 | DarbyJul 24 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2014 | IselleAug 8 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | DaliliaJul 20 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Captain Cook: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Hail in Captain Cook
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Captain Cook, from November 19, 1997: 0.75 inches (penny size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Captain Cook
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Opihihale #2 24.1, HI, 3 miles south of Captain Cook at 1,360 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 64°F; February is the coolest, at 74°F and 57°F. September is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 36.0 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 36.0 inches is more than at 17 of the 33 Hawaii stations used on this site (52%). Kealakekua, 15 miles north, has its own station (Kailua Kona Ke-Ahole Airport, HI): 9.9 inches a year, 26.1 less than here, and an August average high of 87°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74 | 57 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Feb | 74 | 57 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Mar | 74 | 58 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Apr | 74 | 60 | 2.5 | 6 |
| May | 75 | 61 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Jun | 75 | 63 | 2.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 77 | 64 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 78 | 64 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Sep | 77 | 63 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Oct | 77 | 62 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Nov | 76 | 61 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Dec | 75 | 58 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Year | 76 | 61 | 36.0 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Opihihale #2 24.1, HI (1,360 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Captain Cook
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 7 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Captain Cook: 6 heavy rain events and 1 thunderstorm wind report. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $750,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on February 27, 2004.
February 27, 2004: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Captain Cook — $750,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Hawaii County, which includes Captain Cook, has been named in 35 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 fires, 6 hurricanes, 4 earthquakes, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Lala, on October 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hawaii County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $365.0 million a year, the 2nd highest of 5 Hawaii counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $185.3 million (51%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. 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).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Captain Cook
- Holualoa, HI11 mi
- Kealakekua, HI15 mi
- Ocean View, HI16 mi
- Naalehu, HI24 mi
- Kailua Kona, HI26 mi
- Waikoloa, HI45 mi
- Volcano, HI45 mi
- Kamuela, HI52 mi
- Mountain View, HI52 mi
- Kurtistown, HI57 mi
- Hilo, HI58 mi
- Honokaa, HI59 mi
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