NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Makawao, 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 Makawao, Hawaii since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Linda in 2021. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 4
- 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 Makawao
The strongest storm to pass near Makawao was Douglas in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Makawao begins with Gil in 1983; the most recent system was Linda in 2021, a tropical storm 22 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. 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 Makawao. The highest rating among the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 4 times; the most recent, on February 11, 2011, came within 10 miles. Of the 57 Hawaii cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Makawao. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2009, with stones of 0.75 inches (penny size). Makawao has more hail reports within 10 miles than 49% of the 57 Hawaii cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Makawao
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LindaAug 23 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | DouglasJul 26 | 44 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2018 | OliviaSep 12 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1983 | GilAug 3 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Makawao: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Makawao
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 11, 2011 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 25, 2006 | F0 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 29, 1974 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1967 | F0 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Makawao
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Makawao, from December 20, 2009: 0.75 inches (penny size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Makawao
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kahului Airport, HI, 7 miles west of Makawao at 51 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 82°F and 64°F. December is the wettest at 2.8 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 0.2 inches; the year adds up to 16.1 inches over 30 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 39 days a year, almost all from May to November. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 16.1 inches is more than at 4 of the 33 Hawaii stations used on this site (12%). Haiku, 4 miles northeast, has its own station (Haleakala Rs 338, HI): 42.3 inches a year, 26.2 more than here, and an August average high of 66°F against 90°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Kahului, Kahului Harbor, HI, 9 miles west, averaged 81°F in September and 76°F in February over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from August to October. Sea level at the Kahului tide gauge, 9 miles from Makawao, has risen 0.90 ± 0.07 inches per decade from 1947 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 9.0 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 52 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82 | 64 | 2.4 | 4 | 77 |
| Feb | 82 | 64 | 2.0 | 4 | 76 |
| Mar | 83 | 65 | 2.6 | 5 | 76 |
| Apr | 85 | 67 | 1.3 | 3 | 77 |
| May | 87 | 68 | 0.7 | 2 | 78 |
| Jun | 88 | 70 | 0.2 | 0 | 79 |
| Jul | 89 | 72 | 0.5 | 2 | 80 |
| Aug | 90 | 72 | 0.5 | 1 | 80 |
| Sep | 90 | 71 | 0.5 | 1 | 81 |
| Oct | 89 | 70 | 0.8 | 2 | 80 |
| Nov | 86 | 68 | 1.8 | 3 | 78 |
| Dec | 83 | 66 | 2.8 | 4 | 77 |
| Year | 86 | 68 | 16.1 | 30 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kahului Airport, HI (51 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Kahului, Kahului Harbor, HI, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Makawao
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 141 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Makawao: 108 heavy rain events, 22 flash floods, 5 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $14.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on January 10, 2025. February has had the most flash floods, 9 of 22. Of the 51 Hawaii cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 31 have had fewer than Makawao.
July 29, 2013: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Makawao — 1 injured.
March 8, 2021: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Makawao — $14.3 million damage.
January 10, 2025: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Makawao — $100,000 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
Maui County, which includes Makawao, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 fires, 7 hurricanes, 5 floods, 5 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Lala, on October 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Maui County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; 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 $132.2 million a year, the 3rd highest of 5 Hawaii counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $59.4 million (45%), 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 Makawao
- Paia, HI4 mi
- Haiku, HI4 mi
- Kahului, HI9 mi
- Kula, HI10 mi
- Kihei, HI10 mi
- Wailuku, HI11 mi
- Lahaina, HI21 mi
- Lanai City, HI39 mi
- Kaunakakai, HI45 mi
- Kapaau, HI57 mi
- Kamuela, HI70 mi
- Waikoloa, HI73 mi
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