List of Hawaii Hurricanes - Hawaii's Apparent Immunity To Most Hurricanes

Hawaii's Apparent Immunity To Most Hurricanes

The islands of Hawaii, with Kauai as the notable exception, appear to be remarkably immune from direct hurricane hits. The USGS states that "more commonly, near-misses that generate large swell and moderately high winds causing varying degrees of damage are the hallmark of hurricanes passing close to the islands." This has also drawn media attention.

One notion is that Hawaii’s volcanic peaks slow down or divert storms. A partial source of this idea may be the long list of hurricanes in the above paragraphs that dissipated into tropical storms or depressions upon approaching the islands. Satellite images of hurricane Flossie's breakup when approaching Hawaii Island fueled this idea. Another example may be hurricane Felicia which dropped from Category 4 down to a tropical depression with residual winds predicted at only 35 miles per hour (56 km/h).

Wind data in particular supports the USGS assertion that hurricane damage has been low on all islands except for Kauai. Data collected by the Western Regional Climate Center show no hurricane-strength winds on any Hawaii Islands with the exception of Kauai. Despite this data, FEMA classified all of Hawaii as being in a "Wind-Borne Debris Region".

Normally, a standard homeowner's insurance policy with extended coverage cover hurricane damage. However, FEMA's designation forces residents who wish to obtain coverage to obtain a separate hurricane policy or endorsement. Residents with mortgages frequently have no choice but to obtain such a policy if their mortgage lender insists.