1950's

  • August 1950: Hurricane Hiki passed north of the islands, bringing gale winds. 68 mph (110 km/h) winds were recorded in Kauai. Additionally, at total of 52 inches (1321 mm) of rain fell over 4 days in Kauai. One person died from Hiki.[4]
  • July 1957: Hurricane Kanoa, after taking a long journey across the eastern Pacific, became a non-tropical circulation a few miles east of Hawaiʻi. The remnants of Kanoa brought welcomed rain.[5]
  • November 1957: Hurricane Nina was a Category 1 hurricane that formed in November south of Hawaiʻi. Nina moved north and took a sharp turn to the west without actually striking the state. Nina's closest approach to land, which was relatively far off the coast, was only about 120 miles (190 km) southwest of Kauai. Nina caused about $100,000 damage in Kauai and dropped over 20 inches (510 mm) of rain in 14 hours. Nina set a record for the highest wind gust ever recorded in Honolulu: 82 miles per hour (132 km/h). Nina killed four people throughout the islands.[5]
  • August 1958: On August 7, a tropical storm seemed to rapidly appear directly off the coast of Hilo. It moved across the islands, dropping considerable rainfall and causing about $500,000 of damage, before dissipating.[6]
  • August 1959: Hurricane Dot was another powerful August arrival. Dot entered the Central Pacific as a Category 4 hurricane just south of Hawaiʻi. On August 5, Dot seemed to turn more northwest, aiming it directly at Kauai. On the 6th, Dot began weakening, and at its landfall in Kauai, Dot was only a Category 1 hurricane. Despite being greatly weakened, the hurricane brought gusts of over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). In some areas of the island, palm trees snapped in half, suggesting winds were locally over 125 miles per hour (201 km/h). Damages from Dot cost no more than a few million dollars, and rainfall was relatively light; around 4 inches (100 mm). No Dot-related deaths were recorded.[7]