Dear Tom,
Do hurricanes ever hit Hawaii?
Jessica Ryan, Round Lake
Dear Jessica,
Hurricanes do hit Hawaii, but the threat of a landfall there is less than in the Caribbean or along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts. In early September 2003, Hurricane Jimena passed within 120 miles of the Big Island’s South Point, bringing 50 m.p.h. winds and considerable flooding. Just last year the remnants of Hurricane Kenneth dumped heavy rain and caused flash flooding on several of the islands. Since 1950, many tropical storms and hurricanes have skirted the island chain, but only two storms have made a direct hit. Both of those storms struck the island of Kauai: Hurricane Dot in 1959 and Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
Iniki devastated portions of Kauai and caused damage in excess of $2 billion.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
