Hurricane Iwa, taken from the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language ...

name for the

frigatebird Frigatebirds are a family of seabirds called Fregatidae which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. The five extant species are classified in a single genus, ''Fregata''. All have predominantly black plumage, long, deeply forke ...

(iwa, lit. "Thief"), was at the time the costliest hurricane to affect the state of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

. Iwa was the twenty-third tropical storm and the twelfth and final hurricane of the 1982 Pacific hurricane season. It developed from an active trough of low pressure near the

equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can al ...

on November 19. The storm moved erratically northward until becoming a hurricane on November 23 when it began accelerating to the northeast in response to strong upper-level flow from the north. Iwa passed within 25 miles of the island of Kauai with peak winds of 90 mph (145 km/h) on November 23 (November 24

Coordinated Universal Time Coordinated Universal Time or UTC is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is within about one second of mean solar time (such as UT1) at 0° longitude (at the IERS Reference Meridian as the currently ...

), and the next day it became extratropical to the northeast of the state. The hurricane devastated the islands of Niihau, Kauai, and

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

with wind gusts exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h) and rough seas exceeding 30 feet (9 m) in height. The first significant

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depe ...

to hit the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost ...

since statehood in 1959, Iwa severely damaged or destroyed 2,345 buildings, including 1,927 houses, leaving 500 people homeless. Damage throughout the state totaled $312 million (1982 USD, $ USD). One person was killed from the high seas, and three deaths were indirectly related to the hurricane's aftermath.

Meteorological history

A very active trough of low pressure persisted along the

in the middle of November, with westerly surface winds and windspread convection located along the trough from 140° W to 140° E. An organized circulation developed near

Palmyra Atoll Palmyra Atoll (), also referred to as Palmyra Island, is one of the Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati). It is located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands, roughly one-third of the way between Hawaii an ...

on November 18, and steadily developed as it drifted westward. Though very late in the season, warm temperatures to the south of the

due to the strongest El Nino in many years allowed the disturbance to develop into Tropical Storm Iwa on November 19 while located about 970 miles (1,760 km) southwest of the southernmost point in Hawaii. The storm tracked slowly northward after forming and initially remained a weak tropical storm. After turning to the northeast, Iwa began slowly intensifying, and on November 23 after turning to the north-northwest Iwa strengthened into a hurricane while located 580 miles (930 km) southwest of the southern tip of Hawaii. Shortly after becoming a hurricane, Iwa turned and accelerated to the northeast in response to strong upper level flow to its north. The hurricane possessed sufficient moisture, instability, and upper divergence for continued intensification, and Iwa reached peak winds of 90 mph (145 km/h) late on November 23 while located 245 miles (395 km) southwest of Waimea on the island of Kauai. Its forward speed increased to 30 to 40 mph, and Iwa passed just north of the island of Kauai on November 23 (November 24 in UTC). The right semicircle of the storm extended across Kauai and

, with gusts from 100 to 120 mph (161 to 193 km/h). After passing

, the convection of Iwa rapidly deteriorated as it gradually lost tropical characteristics. Late on November 24, the hurricane degenerated into a tropical storm, and on November 25 Iwa became an extratropical cyclone while located about 600 miles (965 km) northeast of Hawaii.

Impact

Hurricane Iwa produced estimated gusts reaching 120 mph (193 km/h) across Kauai and

. The acceleration of the hurricane concentrated the energy of its swells, resulting in high waves and

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

across the Hawaiian Islands, though primarily near the path of the center. It is estimated the storm surge reached eight feet (two meters) on the south coast of Kauai. There, the surge reached 900 feet (275 m) inland, exceeding a 100-year flood event for the area. The heaviest rainfall reported from the island chain was from the Intake Wainiha 1086 site, where 20.33 inches (516 mm) was measured. Possible tornadoes were reported in association with a rain squall in Oahu. Waves on the coast of Oahu reached 16.4 feet in height (3 m), and waves on southern Kauai surpassed 30 feet (9 m) in height. Iwa near Hawaii 1982

During the worst of the storm, 5,800 people were evacuated from shoreline areas of Kauai to temporary shelters. Strong waves sank or grounded several small vessels on the southwestern coast of Kauai, with 44 of the 45 boats at Port Allen being sunk. The worst of the damage from the hurricane occurred in

Poipu Poipū (literally, "crashing waves" in Hawaiian) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kauai County on the southern side of the island of Kauai in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The population was 1,299 at the 2020 census. The town features a group ...

, where the rough surf destroyed or severely damaged several exposed luxury hotels and condominiums. Elsewhere on the island, damage was greatest in areas where there was no protective barrier reef offshore. Several small aircraft were damaged at Lihue airport from the winds, including many overturned small planes. The winds destroyed several buildings across the island, including one of Kauai's oldest churches and a warehouse. Additionally, the winds destroyed the roof of a bank. Strong winds initially left the entire island of Kauai without power. Highway 56 on the east side of the island was obstructed by fallen telephone poles, forcing residents to drive on the unpaved, red dirt cane roads usually reserved for hauling

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stal ...

from the fields. Rising waters washed out multiple roads near the coastline. The strong winds destroyed nearly all

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

and

banyan A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...

trees on the island. The hurricane destroyed or greatly damaged 1,907 homes on the island and caused minor damage to 2,983 others, leaving one-eighth of the island's homes unlivable. Rough seas killed a person on a Navy Destroyer the USS Goldsborough DDG-20 in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

when the seaman hit a stanchion, with four others injured on the ship. One of the four injured was swept overboard two miles (three kilometers) from the harbor. Before the arrival of the hurricane, around 1,000 evacuated the low-lying coastline to shelters. Rough waves destroyed four and damaged two deep-water communication cables between Oahu and Kauai. In

, damage from wind and surf was heaviest on the southwest coast between Nānākuli and Mākaha. The storm surge washed sand into streets in Waikīkī and flooded cars in areas of basement parking. Wind damage was greatest in areas where winds blew from southerly directions off of mountains. The winds damaged several small aircraft and a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper versi ...

plane in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

. Gusty winds shattered glass windows in the

Honolulu International Airport Daniel K. Inouye International Airport , also known as Honolulu International Airport, is the main airport of Oahu, Hawaii. Some flights in and out of the Honolulu airport were delayed, while other domestic airports were temporarily closed. The passage of the hurricane damaged at least 6,391 homes, 21 hotels, and two condominium buildings on the island. Additionally, 418 buildings, including 30 businesses, were destroyed on Oahu. Surf damage was reported throughout the Hawaiian islands. 120 people were treated for injuries, though most were minor. An estimated 500 people throughout Hawaii were left homeless due to the hurricane. Damage on the private island of Niihau was severe. An aerial survey indicated 20 homes were destroyed and 160 were damaged, indicating that the hurricane affected nearly all of the island's 226 residents. Reportedly no one was injured on Niihau. At the time, Hurricane Iwa was the costliest storm to hit the state of Hawaii, with damage totaling $312 million (1982 USD, $ USD).

Aftermath

Three days after Hurricane Iwa passed the state,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

George Ariyoshi declared the islands of Kauai and Niihau as disaster areas and began filing papers for a federal disaster declaration. On November 28, five days after the hurricane struck,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

Ronald Reagan declared the islands of Kauai, Niihau, and Oahu as a disaster area. The declaration allocated federal funds to aid the affected citizens. The state Department of Education decided to close all schools on Kauai indefinitely. The thousands of residents without power celebrated

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

by cooking turkeys on outdoor grills or smokers.

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...

planes delivered 20,000 Thanksgiving rations to the thousands left in temporary shelters. The United States military also airlifted generators to Kauai due to several days of power outages. By three weeks after the hurricane, utility crews restored power to nearly all major areas in Oahu, while 5,000 remained without power in Kauai. By around a month after the hurricane passed the island, utilities were restored to most of the entire island. All roads and highways were cleared, as well. One 25th Infantry Division soldier at Schofield Barracks died while cleaning up after the hurricane. Two people died in a traffic accident due to malfunctioning traffic lights. Following the storm, significant redevelopment occurred in

, where the hurricane flooded areas several hundred feet inland. Hurricane Iniki struck the same area ten years later. Officials estimate a hurricane similar to Iwa striking Oahu in 1992 could cause up to $7.5 billion in damage (USD).

Retirement

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center retired the name ''Iwa'' subsequent to the storm and replaced it with ''Io''. However, in 2007, the CPHC revised the four rotating lists of tropical cyclone names and replaced the name ''Io'' with ''Iona'' before it could be used. Iwa was the first retired hurricane in the Central Pacific since the modern system of using Hawaiian naming began in the early 1980s, and it remains one of only four to be retired as of 2015.

References

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Meteorological history

Impact

Aftermath

Retirement

See also

References