NOAA issues 2023 Hurricane Season Summary for the Central Pacific Basin

The 2023 hurricane season featured four tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific Hurricane
Center area of responsibility.

Four to five tropical cyclones occur during an average year. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The central Pacific basin extends from 140°W to the International Date Line.

Tropical Storm Calvin was the first tropical cyclone of the season in the central Pacific, moving
into the basin from the east on July 17. Calvin prompted a Tropical Storm Warning for Hawai‘i
County and passed within 80 miles of South Point, Big Island on July 19.

Hurricane Dora was the first major hurricane in the central Pacific basin since 2020. Dora
moved into the basin on Aug. 6 as a category 4 hurricane and maintained its strength as it
passed over 500 miles south of the state at its closest point on Aug. 8.

Dora then passed over 300 miles south of Johnston Island on Aug. 10 and crossed the International Date Line into the western Pacific basin on Aug. 12 as a category 2 hurricane. This makes Dora the second tropical cyclone on record to maintain hurricane strength through the eastern, central, and western Pacific basins, the other being Hurricane John in 1994.

Tropical Storm Greg moved into the basin from the east on Aug. 14 and tracked westward,
weakening to a remnant low on Aug. 17 about 500 miles south of the Big Island.

Tropical Depression 12-E was declared a remnant low shortly after crossing into the central Pacific basin on Sept. 16. Thunderstorms continued to pulse near the low, prompting
the Central Pacific Hurricane Center to extend the duration of T. D. 12-E through Aug. 18 in the postseason reanalysis.

Impacts to the State of Hawaiʻi

Damaging winds and dry air across the state on Aug. 7-8 were a result of a strong gradient and sinking air between high pressure to the north and Hurricane Dora far to the south.

The winds contributed to the destructive, fast-moving wildfires on Aug. 8 that destroyed the town of Lāhainā, Maui and killed at least 100 people, making it the deadliest wildfire in US history in more than a century.

Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Calvin caused flash flooding that closed several roads across
Hawai‘i County on July 19.

Hurricane Season Outlook

NOAA’s 2023 central Pacific hurricane season outlook, issued on May 25, 2023, called for four to seven tropical cyclones in the central Pacific basin, with a 50% chance of an above normal season, a 35% chance of a near-normal season, and a 15% chance of a below normal season.

The 2023 season started with ENSO-neutral conditions in the equatorial Pacific that were expected to quickly transition to El Niño conditions and continue through the summer.