Will a hurricane make landfall in Hawaii before 2027?
- Will a hurricane make landfall in Hawaii before 2027?33¢
This market will resolve to "Yes" if any storm makes landfall in the State of Hawaii at Category 1 strength or higher, as reported in official Central Pacific Hurricane Center advisories (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/cphc/), between market creation and December 31, 2026, 11:59:59 PM ET. Otherwise, this market will resolve to "No". A landfall counts toward this determination only if it occurs within this window; the time of the physical landfall governs, not the time any confirming advisory is issued. A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or greater (Category 1 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale), as described at https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php, and a hurricane landfall is said to occur when the hurricane's surface center intersects with the coastline, as described at https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutgloss.shtml#LANDFALL. A storm must hold hurricane strength (Category 1 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale) at the moment its surface center intersects the coastline for that landfall to qualify. "Hawaii" means the entire State of Hawaii as recognized under U.S. law, including the main Hawaiian Islands (Hawaiʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Niʻihau, and Kahoʻolawe) and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (including Midway Atoll and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument). The wind speed at the moment of landfall will be determined from the CPHC advisory or Special Advisory in effect at the time closest to the reported landfall time; where no advisory covers that exact moment, the most recent advisory issued prior to landfall governs. This market may resolve based on the initial CPHC advisory reporting a qualifying landfall regardless of any later advisory, retraction, best-track revision, or reanalysis that revises that storm's intensity downward at the time of landfall. However, if a subsequent advisory or correction identifies a qualifying landfall that was not reflected in initial reporting, this market will resolve to "Yes" based on that correction.
Hawaii's isolated location in the Central Pacific and prevailing steering patterns from subtropical ridges limit direct hurricane landfalls, with only a handful recorded in the past century despite seasonal activity. NOAA's 2026 outlook calls for an above-normal Central Pacific season with 5-13 tropical cyclones fueled by developing El Niño conditions and warmer sea surface temperatures, yet historical analogs show most systems weaken or recurve before reaching the islands. As of mid-August, Tropical Storm Lala is forecast to intensify toward Category 1 strength while tracking near or south of the Big Island this weekend, with model consensus favoring a near-miss over landfall. Trader sentiment favoring "No" at 67.5% reflects these climatological barriers and uncertainty in exact tracks through the remaining season.