On the afternoon of September 11, 1992, a small but intense Hurricane Iniki struck Hawaii across the island of Kaua'i. Although all islands felt the storm, the islands of Kaua'i and O'ahu were most impacted. Seven persons were killed and about 100 injured; total damage was about $1.8 billion. The south shore of Kaua'i near Port Allen took the brunt of the storm with wind gusts measured to 143 mph and water levels (a combination of storm surge and waves) nearly 30 feet above normal. This image was taken by GOES-7 at 0101Z on September 12, 1992. At this time, GOES-7 was the only operational geostationary satellite. In spite of this limitation and an extremely sparse surface data network, NWS forecasters and meteorological technicians across the state provided excellent warning services to residents and visitors.

This storm also completed a “clean sweep” of National Weather Service offices responsible for issuing hurricane warnings. The National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Florida (Hurricane Andrew), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Guam (Typhoon Omar), and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, Hawaii (Hurricane Iniki) were all struck by strong hurricanes within a 2-month span.