Drought — West Hawaii Including Leeward Kohala and Kona, Hawaii

1999-08-01 to 1999-08-31 · West Hawaii Including Leeward Kohala and Kona, Hawaii

Wider weather episode

A trade wind pattern persisted throughout August, though its strength during the first three days of the month was weak enough to allow local land and sea breezes. Otherwise, intensities were mainly within the moderate to fresh range, with rain bands primarily affecting windward areas. The passage of Hurricane Dora about 210 statute miles south of the island of Hawaii brought a slight increase in shower activity on 15 August. These showers were not able to affect the drought-stricken leeward areas on the isles of Maui and Hawaii.Maui CountyDrought conditions continue for the Upcountry areas of Maui, with the gages at Kula and Ulupalakua reporting August totals at 21 and 28 percent of average, respectively. Over the past three months, the Ulupalakua totals were at 21 percent of average, while the Kula totals were only 15 percent of average. The leeward side of West Maui also remained very dry as the gage at Lahainaluna reported only 0.04 of an inch of rain, or 7 percent of average for August. These observations are in contrast with the data coming in from the windward sites. For example, the gage at Kahakuloa (windward West Maui) measured 2.02 inches (119 percent of average) and the gage at Haiku (East Maui) saw 5.63 inches (128 percent of average).The gage at Kaunakakai Mauka in Molokai reported an August total of 0.37 of an inch, but since the average for the site is only 0.10 of an inch, this monthly total shows up being 370 percent of average. The other Molokai gage (Kamalo) and the Lanai City gage both reflected continuing dry conditions, with observations of only 0.21 of an inch and 0.51 of an inch, respectively. For the year, both Molokai gages and the Lanai City gage remained below 50 percent of average.Island of HawaiiThe rains returned somewhat to the windward side of the island of Hawaii, where totals over the past three months were around 50 percent of average. For August, four sites (Upolu Point, Kamuela Upper, Hilo Airport, and Glenwood) recorded amounts greater than average. Hilo Airport is a particularly interesting case, having just come off its driest July on record (3.53 inches) with an August total of 10.14 inches, or 108 percent of average. The remaining windward Hawaii sites were mainly between 60 and 80 percent of average. As mentioned previously, the passage of Hurricane Dora to the south of the island contributed to some of the rainfall by dropping between 0.50 to 1.50 inches across the windward areas. Unfortunately, these rains did not make it to the areas that need it most. The gages in Kau, Kona, and leeward Kohala all reported below average totals. The two Kau sites at Kapapala and Pahala were very dry, with totals only 10 and 2 percent of average, respectively. Another noteworthy dry area is leeward Kohala. The gage in this area (Kamakoa) recored only 0.02 of an inch (2 percent of average) in August and has not seen more than one inch of rain in a month since june 1998. This area is at high risk for wildfires.The following list contains rainfall statistics for selected locations from around the state. The first column is the observed rainfall for August. The second column is the 30-year average for that location, while the third column lists the percent of average rainfall for the month of August. The fourth and fifth columns are the year-to-date total and the year-to-date percent of average, respectively. YTD Aug 99 Avg. %Avg. YTD %Avg.Maui Kahalui Airport 0.31 0.5 62 6.89 51 Hana 2.87 5.6 51 N/A N/A Haiku 5.63 4.4 128 N/A N/A Kihei 0.18 0.2 90 2.31 23 Lahainaluna 0.04 0.6 7 4.16 32 Wailuku 0.43 0.7 61 7.82 42Island of Hawaii Hilo Airport 10.14 9.4 108 82.17 97 Pahala 0.06 3.3 2 12.44 34 Honaunau 1.69 6.5 26 15.40 34 Kamuela (Upper) 6.51 4.4 148 43.14 106 Glenwood 12.81 11.4 112 140.84 127 Laupahoehoe 7.34 12.4 59 71.97 68

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5716007. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.