Wetter-than-expected months end most drought across isles

Rainfall during Hawaii’s recently ended wet season surprised scientists who expected to see drought conditions persist in some parts of the state. Instead, the isles have come out of the October-April wet season relatively drought-free.

"At the end of April, most of the drought across the state was eliminated," Kevin Kodama, a senior hydrologist for the National Weather Service, said Wednesday during a news conference at the Hawaii State Civil Defense headquarters in Diamond Head crater. West-central Molokai is among a few spots in the state still experiencing some drought.

Overall, Hawaii had its 10th wettest wet season in the past 30 years. The 2012-2013 season marked the driest wet season in 30 years.

Kodama said Maui’s Ulupalakua Ranch had its wettest wet season in 10 years — a welcome switch from the previous wet season, which was the driest in the ranch’s 100 years of record keeping.

Back in November, scientists said they didn’t expect enough rainfall to end severe drought on Maui and Hawaii islands. They also predicted the season would end with a dry spell, meaning a drier-than-normal summer.

Though nearly all of the state’s drought has been eliminated, some areas are becoming thirsty again.

"We’re starting off a little bit dry, especially in Windward areas, and so … I’m fully expecting that as we go through the dry season some additional drought would start to come in again," Kodama said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting an average dry season this summer with a possible increase in precipitation toward the end, Kodama said. He added that an increase in rain at the end of the dry season, which overlaps with the Central Pacific’s hurricane season, could be beneficial if El Nino conditions develop as predicted.

"Hopefully that’ll keep things green because if El Nino comes in full force, the tendency is to have a drier-than-normal wet season," he said.