Hawaii’s dry-weather season ended last month with severe drought across the state, and should be followed by a wetter-than-normal rainy season, according to a National Weather Service assessment released today.

The forecast calls for about the same conditions as last year for the rainy season running from October to April.

This year, like last year, the beginning of the season is expected to feature a few drier-than-average months followed by wetter-than-average months.

The forecast is partly based on a conclusion by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that La Nina weather conditions are present and should continue through April.

La Nina, the opposite of El Nino, denotes cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator.

Moderate intensity of La Nina is expected, which should produce heavy rainfall primarily on windward slopes while leeward areas remain dry.