Drought in Hawaii, January 1 to 31, 2000

While persistent trade winds brought ample rainfall to windward areas around the state in January, leeward sides generally saw below average precipitation. The state's agricultural sector had been counting on more rainfall for relief from the abnormally dry conditions that have plagued leeward sections for nearly three years.Maui CountyFor the most part, little precipitation reached the southern portion of Upcountry Maui, an area that has been trying to recover from roughly three years of below-average rainfall. Upcountry gages at Kula and Ulupalakua saw January rainfall at only 24 and 10 percent of average, respectively. Although not part of the Upcountry area, Kihei received only 1 percent of average precipitation.The gages on both Lanai and Molokai reported totals of less than 25 percent of average for January.Island of HawaiiAlthough windward sites were very wet, leeward areas had a definite lack of rainfall. Hydronet and cooperative sites in Kau and leeward South Kohala reported monthly precipitation at less than 20 percent of the January average. Rainfall from gages in the North and South Kona districts were generally in the range of 25 to 35 percent.The following list contains rainfall statistics for selected locations from Maui County and the island of Hawaii. The first column is the observed rainfall for January. The second column is the 30-year average for that location, while the third column lists the percent of average rainfall for the month. The fourth and fifth columns are the year-to-date total and the percent of average, respectively. YTD Jan 00 Avg. %Avg. YTD %Avg.Maui Kahului 1.00 4.10 24 1.00 24 Hana 6.33 9.50 67 6.33 67 Kihei 0.03 4.10 1 0.03 1 Lahainaluna 0.14 4.40 3 0.14 3 Wailuku 2.21 5.20 43 2.21 43 Kula 1.19 4.90 24 1.19 24 Ulupalakua 0.52 5.20 10 0.52 10Molokai Kaunakakai 0.43 3.30 13 0.43 13Lanai Lanai City 0.67 6.10 11 0.67 11Island of Hawaii Hilo Airport 17.87 9.90 181 17.87 181 Pahala 1.06 7.70 14 1.06 14 Honaunau 1.07 3.70 29 1.07 29 Kamuela (Upper) 9.85 6.30 156 9.85 156 Glenwood 23.06 18.50 125 23.06 125 Laupahoehoe 21.00 13.50 156 21.00 156 Kamakoa 0.07 3.10 2 0.07 2 Kapapala 1.28 7.60 17 1.28 17Agriculture continues to suffer in parts of Maui County and the island of Hawaii from dry conditions. Especially hard hit have been the coffee crop in Kona and macadamia nuts islandwide on the Big Island of Hawaii, according to Wayne Nishijima, interim head of the Big Island cooperative extension service. Also, water restrictions remain in effect for Niulii and Makapala in North Kohala, as does an outdoor burning ban imposed in 1998 for an area extending from Kau north through Kona to North and South Kohala. Some ranching operations have been hurt by a lack of rainfall in parts of the Big Island as well. For instance, none of January's precipitation reached Kahuku Ranch, one of the island's largest spreads, said ranch manager Earl Spence. The last traceable rain was in December.