Drought in Hawaii, September 1 to 30, 2001

Island of OahuSeveral gages along the central and eastern slopes of the Koolau Range on Oahu recorded near average rainfall for September. Most of the rain at these sites was from showers and thunderstorms that occurred on 16 Sep, which dropped 2 to 3 inches at Palisades, Moanalua, and Manoa Lyon, and 4.26 inches at Nuuanu. Areas not exposed to the rains on that date experienced a rather dry month with rainfall totals only 10 to 40 percent of average. This includes gages in the western and northern parts of the island as well as many windward locations.Maui CountyMost leeward locations continued to see very dry conditions through September, with Waikapu recording no rainfall for the month. Upcountry sites from Pukalani southward to Ulupalakua saw rainfall at less than 25 percent of average. Western Molokai received some precipitation to help stabilize the drought situation, though much more is needed for a recovery.Island of HawaiiLeeward Kohala remained dry through the month. To illustrate this, the gage at Kahua Ranch recorded only 0.44 inches (15 percent of average) for September. This area of the Big Island has been in a prolonged period of agricultural drought and has not seen a near average month of rainfall since December 1999.The following list contains rainfall statistics for selected locations from Oahu, Maui County, and the island of Hawaii where there have been drought conditions. The first column is the observed rainfall for September. The second column is the 30-year average for each location, while the third column lists the percent of average for the month. The fourth and fifth columns are the year-to-date totals and the year-to-date percent of average, respectively. YTD September 01 Avg. %Avg. YTD %Avg.Oahu Honolulu Airport 0.28 0.80 35 3.43 27 Kunia 0.15 1.20 13 4.60 25 Waianae 0.08 0.70 11 4.10 32 Waialua 0.27 1.10 25 5.39 25Maui Kihei 0.01 0.20 5 0.65 6 Lahainaluna 0.09 0.60 15 1.32 10 Kula 0.47 2.00 24 6.96 31 Ulupalakua 0.61 2.70 23 9.01 35Molokai Kaunakakai 0.29 0.20 145 3.04 29 Kamalo 0.88 1.30 68 13.53 57Lanai Lanai City 0.83 2.20 38 11.38 42Island of Hawaii Honaunau 3.77 7.20 52 27.78 52 Kamuela (Upper) 3.72 2.30 162 32.06 75 Waiaha 1.80 6.20 29 26.48 46 Kahua Ranch 0.44 3.00 15 11.93 20 Kealakekua 6.02 8.20 73 35.08 58 Pahala 1.30 3.40 38 19.33 48