Hawaii, 2008

Drought in Hawaii, August 1 to 31, 2008

August 1 to 31, 2008 · NWS HFO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A dearth of rainfall continued to plague parts of the Hawaiian Islands. Water restrictions were maintained to forestall even more trouble in the affected areas.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

A dearth of rainfall continued to plague parts of the Hawaiian Islands. Water restrictions were maintained to forestall even more trouble in the affected areas.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 8:30 PM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 8:30 PM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST THU JUL 31 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BLOW ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE FRIDAY AND
INTO THE WEEKEND AS TROUGHING ALOFT WEAKENS THE GOVERNING SURFACE
RIDGE TO OUR NORTH. TRADE WIND SHOWERS MAY INCREASE A BIT SUNDAY AND
MONDAY WHEN REMNANT MOISTURE FROM A FORMER TROPICAL SYSTEM PASSES.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
CLOUD COVER IS SCARCE EAST OF THE ISLANDS TO 150W...WITH CLOUD COVER
BECOMING BROKEN TO OVERCAST EAST OF 145W. THEREFORE...IN SPITE OF
MILDLY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS DEPICTED IN AFTERNOON SOUNDINGS...WE
EXPECT VERY LITTLE PRECIPITATION OVERNIGHT AND THROUGH MOST OF
FRIDAY. BY SUNDAY...THE REMNANT MOISTURE FIELD FROM AN OLD TROPICAL
SYSTEM WILL REACH THE SOUTHERN ISLANDS...POSSIBLY INCREASING TRADE
WIND SHOWER COVERAGE. SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW THIS MOISTURE IN THE FORM
OF WARM-TOPPED SHALLOW LOW CLOUDS SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM
28N140W TO 25N150W TO 20N145W...MORE THAN 600 MILES EAST OF THE
ISLANDS. GFS SHOWS THIS AREA OF INCREASED MOISTURE WILL SHRINK AS IT
GRAZES WINDWARD PORTIONS OF THE ISLANDS SUNDAY AND MONDAY. AT
MOST...WE EXPECT AN INCREASE IN TRADE WIND SHOWER
COVERAGE...EXTENDING FARTHER SOUTHWEST ACROSS KAU DISTRICT ON THE
BIG ISLAND FOR EXAMPLE.

THE 1028 MB HIGH FAR NORTHWEST OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
CONTINUES DRIFTING TOWARD THE WEST. THE RIDGE EXTENDING EAST FROM
THE HIGH WILL WEAKEN AS THE UPPER TROUGH NORTH OF THE ISLANDS...THE
SAME UPPER TROUGH RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR MILDLY UNSTABLE
AIRMASS...DIGS FARTHER TO THE SOUTHWEST. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
ASSOCIATED WITH THE WEAKENED SURFACE RIDGE WILL LIKELY ONLY SUPPORT
10 TO 15 MPH TRADE WINDS ACROSS THE MAIN ISLANDS LATE FRIDAY THROUGH
MONDAY. BY TUESDAY...THE UPPER TROUGH WILL FILL...ALLOWING THE
SURFACE RIDGE TO REGAIN STRENGTH AND INDUCE STRONGER TRADE WINDS.

IN SHORT...WE EXPECT A PERIOD OF DECREASED TRADE WINDS BUT INCREASED
MOISTURE THIS WEEKEND...THEN A RETURN TO DRIER AND WINDIER
CONDITIONS TUESDAY AND BEYOND.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

POWELL

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Olomana

When
August 1, 12:00 AM HST to August 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Olomana forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Molokai Leeward

When
August 1, 12:00 AM HST to August 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Molokai Leeward forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Drought, Maui Windward West

When
August 1, 12:00 AM HST to August 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Maui Windward West forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
21.027, -156.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Maui Leeward West

When
August 1, 12:00 AM HST to August 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Maui Leeward West forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
21.027, -156.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Maui Central Valley

When
August 1, 12:00 AM HST to August 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Drought, South Big Island

When
August 1, 12:00 AM HST to August 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Drought, Big Island North and East

When
August 1, 12:00 AM HST to August 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency

Drought, Kohala

When
August 1, 12:00 AM HST to August 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where
Kohala forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, August 2008

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 124038, 124039, 124040, 124041, 124042, 124043, 124044, 124045.