Drought in Hawaii, July 1 to 31, 2009

Name: Drought in Hawaii, July 1 to 31, 2009
Start: 2009-07-01T00:00
End: 2009-07-31T23:59
Location: Hawaii

July 1 to 31, 2009 · NWS HFO · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Dry weather persisted over parts of the Aloha State in July; especially on Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. Water restrictions were necessary 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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.

Dry weather persisted over parts of the Aloha State in July; especially on Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. Water restrictions were necessary 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 Jun 30, 7:30 PM HST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 30, 7:30 PM HST, 4 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
730 PM HST TUE JUN 30 2009

.SYNOPSIS...
LIGHT WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS A WEAK RIDGE
REMAINS IN THE VICINITY NORTH OF THE STATE. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE
OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS OVER INTERIOR AREAS AS THE SEA
BREEZES DOMINATE. LIGHT TRADE WINDS WILL DEVELOP ON THURSDAY...THEN
INCREASE TO MODERATE LEVELS BY LATE FRIDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE
HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A LIGHT WIND PATTERN WITH HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT IS BRINGING A DRY
WEATHER PATTERN TO THE STATE THIS EVENING. INLAND CLOUDS WILL
DISSIPATE OVERNIGHT AS LAND BREEZES DOMINATE...LEADING TO COOLER
THAN NORMAL LOW TEMPERATURES.

LOOKING AHEAD...THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL GRADUALLY TREND BACK TO A
MORE TYPICAL MODERATE TRADE WIND ACROSS THE ISLANDS AS THE RIDGE
CONSOLIDATES FAR TO THE NORTH BY THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. UNTIL
THEN...EXPECTING A WEAK ENOUGH WIND FLOW TO ALLOW SEA BREEZES TO
DEVELOP TOMORROW AFTERNOON. NORMALLY...THIS WOULD LEAD TO AFTERNOON
SHOWERS OVER INTERIOR SECTIONS...HOWEVER STRONG STABILITY AND A DRY
AIRMASS IN THE MID LEVELS WILL KEEP THE LID ON MOIST CONVECTION.
SIMILAR TO TODAY...LIGHT RAINFALL WILL BE MOSTLY LIMITED TO THE SEA
BREEZE FAVORED AREAS SUCH AS THE KONA AREA AND LEEWARD HALEAKALA.

THE 00Z GFS AND THE LATEST EUROPEAN MODELS AGREE ON BRINGING LIGHT
TRADES BACK THURSDAY...THEN INCREASING TO MODERATE ON FRIDAY THROUGH
THE WEEKEND. MID LEVELS REMAIN WARM AND DRY THROUGH THE HOLIDAY
WEEKEND...EVEN WITH A 500 MB TROUGH PASSING NEARBY...SO WILL
CONTINUE TO EXPECT ONLY LIGHT SCATTERED WINDWARD AND MAUKA SHOWERS
WITH THE RETURN OF THE TRADES.

&&

.MARINE...
A SERIES OF SOUTHERLY SWELLS WILL BRING SURF ABOVE ADVISORY LEVELS
ALONG SOUTH FACING SHORES WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS SERIES OF SWELLS
WILL CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND...BEFORE DIMINISHING SUNDAY AND
MONDAY. A TINY NORTH SWELL AND A SMALL NORTHEAST SWELL WILL BRING
SMALL SURF TO NORTH FACING SHORES THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY UNTIL 6 PM HST FRIDAY FOR
SOUTH FACING SHORES.

&&

BRENCHLEY

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Molokai Leeward

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

Drought, Maui Windward West

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

Drought, Leeward Haleakala

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

Drought, South Big Island

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

Drought, Big Island North and East

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

Drought, Kohala

When: July 1, 12:00 AM HST to July 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)

Drought, Big Island Interior

When: July 1, 12:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Big Island Interior 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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, July 2009

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: 180520, 180522, 180523, 180524, 180525, 180527, 180528, 180529, 180530.