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)
Drought in Hawaii, August 1 to 31, 2011
Very dry conditions continued to plague areas of leeward Big Island, with the D2 category of severe drought holding in place for Kohala and extending to interior parts of the isle. Water restrictions remained in force.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Very dry conditions continued to plague areas of leeward Big Island, with the D2 category of severe drought holding in place for Kohala and extending to interior parts of the isle. Water restrictions remained in force.
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 SUN JUL 31 2011 .SYNOPSIS... MODERATE TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED. ANY SHOWERS THAT DO OCCUR WILL FOCUS OVER WINDWARD AND MAUKA SECTIONS OF THE ISLANDS...MAINLY NIGHTS AND MORNINGS. HIGH PRESSURE FAR NORTH OF THE STATE WILL STRENGTHEN MID-WEEK...LEADING TO STRONGER TRADE WINDS FROM WEDNESDAY ON. && .DISCUSSION... PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLEAR SKIES PREVAIL OVER THE SMALLER ISLANDS THIS EVENING WHILE MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES SHROUD THE BIG ISLAND LOWER SLOPES AND COASTS. SHOWER ACTIVITY IS RELEGATED TO THE BIG ISLAND WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER NORTHEAST AREAS AND ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER THE LEEWARD AND SOUTHEAST SECTIONS. UPSTREAM OF THE ISLANDS...SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE RIDING ALONG WITH THE TRADE WINDS AND THESE CLOUDS WILL BRING LIMITED RAINFALL TO WINDWARD AREAS OF THE STATE TONIGHT. THE AIRMASS UPSTREAM OF THE STATE...BACK INTO THE EAST PACIFIC...IS MUCH DRIER WHEN COMPARED TO CLIMATOLOGICAL VALUES OF MOISTURE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE DRIER AIRMASS SHOULD EQUATE TO DRY TRADE WIND WEATHER THROUGH THE WEEK...WITH ANY SHOWERS THAT DO OCCUR REMAINING OVER WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN AREAS. THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE WILL REINFORCE THE DRYING TREND WITH A RIDGE KEEPING VERTICAL CLOUD GROWTH TO A MINIMUM. HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE STATE STRETCHES ACROSS THE CENTRAL PACIFIC WITH A RIDGE LOCATED BETWEEN 37N AND 40N. THE HIGH IS BRINGING THE ISLANDS MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS WHICH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. THE HIGH WILL MOVE EAST AND STRENGTHEN OVER THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK...AND THE TRADE WINDS WILL RESPOND IN KIND WITH WINDS INCREASING WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUING TO STRENGTHEN THROUGH FRIDAY. STRONG TRADE WINDS WILL THEN REMAIN INTO NEXT WEEKEND. && .AVIATION... AIRMET TANGO CONTINUES FOR MECHANICAL TURBULENCE DOWNWIND OF THE MOUNTAINS. SHOWERY LOW CLOUDS OVER THE BIG ISLAND SLOPES WILL BRING BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR TO THOSE AREAS TONIGHT. && .MARINE... SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS... ALTHOUGH THE WINDIER CHANNELS NEAR MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND WILL BE JUST BELOW THE SMALL CRAFT THRESHOLD OF 25 KNOTS. AS THE HIGH STRENGTHENS NORTH OF THE STATE BY MID-WEEK...WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS. SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED BEGINNING WEDNESDAY FOR THE TYPICALLY WINDIER LOCATIONS. AS THE HIGH STRENGTHENS...THE STRONGER WINDS WILL SPREAD TO ADDITIONAL MARINE AREAS BY THURSDAY/FRIDAY. THESE STRONGER WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND. A LONG-PERIOD SOUTH SWELL WILL BUILD THROUGH TONIGHT AND PEAK ON MONDAY. THIS SWELL WILL SLOWLY LOWER ON TUESDAY...AND WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A REINFORCING SWELL ON WEDNESDAY...WITH BOTH SWELLS REMAINING BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS. FOR EAST FACING SHORES...ROUGH AND CHOPPY SURF WILL BUILD DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK AS THE TRADES STRENGTHEN. SURF HEIGHTS WILL APPROACH...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW...THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY THRESHOLD OF 8 FEET FOR EAST FACING SHORES. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && MORRISON
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Excessive Heat in Texas, August 1 to 6, 2011
- Excessive Heat in Oklahoma, August 1 to 10, 2011
- Heat in Illinois, August 1 to 3, 2011
- Excessive Heat in Missouri, August 1 to 3, 2011
- Heat in Pennsylvania, August 1, 2011
- Drought in Texas, August 1 to 31, 2011
- Drought in Missouri, August 1 to 31, 2011
- Drought in Kansas, August 1 to 31, 2011
- Excessive Heat in Illinois, August 1 to 3, 2011
- Flooding in Iowa, August 1 to 31, 2011
- Excessive Heat in Texas, August 1, 2011
- Excessive Heat in Missouri, August 1, 2011
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, August 2011
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: 333200.