Guam, 2024

Drought in Guam, June 1 to 30, 2024

June 1 to 30, 2024 · NWS GUM · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Greatest impacts from the drought created by the dry season and dry phase of the waning El Ni o continued to be the greatest across islands near and north of 8N, especially across Yap State. In June, CPC announced that El Ni o and transitioned to ENSO-neutral.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 GUM wrote it up.

Greatest impacts from the drought created by the dry season and dry phase of the waning El Ni o continued to be the greatest across islands near and north of 8N, especially across Yap State. In June, CPC announced that El Ni o and transitioned to ENSO-neutral. Rainfall increased across the Marianas as the region entered a more typical summer pattern with the Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough (TUTT) extending across the central and west Pacific.

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 Guam wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 31, 7:45 AM UTC, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 7:45 AM UTC, 6 hours 15 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tiyan GU
545 PM ChST Fri May 31 2024

.Marianas Synopsis...
Partly cloudy skies with some additional high clouds will be moving
through the Marianas tonight. Few, if any, showers tonight could
increase slightly for the weekend. Combined seas of 3 to 5 feet are
composed mainly of an east trade-wind swell plus some wind waves.

&&

.Discussion...
The Marianas are currently still within a dry season trade-wind
regime. Often, as that begins to change, upper-level lows which are
part of the TUTT (Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough) will swing by,
creating increased showers and a chance of lighting. It looks like
that could happen around Tuesday. True wet season is still a little
ways off, but the harbinger is appearing now. Perhaps in about a
month we will be getting ready to enter wet season.

&&

.Marine...
Combined seas of 3 to 5 feet could diminish around Sunday to between
2 and 4 feet. Winds will be light to gentle through the middle of
next week, so benign marine conditions are on tap.

&&

.Fire weather...
The fire danger will likely become high again Saturday. Thankfully,
winds will remain below red flag criteria through next week. Also,
showers could increase around the middle of next week.

&&

.Eastern Micronesia and Chuuk...
An active Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) stretches east-
northeastward from west-southwest of Chuuk, across Weno, Pohnpei to
end northwest of Kwajalein. A robust trade-wind trough is also
evident from south-southwest of Chuuk to north of Kwajalein.
Scattered to numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms are seen
from south of Weno to just west of Kwajalein. The majority of the
convection remains north of Kosrae. An overall unsettled pattern
looks to continue for Chuuk and Pohnpei for the next several days as
the ITCZ remains active and the trough transits through the region. A
drier pattern is then expected for Pohnpei and Chuuk by the end of
next week as the ITCZ moves out and weakens. For Majuro, a series of
trade-wind troughs are expected to transit the region, maintaining
POPs (Probability of Precipitation) in the 30 to 40 percent range
through the middle of next week. The first of these troughs will
reach Kosrae Saturday evening, bringing the wetter weather to the
island, continuing through the end of next week.

Marine conditions look to remain fairly benign over the next several
days with mainly light to gentle winds at Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae.
Winds look to become occasionally moderate at Chuuk and Pohnpei
near the middle of next week. Meanwhile, gentle to moderate winds
are expected into the middle of next week at Majuro. Combined seas of
3 to 5 feet are expected to continue at Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae
through the weekend, with 4 to 6 foot seas at Majuro. Seas will then
increase around 1 foot at Pohnpei and Majuro near the middle of next
week.

&&

.Western Micronesia for Palau and Yap...
Dry conditions prevailed across Palau and Yap today. This pattern
looks to continue through Saturday night. Overall, fairly stable
conditions look to prevail across the region. However, due to winds
becoming light and variable combined with a weak trough moving
through late in the weekend, scattered showers are possible Sunday
due to a combination of the island effect and weak lifting from the
trough. By early next week, the drier pattern returns, though winds
look to remain fairly light through midweek. This could result in
island convection continuing over both Yap and Palau for the next few
days. Around the middle of next week, another weak trough moving
through could increase POPs to around 30 percent for both Yap and
Palau.

Light winds and combined seas of 2 to 4 feet will prevail across the
region through the middle of next week.

&&

.GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GU...None.
MP...None.
Marianas Waters...None.
&&

Marianas: Stanko
Micronesia: Kleeschulte

Event by event

4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Micronesia

When
June 1, 12:00 AM GST to June 30, 11:59 PM GST
Where
Micronesia forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor

Yap State remains the hardest hit by short-term and long-term drought in the FSM. Yap Proper, Ulithi and nearby islands started June in extreme (D3) drought. Photos taken June 4th of the Gitam Reservoir on Yap Proper, showed water levels at the reservoir are near or below levels recorded during the 2016 drought. These islands remained in D3 until June 25th, when they improved to severe (D2) drought in as the slow transition to the summer monsoon pattern started to bring increased rainfall western Micronesia. Woleai, an island in eastern Yap State, entered June in severe (D2) drought, and would improve to (D1) drought June 4th as passing trade-wind disturbances brought periods of increased rainfall to Woleai and nearby islands. Woleai then remained in D1 for the month of June. Overall, short-term and long-term drought impacts continued to strain water and agricultural resources across Yap State, with residents continuing to be urged to ration fresh water usage.

Drought, Guam

When
June 1, 12:00 AM GST to June 11, 12:00 AM GST
Where
Guam forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor

Guam started June at severe (D2) drought, improving to moderate (D1) drought June 11th, and improving further to abnormally dry (D0) June 18th. Guam exceeded the 1 inch weekly minimum requirements to meet water needs, ending the month with 8.00 inches at the National Weather Service office.

Drought, Saipan

When
June 1, 12:00 AM GST to June 18, 12:00 AM GST
Where
Saipan forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor

Saipan and Tinian started June in extreme (D3) drought and improved to severe (D2) drought June 11th, and further improving to moderate (D1) June 18th and then abnormally dry (D0) June 25th. Both islands met or exceeded the 1 inch weekly minimum rainfall t meet water needs. Saipan International airport ended JUne with 7.71 inches of rain, while Tinian airport ended the month with 6.96 inches. Vegetation also became greener, after yellowing in May.

Drought, Rota

When
June 1, 12:00 AM GST to June 25, 12:00 AM GST
Where
Rota forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor

Rota entered June at extreme (D3) drought, but increased rainfall improved drought conditions becoming severe (D2) June 18th and further improving to moderate (D1) drought June 25th. Rota Airport ended the month with 6.79 inches, exceeding the 1 inch minimum weekly requirement to meet water needs.

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 Guam in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Guam, June 2024

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: 1196391, 1196393, 1196394, 1196401.