Text Products for DGT Issued by HFO

Drought Information Statement
Issued by NWS Honolulu, HI
Versions: 1
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AXHW70 PHFO 091839
DGTHFO
HIC001-003-007-009-102200-

Drought Information Statement
National Weather Service Honolulu HI
839 AM HST Thu Sep 9 2021

...EXTREME DROUGHT CONTINUES IN MAUI COUNTY...

.SYNOPSIS:

Despite the passage of remnant moisture from ex-Tropical Cyclone
Linda across the state, extreme drought, or the D3 category in the
U.S. Drought Monitor map, remained in place in portions of Maui
County. These conditions were in the central and leeward portions
of Maui, and over Kahoolawe. Severe drought, or the D2 category,
also persisted in leeward sections of Oahu, Molokai, and Lanai. On
the Big Island, a large area of severe drought covered portions of
the South Kohala, North Kona, and Hamakua Districts. A localized
area of severe drought was also over and near South Point. Kauai
County remains in the best shape drought-wise, with just a small
area of moderate drought, or the D1 category, along the lower
leeward slopes from Hanapepe to Waimea.

An increase in trade wind rainfall over the past six weeks along
with the passage of former Tropical Cyclone Linda`s remnant
moisture has helped remove dryness along the windward slopes from
the Big Island to Oahu. As a result, windward areas of all four
counties in the state are drought-free. The Kona slopes region on
the Big Island, which has a summer wet season, has been able to
avoid drought conditions over the past several months.

.SUMMARY OF IMPACTS:

Kauai County
Periods of rainfall over the past month have allowed the island
to maintain a stable drought status. Impacts remain confined
mainly to non-irrigated pastures and rangelands along the lower
leeward elevations from Hanapepe to Waimea. This is consistent
with satellite-based vegetation health data.

Oahu (City and County of Honolulu)
An increase in rainfall along the slopes of the Koolau Range has
improved stream flow levels. Ground observations and satellite-
based data indicated that vegetation health has also improved.
However, the leeward slopes of west Oahu remain very dry as shown
by an August 24 brush fire in Waianae. Public water supplies have
been sufficient so far as they are dependent on more resilient
ground water sources.

Maui County
Pastures and general vegetation conditions remain very poor in
portions of Maui County. A rancher operating in the Kaupo area
recently reported cattle losses due to the drought. Farmers in the
Kula, Omaopio, and Pulehu areas have been suffering major crop
losses from axis deer encroachments due to poor forage conditions
outside of farmlands. Earlier in the summer, ranchers in Kaupo and
Kaonoulu reported having to reduce their herd sizes due to the
lack of sufficient forage. Pastures on Molokai west of Kawela
remain in very poor condition, and ranchers have been providing
supplemental feed to support their herds.

Hawaii County
A rancher operating in the South Point area reported deteriorating
pasture conditions. The portion of the South Kohala District
burned by the record-breaking brush fire in late July and early
August has not been able to recover due to the lack of rain. The
lack of grasses in the area is resulting in substantial top soil
erosion due to periodic strong winds. Satellite-based vegetation
health data also showed deteriorating rangeland conditions in the
Humuula Saddle region of the island.

.DROUGHT MITIGATION ACTIONS:

On June 28, Hawaii County was declared to be a natural disaster
area due to drought by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The
declaration allows farm operators in the county to be eligible
for certain assistance from the Farm Service Agency.

On July 2, the Maui County Department of Water Supply declared a
Stage 1 Water Shortage for Upcountry Maui. The declaration
prohibits consumers from using water for irrigation, watering
lawns, washing vehicles, and other nonessential activities.

.LOCAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK:

The Long-Lead Hawaiian Islands Outlook issued on August 19, 2021
by the NOAA Climate Prediction Center showed probabilities tilted
toward below normal rainfall into mid-fall 2021. Probabilities
favor near normal temperatures into mid-fall, and are tilted
toward above normal temperatures late in 2021 and into early
spring 2022. The next long-lead outlook will be issued by the
Climate Prediction Center on September 16.

With the exception of the Kona slopes of the Big Island, leeward
areas of the state are expected to have a continuation of drought
conditions into mid-fall 2021 due to the probabilities favoring
below normal rainfall. Windward areas may have sufficient rainfall
to mitigate the development of significant drought conditions.

.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE:

The next Drought Information Statement will be issued on October
14, 2021 or sooner if necessary in response to significant changes
in conditions.

.RELATED WEB SITES:

Additional information on current drought conditions may be found
at the following web addresses:

U.S. Drought Monitor: droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
Hawaii Drought Monitor: dlnr.hawaii.gov/drought
USGS Hawaii - Recent Conditions:
hi.water.usgs.gov/recent/index.html
Climate Prediction Center long-lead Hawaii outlook:
www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/fxhw40.html
Hawaii Drought Impact Reporter: hawaii.droughtreporter.unl.edu/

.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Information for this product was compiled from a number of
sources including the county boards and departments of water
supply, U.S. and State of Hawaii agriculture agencies, the U.S.
Geological Survey, and the media.

.CONTACT INFORMATION:

If you have questions or comments about this drought information
statement, please contact:

Kevin Kodama
National Weather Service
2525 Correa Rd. Suite 250
Honolulu HI  96822
Phone: 808-973-5276
Email: Kevin.kodama@noaa.gov

$$
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
