AXHW70 PHFO 061907 DGTHFO HIC001-003-007-009-072200- DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 905 AM HST FRI JAN 6 2012 ...PERSISTENT TRADES KEEP MOST WEST-FACING BIG ISLAND AND MAUI SLOPES UNDER DROUGHT... SYNOPSIS... PERSISTENT TRADE WINDS BROUGHT ABUNDANT AMOUNTS OF RAIN TO THE EAST-FACING SLOPES OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. MANY OF THE LEEWARD SLOPES...ESPECIALLY ON THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI...RECEIVED VERY LITTLE RAIN. AS A RESULT...EXTREME DROUGHT...OR D3 CATEGORY CONDITIONS ON THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR MAP CONTINUES IN THE SOUTH KOHALA DISTRICT AND THE POHAKULOA REGION OF THE HAMAKUA DISTRICT. SOME OF THE WINDWARD RAINFALL MANAGED TO PUSH INTO LEEWARD AREAS OF THE NORTH KOHALA DISTRICT RESULTING IN A RETREAT OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS FROM THIS PORTION OF THE BIG ISLAND. RAINFALL ALSO OCCURRED OVER THE KAU DISTRICT IN SUFFICIENT AMOUNTS TO RESULT IN AN IMPROVEMENT FROM EXTREME DROUGHT TO SEVERE DROUGHT...OR D2 CATEGORY CONDITIONS. SEVERE DROUGHT CONTINUES IN THE NORTH KONA DISTRICT WHILE MODERATE DROUGHT...OR D1 CATEGORY CONDITIONS...REMAINS IN PLACE OVER PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH KONA DISTRICT. LIKE THE BIG ISLAND...WEST-FACING SLOPES OF MAUI STAYED DRY IN DECEMBER DESPITE WET CONDITIONS ALONG THE EAST-FACING SLOPES. EXTREME DROUGHT IS MAINTAINING ITS GRIP ON A SMALL SECTION OF SOUTHWESTERN HALEAKALA FROM KAMAOLE TO ULUPALAKUA AND SEVERE DROUGHT CONTINUES OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF WEST MAUI FROM MAALAEA THROUGH LAHAINA. THE INCREASE IN WINDWARD RAINFALL HELPED RAISE WATER LEVELS IN THE WAIMANALO RESERVOIR BUT NOT ENOUGH TO REMOVE THE SEVERE DROUGHT CLASSIFICATION FOR EAST OAHU. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS... KAUAI. THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT DROUGHT IMPACTS AS CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED OVER THE PAST MONTH. OAHU. THE WATER SUPPLY IN THE WAIMANALO RESERVOIR INCREASED ENOUGH DURING DECEMBER TO WARRANT AN EASING OF MANDATORY WATER USE RESTRICTIONS FROM A 20 PERCENT CUTBACK TO A 10 PERCENT CUTBACK. MOLOKAI. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES SINCE THE DECEMBER 8 UPDATE. THE STATE OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONTINUES TO KEEP IN PLACE THE MANDATORY 30 PERCENT CUTBACK IN IRRIGATION WATER CONSUMPTION FOR THE KUALAPUU RESERVOIR SYSTEM. LANAI. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES SINCE THE DECEMBER 8 UPDATE. NO ADDITIONAL IMPACT INFORMATION HAS BEEN RECEIVED. MAUI. PASTURES AND VEGETATION REMAIN DRY OVER THE LEEWARD SLOPES OF HALEAKALA ESPECIALLY FROM KAMAOLE TO ULUPALAKUA. WATER SUPPLY LEVELS FOR UPCOUNTRY MAUI IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING DECEMBER DUE TO AN INCREASE IN WINDWARD HALEAKALA RAINFALL. HOWEVER...THE MAUI COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF WATER SUPPLY HAS MAINTAINED THEIR CALL FOR A 5 PERCENT REDUCTION IN WATER USE. THE REQUEST FOR A 10 PERCENT REDUCTION IN WATER USE BY CENTRAL AND SOUTH MAUI RESIDENTS ALSO REMAINED IN EFFECT. BIG ISLAND. PASTURES AND GENERAL VEGETATION FROM KAWAIHAE TO POHAKULOA ARE IN VERY POOR CONDITION AND BRUSH FIRES CONTINUE TO BE A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN. RANCHERS IN THESE AREAS HAVE ALREADY DESTOCKED CATTLE AND WATER HAULING OPERATIONS HAVE BEEN ONGOING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. SOUTH KAU FINALLY RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AND SOME RECOVERY HAS OCCURRED BUT MORE RAINFALL IS NEEDED. CLIMATE SUMMARY... ACCORDING TO THE NOAA CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...LA NINA CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT ACROSS THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC. THE FORECAST CALLS FOR LA NINA TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE WINTER. PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK... THE LONG-LEAD HAWAIIAN ISLANDS OUTLOOK ISSUED ON DECEMBER 15 BY THE NOAA CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER INDICATES THAT PROBABILITIES FAVOR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION DURING EARLY 2012 AS PART OF A FORECASTED MATURE PHASE OF LA NINA. THE NEXT LONG-LEAD OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED BY THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER ON JANUARY 19. HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK... U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MONTHLY STREAM FLOW AVERAGES FOR DECEMBER INDICATE THAT MOST OF THE MONITORED STREAMS ACROSS THE STATE ARE AT NEAR NORMAL TO ABOVE NORMAL FLOW LEVELS. AVERAGE FLOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN AT NEAR NORMAL TO ABOVE NORMAL FLOW LEVELS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. NEXT ISSUANCE DATE... THE NEXT DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED ON FEBRUARY 2 2012 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 /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/ U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR...WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML HAWAII DROUGHT MONITOR...WWW.HAWAIIDROUGHT.COM 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 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. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... IF YOU HAVE ANY 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 KEVIN.KODAMA@NOAA.GOV $$