000
NOHW40 PHFO 131853
PNSHFO
HIZ001>028-141841-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
841 AM HST THU MAY 13 2010

...2009-2010 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WET SEASON RANKS AS THE DRIEST IN THE 
PAST 30 YEARS...

THE RECENTLY COMPLETED OCTOBER 2009 THROUGH APRIL 2010 HAWAIIAN 
ISLANDS WET SEASON...OR HOOILO...RANKS AS THE DRIEST IN THE PAST 30 
YEARS AND ONE OF THE DRIEST IN THE PAST 55 YEARS.  THIS IS BASED ON 
AN AVERAGE OF WET SEASON RAINFALL RANKINGS FROM SEVEN REPORTING 
STATIONS ACROSS THE STATE WITH CONTINUOUS RECORDS.  THESE STATIONS 
ARE LIHUE AIRPORT...HONOLULU AIRPORT...MANOA LYON ARBORETUM... 
MOLOKAI AIRPORT...ULUPALAKUA RANCH...KAPAPALA RANCH AND HILO 
AIRPORT. NOTE THAT THE OVERALL RANKING CAN VARY DEPENDING ON THE 
STATIONS USED IN THE CALCULATION.

AS HIGHLIGHTED IN AN OCTOBER 20 2009 NOAA MEDIA RELEASE...THE  
DEVELOPMENT OF AN EL NINO DURING THE SUMMER OF 2009 RESULTED IN A 
FORECAST OF DRIER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 
FOLLOWING THE HURRICANE SEASON. EXISTING AGRICULTURAL DROUGHT IN THE 
EASTERN HALF OF THE STATE WORSENED ESPECIALLY IN THE KONA...KAU AND 
LEEWARD KOHALA SECTIONS OF THE BIG ISLAND. IMPACTS TO AGRICULTURAL 
OPERATIONS SPAN A WIDE RANGE OF SECTORS INCLUDING LIVESTOCK... 
COFFEE AND ORNAMENTAL FLOWERS. RESIDENTS DEPENDING ON RAINFALL
CATCHMENT ALSO SUFFERED FROM THE DRY CONDITIONS AND REQUIRED COSTLY 
WATER DELIVERY TO MEET BASIC NEEDS. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST 
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT AT 
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DATA/HFO/DGTHFO

FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES...THE FOLLOWING ARE THE 5 WETTEST AND 5  
DRIEST OCTOBER-APRIL WET SEASONS OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS...

5 WETTEST
1. 1981-1982
2. 1988-1989
3. 1996-1997
4. 1990-1991
5. 2003-2004

5 DRIEST
1. 2009-2010
2. 1997-1998
3. 1991-1992
4. 1980-1981
5. 1999-2000

SOME MAY WONDER WHY THE 2005-2006 WET SEASON IS NOT WITHIN THE LIST 
OF 5 WETTEST CONSIDERING THE EXTREMELY WET CONDITIONS FROM 
MID-FEBRUARY THROUGH MARCH 2006.  HOWEVER...CONDITIONS BEFORE AND 
AFTER THE SO-CALLED 40 DAYS OF RAIN WERE DRIER THAN NORMAL INCLUDING 
THE ALL-TIME DRIEST DECEMBER AT LIHUE AIRPORT. THE 2005-2006 WET 
SEASON RANKS AS TENTH WETTEST IN THE PAST 30 YEARS.
$$

KODAMA