{"id":549321,"date":"2026-03-27T22:59:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T22:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/549321\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T22:59:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T22:59:21","slug":"recent-rains-decrease-drought-across-hawai%ca%bbi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/549321\/","title":{"rendered":"Recent Rains Decrease Drought Across Hawai\u02bbi"},"content":{"rendered":"

As farmers recover from devastating floods and historic rainfall, drought-stricken areas are soaking in the moisture. <\/p>\n

Farmers across Hawai\u02bbi are reeling from a winter of historic rainfall and storms that have flooded fields, devastated crops and destroyed equipment. Many don\u2019t have insurance<\/a> and will shoulder the cost of the recovery themselves. Some are among those whose homes are also in rough shape.<\/p>\n

But the historically wet winter has significantly alleviated one of farmers\u2019 biggest challenges in recent years. All this rain has helped decrease drought in parts of the state that were seeing some of the driest conditions in a century.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had the second driest year on record, last year. We\u2019ve gone from this incredible extreme to potentially one of wettest months we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d said Ryan Longman, a climate scientist with the University of Hawai\u02bbi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From One Of The Driest Years To The Wettest<\/p>\n

Last year was the second driest year on record in Hawai\u02bbi since 1920, according to the annual climate report<\/a> by the Hawai\u02bbi Climate Data Portal and Hawai\u02bbi Mesonet, a statewide weather monitoring portal. The islands had their driest August in more than three decades. It was the driest year on Maui and the second driest on the Big Island in more than 100 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But 2026 has, so far, brought a wet season for the history books. Storms in February and March brought record-breaking rainfall across the state. Some places on Maui got as much as 49 inches during the first Kona low from March 10 to 16, according to National Weather Service data. More than 25 inches of rain dumped onto parts of the Big Island during that same storm.<\/p>\n

The last storm that pummeled O\u02bbahu, the second Kona low which reached a peak on March 19 and March 20, brought 25 inches in Ka\u02bbala, 17 inches in Maunawilli and 11.65 inches in Dillingham from March 19 into March 24.<\/p>\n

Drought Conditions Getting Better\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2025, almost two-thirds of the state was abnormally dry or experiencing varying levels of drought, based on the rainfall levels accumulated over the year. Almost half of the state was in a moderate drought \u2013 or worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some islands felt the heat more than others. The entire island of Moloka\u02bbi was abnormally dry or in a drought last year. More than 51% of Maui was in a severe drought or worse, and large swaths of the island that weren\u2019t quite that bad were still abnormally dry. On the Big Island, more than a third of the island was in a severe or extreme drought.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But the heavy rain so far this year has helped reverse drought conditions\u00a0substantially.<\/p>\n

This time last year, more than 55% of the state was facing at least a moderate drought. Now it\u2019s just 7%.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Data<\/a><\/p>\n

Data Dives are Civil Beat\u2019s quick takes on numbers and data sets with a Hawai\u2018i angle.<\/p>\n

Maui and Hawai\u02bbi counties are particularly feeling the relief. At the start of this year, more than 80% of the Big Island was in a drought. The last two storms have dropped so much rain that it\u2019s now just about 11% of the island. The entirety of Maui County was in a drought in January. After Kona lows battered the island with historic levels of rainfall, none of the county is currently in a drought, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center.<\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s not a complete reversal. About 45% of the state is still at some level of concerningly dry conditions. Almost two-thirds of the Big Island is still at least abnormally dry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Civil Beat\u2019s coverage of climate change and the environment is supported by The Healy Foundation, the Marisla Fund of the Hawai\u2018i Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation. <\/p>\n

Our coverage of environmental issues on Hawai\u02bbi island is supported in part by a grant from the Dorrance Family Foundation. <\/p>\n

And \u201cData Dive\u201d is supported in part by the Will J. Reid Foundation.<\/p>\n

\"Civil<\/p>\n

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