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Current Hawai'i Drought Maps

Drought & Dryness Categories
% of HI
30.3
18.1
9.3
0.5
0.0
27.9
Drought Change Since Last Week

Drought in Hawai'i

Drought is a natural, frequent occurrence in Hawai'i with impacts on all islands. Droughts are often associated with El Niño events, which are part of a natural climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean. As isolated islands in the Pacific, Hawai'i has limited water resources, making the islands highly sensitive to reductions in water availability. The impacts of drought include crop yield losses, reduced quality and quantity of drinking water supplies, water restrictions for residents, increased wildfire risk, death of cattle, damage from insect pests, low stream levels, negative impacts to threatened and endangered species, effects on cultural practices, and other socioeconomic impacts. If a wildfire occurs, once the rains return after a drought, the excess water washes sediment down to near-shore areas and has a negative effect on coral reefs.

Drought duration and severity have increased over the past century in Hawai'i, and advanced planning and implementation of adaptation actions are critical for improving resilience to future droughts.

NIDIS supports eight regional Drought Early Warning Systems (DEWS) throughout the United States. In addition, NIDIS supports states outside these regions, like Hawai'i, by delivering drought early warning information through Drought.gov; investing in drought research to address key scientific and societal needs; and supporting the development of new tools and products that serve the entire nation. 

Hawai'i Current Conditions

A number of physical indicators are important for monitoring drought, such as precipitation & temperature, water supply (e.g., streamflow, reservoirs), and soil moisture. Learn more about monitoring drought.

Hawai'i Precipitation Accumulations

Inches of Precipitation
Inches of Precipitation

Hawai'i Streamflow Conditions

Streamflow Conditions
Streamflow Conditions
Streamflow Conditions

Drought Outlooks for Hawai'i

Predicting drought in Hawai'i depends on the ability to forecast precipitation and temperature within the context of complex climate interactions. View more outlooks & forecasts.

Hawai'i 8–14 Day Precipitation & Temperature Outlooks

Probability of Below-Normal Precipitation
100%
Probability of Above-Normal Precipitation
100%
Probability of Below-Normal Temperatures
100%
Probability of Above-Normal Temperatures
100%

Hawai'i Drought Outlooks

Drought Is Predicted To...
Drought Is Predicted To...

Historical Drought Conditions in Hawai'i

Drought is a normal climate pattern that has occurred in varying degrees of length, severity, and size throughout history. Below, you can look back at past drought conditions for Hawai'i according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly map that shows the location and intensity of drought across the country since 2000. View more historical conditions.

U.S. Drought Monitor

The U.S. Drought Monitor (2000–present) depicts the location and intensity of drought across the country. Every Thursday, authors from NOAA, USDA, and the National Drought Mitigation Center produce a new map based on their assessments of the best available data and input from local observers. The map uses five categories: Abnormally Dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought (D1–D4). Learn more.

Drought Resources for Hawai'i

Stay Informed: Local Drought Updates

Drought Alert Emails
Get email updates when U.S. Drought Monitor conditions change for your location or a new drought outlook is released.

Dry Times Bi-Weekly Drought Newsletter
Issued every other Thursday, Dry Times is an email newsletter with the latest drought news, events, and data & maps.

Get Involved: Submit Local Drought Impacts

Drought in your area? Tell us how drought is impacting your community by submitting a condition monitoring report. Your submissions help us better understand how drought is affecting local conditions.