Hawaii Drought Monitor

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Last update: May 15, 2008

Current Drought Notices

County of Kauai
County of Kauai Department of Water
•

City & County of Honolulu
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
•	Waimanalo Irrigation System 20% mandatory water conservation

County of Maui
Maui Department of Water Supply
•	2008 Upcountry Water Supply Update
•	August 23, 2007 Drought Declared for Central Maui Water System
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
•	Molokai Irrigation System 10% voluntary water conservation
•

County of Hawaii
Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency
•
Hawaii Department of Water Supply
•	Drought Information Update South Kohala and Hamakua districts
•
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
•	Honokaa-Paauilo Water System 30% mandatory water conservation
•	Waimea Irrigation System 10% voluntary water conservation

Current Conditions

Commission on Water Resource Management
•	Ground Water Data From Selected Monitor Wells

National Weather Service - Honolulu
•	Rainfall
•	Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI)
•	Fire Weather

U.S. Geological Survey
•	Real Time Streamflow Data
•	Recent Hydrological Conditions in Hawaii
•	WaterWatch - current water resources conditions

National Drought Mitigation Center
•	U.S. Drought Monitor

•	What is Drought?
•	History of Drought in Hawaii
•	Hawaii Drought Council (HDC)
•	HDC Current Activities
•	Hawaii Drought Plan & County Drought Mitigation Strategies
•	Drought Information Archive
•	Acknowledgements

Hot Links

EPA WaterSense Partnership for Water Efficiency

Drought News and Related Information
•	May 12, 2008 - Call goes out for conservation as water demand increases, News Article - The Maui News
•	May 5, 2008 - Normally wet period ending up dry, News Article - The Maui News
•	April 29, 2008 - Residents urged to save water, News Article - The Honolulu Star Bulletin
•	April 28, 2008 - 'Abnormally dry' conditions troubling, News Article - The Maui News
•	April 21, 2008 - Water levels Upcountry have officials worried, News Article - The Maui News
•	April 14, 2008 - Dry conditions grip farms in Waimanalo, News Article - The Honolulu Star Bulletin
•	April 14, 2008 - Weather aids water department, News Article - The Maui News
•	April 8, 2008 - Waimanalo farmers ordered to cut water use, News Article - The Honolulu Advertiser
•	April 6, 2008 - March sets records for low rainfall on Maui, News Article - The Maui News
•	March 30, 2008 - Water use continues to increase, News Article - The Maui News
•	March 27, 2008 - Islands 'abnormally dry', News Article - The Maui News
•	March 25, 2008 - Isle temperatures are rising, News Article - The Honolulu Advertiser
•	March 24, 2008 - Showers helpful, but water-use cutbacks urged, News Article - The Maui News
•	March 16, 2008 - Dry weather brings more water use, News Article - The Maui News
•	March 12, 2008 - Parts of Big Island under 'extreme fire hazard', News Article - The Honolulu Advertiser
•	March 12, 2008 - Farmers warned of water shortage, News Article - The Honolulu Star Bulletin
•	March 9, 2008 - Less rainfall stirs concern about greater water demand, News Article - The Maui News
•	March 2, 2008 - Water use under control, but flows fall off in watersheds, News Article - The Maui News
•	February 24, 2008 - Central, South Maui water use increasing, News Article - The Maui News

Hawaii Drought Council Public Service Announcements
Listen for ways to conserve water and protect against wildfire!
Click on the pictures below to hear an MP3 audio file in your default media player.

Irrigate Wisely!

Use an Ashtray!

Watch for Sparks!

Forecasts - Drought preparation begins with effective forecasting tools.

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook (Climate Prediction Center)
U.S. Drought Assessment (Climate Prediction Center)
Prognostic Discussion for Long-Lead Hawaiian Outlooks: temperature and precipitation (Climate Prediction Center)
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
CPC Experimental Long-Range Precipitation Forecasts for Hawaii (Climate Prediction Center)

Drought Planning and Preparedness - Planning for drought before it occurs is critical to mitigating its impacts.

Hawaii Statewide Hazard Mitigation Forum
How to Reduce Drought Risk [pdf] (National Drought Mitigation Center)
National Drought Mitigation Center
Defending Against Drought (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Drought Information Center (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Fire Management Program (Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawaii DLNR)
Western Governors' Association Drought Initiative

El Niño - El Niño events are closely linked to drought conditions in Hawaii.

Pacific ENSO Applications Center
ENSO Advisory (Climate Prediction Center)
El Niño/La Niña Home (Climate Prediction Center)
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (NOAA)

Water Conservation - Taking steps to conserving water use is important to protecting and preserving Hawaii's water resources. Conservation becomes even more important during drought when water supplies are low.

Water Conservation Tips (Kauai Department of Water)
Water Conservation (Honolulu Board of Water Supply)
Water Conservation (Maui Department of Water Supply)
Water Conservation (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation)
WaterWiser (American Water Works Association)
WaterSense: Efficiency Made Easy (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Green Business Program (Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism)
Prototype Water Conservation Plan for the DLNR [pdf 11.1 MB] (Commission on Water Resource Management)
Water Conservation Manual for State of Hawaii Facilities [pdf 5.5 MB](Commission on Water Resource Management)

Drought Resources - Various programs are available to assist those impacted by drought.

Hawaii State and Pacific Basin Farm Service Agency (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
DisasterHelp (Disaster Management Electronic Government Initiative)

Climate Information - Climate information aids in monitoring drought conditions.

Hawaii State Climate Office (University of Hawaii)
Hydrologic Information Center (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
National Climatic Data Center (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Western Regional Climate Center (Desert Research Institute)
Pacific Islands Water Science Center (U.S. Geological Survey)

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