History of Drought in Hawaii

Founded on a rich agricultural heritage, and fueled by a growing population, the Hawaiian Islands have been prone to drought and water shortages throughout history. Below is a brief look at the severe droughts Hawaii has experienced over the past century. By no means does this timeline thoroughly address all the impacts drought has had, but it does provide a picture of the frequency and severity of droughts in our State's history.

Workers harvesting sugar cane. To provide for this water-intensive crop, hundreds of miles of irrigation ditches were constructed throughout the islands.		A view of urban Honolulu. As Oahu's population continues to grow, the competition over water for domestic consumption, agriculture, and the environment also increases.

Year	Area	Remarks
1901	North Hawaii	Severe drought, destructive forest fires.
1905	Kona, Hawaii	Serious drought and forest fires.
1908	Hawaii and Maui	Serious drought.
1912	Kohala, Hawaii	Serious drought and severe sugarcane crop damage for two years.
1952	Kauai	Long, severe dry spell.
1953	Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu	Water rationing on Maui; Water tanks in Kona almost empty; 867 head of cattle died; Pineapple production on Molokai reduced by 30 percent; Rainfall in the islands had been 40 percent less than normal.
1962	Hawaii and Maui	State declared disaster for these islands; Crop damage, cattle deaths, and sever fire hazards; Losses totaled $200,000.
1965	Hawaii	State water emergency declared; Losses totaled $400,000.
1971	Hawaii and Maui	Irrigation and domestic water users sharply curtailed.
1975	Kauai and Oahu	Worst drought for sugar plantations in 15 years.
1977 - 1978	Hawaii and Maui	Declared State disaster for these islands.
1980-81	Hawaii and Maui	State declared disaster; Heavy agricultural and cattle losses; Damages totaling at least $1.4 million.
1983 - 1985	Hawaii	El Niño effect; State declared disaster; Crop production reduced by 80 percent in Waimea and Kamuela areas; $96,000 spent for drought relief projects.
1996	Hawaii, Maui, and Molokai	Declared drought emergency; heavy damages to agriculture and cattle industries; Losses totaling at least $9.4 million.
1998 - 1999	Hawaii and Maui	State declared drought emergency for Maui; County declared emergency for Hawaii due to water shortages; heavy damages to agriculture and cattle industries; Statewide cattle losses alone estimated at $6.5 million.
2000 - 2002	Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai	Counties declare drought emergencies; Governor proclaims statewide drought emergency; Secretary of Interior designates all Counties as primary disaster areas due to drought; East Maui streams at record low levels; Statewide cattle losses alone projected at $9 million.