Recent Hydrologic Conditions -- Hawaii
Latest update June 16, 2009
Rainfall | Streamflow | Ground
Water
RAINFALL
Kauai--Below-average
rainfall. During
March - May 2009, rainfall was
about 64 percent of average. As of May 2009, rainfall near the summit of Mt.
Waialeale on Kauai was below average 10 of the last 12
months. During June 2008 - May 2009,
rainfall was about 85 percent of average. May 2009 rainfall was the second lowest monthly total ever recorded, second only to February 1983.
Oahu--Below-average rainfall. During
March - May 2009, rainfall was 56 percent of average.
As of May 2009, rainfall at Poamoho,
near the crest of the Koolau Range on Oahu,
was below average 9 of the last 12 months.
During June 2008 - May 2009, rainfall was about 84 percent of average.
Maui--Below-average rainfall. During
March - May 2009, rainfall was 52 percent
of average. As of May 2009, rainfall at Puu
Kukui, the summit of the West Maui Mountains, was below
average 12 of the last 12 months. During June 2008 - May 2009, rainfall was about 55
percent of average. May 2009 rainfall was the fifth lowest monthly total ever recorded.
Link to Drought
Monitor from NOAA, USDA, and the National Drought
Mitigation Center and Standardized Precipitation Index from NWS Honolulu Forecast Office, both include rainfall data from Hawaii.
STREAMFLOW
Links to USGS Water Watch for current streamflow conditions in Hawaii.
-
Real-time streamflow map-- tracks short-term changes (over several hours) in rivers and streams. Although the general appearance of the map changes very little from one hour to the next, individual sites may change rapidly in response to major rain events or to reservoir releases.
-
Daily streamflow map-- shows average streamflow conditions for the previous day. The map is similar in appearance to the "Real-time streamflow map" but less likely to reflect the influence of short-term events such as reservoir releases and short-duration precipitation events.
-
28-day average streamflow map-- shows the average streamflow conditions for the past 28 days. By averaging over past 28 days, the values on the map are more indicative of longer-term streamflow conditions than either the "Real-time streamflow" or the "Daily streamflow" maps.
-
Flood and high flow map-- shows the location of streamgages where the water level is currently at or above flood stage (depicted as a black triangle) or at high flow (depicted as blue circles). The high flow conditions are expressed as percentiles that compare the current (i.e., within the past several hours) instantaneous flow value to historical daily mean flow values for all days of the year.
- Streamflow duration hydrographs-- compare recent streamflow record with historical data for active stream gages.
GROUND-WATER LEVELS
Links to USGS Ground-Water Watch for current water-level conditions in Hawaii.
Water level network map-- shows recent groundwater levels compared to historical monthly mean groundwater levels. A list of wells in the network and links to available data and statistics are provided below by County
In addition to the USGS streamflow, groundwater
level, and rainfall data for the sites shown above,
the National Weather Service, Weather Forecast
Office in Honolulu provides rainfall
hydrology data and graphics for Hawaii.
