Hilo had its wettest August in a quarter-century, according to a report released Thursday by the National Weather Service.
The rain gauge at Hilo International Airport registered 24.68 inches last month, two-and-a-half times the August average and the highest total since 1991. Records for August rainfall totals were broken at Waiakea Uka, with 29.82 inches; Glenwood, with 28.86 inches; and Mountain View, with 26.48 inches.
“As of this week, the last remaining area of drought on the Big Island was removed.”
Kodama was referring to South Point, which received just more than 4 inches of rain, as opposed to 2.55 inches for a normal August.
Locations with continuing deficits in year-to-date rainfall are mainly in the Kona and leeward Kohala areas, but the wet August extended to numerous leeward locations, as well.
Kahua Ranch on Kohala Mountain Road was parched, with just 0.71 inch for the month, 15 percent of its normal August total of 4.65 inches.
Kodama said the long-range outlook issued by the NWS Climate Prediction Center points to higher-than-normal rainfall totals for the remainder of the year.