000 AXHW70 PHFO 111840 DGTHFO HIC001-003-007-009-130400- Drought Information Statement National Weather Service Honolulu HI 840 AM HST Thu Aug 11 2022 ...EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT DEVELOPS ON MAUI... .SYNOPSIS: Very dry conditions continued through July in many areas of Maui County with several gages in the island of Maui's central valley having no measurable rainfall the entire month. As a result, extreme drought, or the D3 category on the U.S. Drought Monitor map, worsened to exceptional drought, or the D4 category. Elsewhere in Maui County, extreme drought continued over the leeward areas of Molokai and the southeastern flank of Kahoolawe. Severe drought, or the D2 category, remained in place over the most of Lanai. On the island of Kauai, drought conditions along the lower leeward slope continued to worsen with the area from Hanapepe to Waimea going from severe drought to extreme drought. Severe drought also remained in place along the northeast side of the island from Kealia to Anahola. Extreme drought in portions of the Big Island's South Kohala District expanded over the past month. Another area of extreme drought developed recently along the lower slopes of the Kau District near South Point. On Oahu, drought conditions have been worst along the lower leeward slopes and on the eastern end of the Koolau Range. These areas have been in the D2 category for several weeks, with most of the rest of the island in D1, or moderate drought. .SUMMARY OF IMPACTS: Kauai County Non-irrigated pastures along the lower leeward slopes from Hanapepe to Waimea have worsened over the past month and were reported to be in very poor condition. Pastures on the east side of the island from Kealia to Anahola were also significantly degraded. Oahu Ranchers operating in west Oahu have reported deteriorating pasture conditions. Farmers in the Kahuku area have also indicated dry conditions that are hindering planting operations. Maui County Pastures and general vegetation conditions remain extremely poor along the lower leeward slopes of the county. Ranchers operating in these areas reduced their herd sizes several months ago as drought conditions started to worsen. Feral deer on Molokai and Maui continue to aggravate operating conditions for farmers by competing with livestock for forage and by consuming produce in non-protected farmlands. On Maui, low surface water flows have forced the Maui County's Department of Water Supply to impose water restrictions for Upcountry and West Maui consumers. Hawaii County Ranchers operating along the lower slopes of the Kau District reported very poor pasture conditions. Brush fires have also been affecting their rangelands recently. A large brush fire also started in the Pohakuloa region of the Big Island on August 10 and remained active at the time of this statement. Satellite-based vegetation health data indicated degraded conditions across most of the South Kohala District and in the North Kona District to the north of Hualalai volcano. The satellite data also showed poor conditions on the slopes of Mauna Kea along the Keanakolu Road. .DROUGHT MITIGATION ACTIONS: U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Honolulu County, Hawaii County, and Maui County as primary natural disaster areas due to drought. The designation allows funding to be used for emergency loans and compensation for grazing losses. On June 24, the Maui County Department of Water Supply declared a Stage 1 Water Shortage for the Upcountry and West Maui service areas, with restrictions going into effect on June 30. The department has asked that consumers refrain from using water for irrigation, watering lawns, washing vehicles, or other non- essential activities. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) has maintained its request to voluntarily reduce water use by 10 percent. The request is due to "the loss of supply from Halawa Shaft, which was shut down last year in response to fuel contamination of the Navy's Red Hill source, coupled with less than normal rainfall." .LOCAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK: The Long-Lead Hawaiian Islands Outlook issued on July 21, 2022 by the NOAA Climate Prediction Center did not show probabilities favoring above or below normal temperatures into the fall. Probabilities continued to favor below normal rainfall during the summer months and into the fall season. Longer range projections favor above average rainfall at the end of 2022 and into early 2023. The next long-lead outlook will be issued by the Climate Prediction Center on August 18. .NEXT ISSUANCE DATE: The next Drought Information Statement will be issued on September 8, 2022 or sooner if necessary in response to significant changes in conditions. .RELATED WEB SITES: Additional information on current drought conditions may be found at the following web addresses: U.S. Drought Monitor: droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Hawaii Drought Monitor: dlnr.hawaii.gov/drought USGS Hawaii - Recent Conditions: hi.water.usgs.gov/recent/index.html Climate Prediction Center long-lead Hawaii outlook: www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/fxhw40.html Hawaii Drought Impact Reporter: hawaii.droughtreporter.unl.edu/ .ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Information for this product was compiled from a number of sources including the county boards and departments of water supply, U.S. and State of Hawaii agriculture agencies, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the media. .CONTACT INFORMATION: If you have questions or comments about this drought information statement,please contact: Kevin Kodama National Weather Service 2525 Correa Rd. Suite 250 Honolulu HI 96822 Phone: 808-973-5276 Email: Kevin.kodama@noaa.gov $$