National Weather Service: Rainfall stayed below average in February

Without significant flooding in February, drier and more stable weather conditions kept rainfall below average for the month in many areas of the state, including Maui County, the National Weather Service reported.

The exception was a weak cold front that dropped into the island chain from the north on Feb. 2. That generated 3 to 5 inches of rain along the windward slopes of Haleakalā and the windward Hāmākua and Kohala regions of the Big Island, said Kevin Kodama, senior NWS hydrologist.

Rain gages along the windward slopes of Molokaʻi and Maui recorded near- to above-average February rainfall totals, the weather service reported. Most of the remaining gages in Maui County had below average totals. Leeward Maui was very dry with several totals at less than 10% of average. The US Geological Survey’s rain gage on Puʻu Kukui had the highest monthly total of 16.75 inches, and the highest daily total of 2.68 inches on Feb. 27.

Although February was generally dry, Maui County rainfall totals for 2024 through the end of February were mostly above average due to the very wet conditions in January. Puʻu Kukui had the highest year-to-date total of 43.50 inches (76% of average).

On the heels of the early February cold front, a cool, stable air mass with fresh to strong trade winds moved across the state Feb. 3 and remained stationary through Feb. 6, Kodama said.

Easterly trade winds veered to a southeasterly direction on Feb. 9 as the subtropical high-pressure system shifted eastward to a point roughly halfway between Hawaiʻi and California, he said. A weak surface trough that same day brought some enhanced rainfall to the slopes of Oʻahu’s Koʻolau Range, with rainfall totals of about half an inch to one inch.

On Feb. 15, the strongest cold front of the month moved across the main Hawaiian Islands. North-facing slopes across the state picked up around 1 to 3 inches of rainfall, but there were no reports of significant flooding, Kodama said.

Following that, a generally benign weather pattern settled in over the state from Feb. 16 through Feb. 23, he said. Fresh to strong trade winds started Feb. 24 and persisted through the rest of the month. These trades produced rather wet conditions along the windward slopes with daily totals reaching 1 to 2 inches in some spots.