There were sunbathers and picnics galore Monday as East Hawaii residents flocked to beach parks to enjoy the latest in a recent stretch of blue skies, ample sunshine and minimal to no rain.
Just 0.22 inches of rain was registered by Hilo International Airport’s rain gauge in the eight-day period from Jan. 9 to Monday, data from the National Weather Service shows. That comes out to less than 0.03 inches on average per day, or about 10 percent of the rain gauge’s normal daily rainfall.
The airport has recorded 1.21 inches of rain total since Jan. 1, which is nearly 3 inches below the normal amount for the year so far. Temperatures recorded at the Hilo airport during the past week have been at or above average each day.
Remaining parts of the island also have been unusually hot and dry. Pahoa recorded 0.59 inches of rain from Jan. 9 through Monday, and Waiakea Uka received 0.54 inches. Waimea recorded just 0.04 inches throughout the eight-day stretch, and the typically wet Saddle Road Quarry just 0.52 inches. Many leeward spots, including the Kona International Airport, recorded trace amounts or no rain at all.
“It’s been a nice little drought for us,” said Hawaiian Acres resident Robert Pahio, 30, who was at Reeds Bay Beach Park on Monday with his family because his children had the day off school. “Almost all this week we’ve been (outside).”
The fair weather is the result of a ridge of high pressure that has extended over Maui and the Big Island in recent days, helping keeping “the winds light … the clouds at bay and more sunshine,” said Ian Morrison, a NWS meteorologist in Honolulu.
That comes after a particularly rainy December in which all but three rain gauges on Hawaii Island recorded above-average rainfall.
“Big Island people were wanting the rain to stop, and they got their wish,” Morrison said.
However, the NWS predicts a gradual return to “normal Big Island weather” this week, Morrison said, as trade winds begin “sneaking back into Maui and the Big Island.” Island residents can expect “a few more windward showers popping up” through the week, he added.
“By Saturday and Sunday, there will be strong trades and definitely rain and clouds,” Morrison said.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
