LIHUE — The rain gauge at an airport on Kauai went lower than it has been in 66 years last month, according to the National Weather service.
The gauge at the Lihue Airport recorded 1.17 inches of rain last month, two times lower than the monthly average. It hasn’t been that low since 1950, the weather service told The Garden Island (http://bit.ly/2j7Riip ).
October is the start of the wet season on Kauai and winter months usually bring heavy rains.
“The airport had a record dry December, which surprised me a bit because it’s not the normal weather pattern I’d expect for the winter months,” said Kevin Kodama, hydrologist for the National Weather Service on Honolulu.
The Lihue airport measured 13.39 inches of rain in 2016, compared to a yearly average of 37.05. Kodama said Kauai is in the midst of a small drought.
The island as a whole saw nearly 1,600 inches of rain last year, according to data from 26 gauges scattered across the Garden Isle. Kodama said most of the island saw a more typical rainy December, which helped a bit with drought recovery.
“But we’re not fully out of the drought; grass is just starting to come up,” said Kodama. “Rainfall is still needed.”