Big Island Endures El Nino Drought

As El Nino sops both coasts of the mainland with relentless rain, it’s drying up the island of Hawaii, where Hilo has long boasted of being the “wettest city in America.” An average 10 1/2 feet of rain soaks this eastern end of the Big Island each year. In a typical year, 15 inches would have fallen by now, but so far this year local rain gauges have measured barely half an inch. A state of emergency has been declared, and residents are under orders to cut water consumption by 10%. It’s all because the warming phenomenon across the central Pacific pushes storms that normally pass over Hawaii farther to the north, diverting their heavy rainfall to California, said Roger Pierce of the National Weather Service.