(BIVN) – Drought conditions persist on Hawaiʻi island despite recent rains, according to the latest map produced by the U.S. Drought Monitor. 

Most of the Big Island is under D1 Moderate Drought conditions. D3 Extreme Drought continues on Maunakea and the South Point-area of Kaʻū. 

D2 Severe Drought conditions remain in Hāmākua, while the D2 conditions in North Hilo have shifted southward into South Hilo and upper Puna. 

“A few localized improvements occurred in windward areas of the Big Island and east Maui, where recent heavy rainfall amounts led to improved streamflow levels,” the U.S. Drought Monitor wrote. “Heavier rainfall was also reported in some windward parts of Molokai and Oahu this week. Far eastern portions of the Big Island were mostly drier than normal, and severe drought continued there.” 

“Temperature observations in Hawaii were mostly within 1.5 degrees of normal, with readings on the Big Island mostly on the warm side of this range,” the Monitor added. 

image from video courtesy the County of Hawaiʻi

Under D2 and D3 conditions, fire danger is high. This past week, for example, firefighters worked to contain a wildland fire on the eastern slope of Maunakea that was over 2,000 acres in size. No residential areas were threatened by the blaze. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center says above normal rainfall is likely for the Hawaiʻi wet season, which is consistent with a cold-season La Niña event. The wet season runs from now through early spring 2026.