Last month ranks as the second wettest August in more than a century, according to the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal’s monthly report.
The state received 210% more rainfall than is typical for August. Most of that came from Hurricane Lala, which dumped an average of 11 inches of rain across the state.
HCDP Director Ryan Longman called August a “complete reversal of the climate” compared to the same month last year, which was third driest on record.
About half the state was experiencing moderate drought or worse in August 2025. Now, virtually none of the state is in drought, and conditions have shifted towards extreme wetness.
In addition to its monthly report, HCDP has released a dedicated climate summary for Lala that models rainfall and wind speeds over the course of the three-day storm.
It also measures rainfall intensity, or the rate at which rain is falling at a given hour. Longman said that metric is an important indicator of flooding potential — when rain falls quickly, the ground becomes oversaturated and can no longer absorb moisture, leading to runoff.
During Lala, a rain gauge in Kaiholena near Nāʻālehu measured more than 4 inches of rain in a single hour. HCDP’s report says that the extreme rate of rainfall during that hour coincided with the beginning of flooding in Nāʻālehu.
Find HCDP’s latest climate summary here.
HCDP is a collaborative effort based at the University of Hawai’i Sea Grant College Program, which is an underwriter of HPR.
