HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii can expect dry weather conditions and less wind this winter as the result of a powerful El Nino, according to federal scientists. ADVERTISING HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii can expect dry weather conditions and less wind this
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii can expect dry weather conditions and less wind this winter as the result of a powerful El Nino, according to federal scientists.
El Nino, the warming of surface waters in the Pacific Ocean that can significantly influence weather in North America, has brought Hawaii an active hurricane season and a very wet summer.
A forecast released Thursday by the National Weather Service says the periodic warming of Pacific waters should bring more dry days, with drought conditions likely by the end of February, KGMB-TV reports (https://bit.ly/1I0ODB2).
The dry weather will likely cause Hawaii to have “a lot more days where the trades are absent,” said Robert Ballard, NWS science and operations officer in Honolulu.
“When we get deeper into winter, conditions are going to dry out,” Ballard said. “That’s not to say the whole winter is going to be like that.”
On days without trade winds, temperatures will be cool in the mornings and rise by the afternoon. The light winds could also mean more volcanic smog on Oahu.
The effects of El Nino in Hawaii are typically drier winters and wetter summers.
According to the National Weather Service, Hawaii’s sea surface temperatures are currently about 1 to 2 degrees above normal.
