Rainfall patterns in Hawaii have undergone large changes over the years, according to a release from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While El Ni\u00f1o events would typically cause six months of drought in the Hawaiian Islands, La Ni\u00f1a events would mean rainfall above average. Over time, however, La Ni\u00f1a has given Hawaii more drought instead of additional rains. <\/p>\n
Data from 50 National Weather Service rain gauges placed throughout the state showed the shift in La Ni\u00f1a\u2019s behavior. Rain gauge data covered a period from 1956 until 2010. A changepoint analysis showed the shift from excess rain to additional drought occurred in 1983. <\/p>\n
Scientists at the university say a combination of changes caused the reduction in La Ni\u00f1a rainfall where there was once an excess. These include a shifting eastern North Pacific subtropical high-pressure system toward the west and a changing subtropical jet stream, which became more elongated in the eastward direction and more intense. Storm-track data indicate that changes in the Hawaiian climate mean conditions are also less conducive to forming Kona low-pressure systems. <\/p>\n
Top image:\u00a0Hawaiin islands. (Credit: Public Domain)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rainfall patterns in Hawaii have undergone large changes over the years, according to a release from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While El Ni\u00f1o events would typically cause six months of drought in the Hawaiian Islands, La Ni\u00f1a events would mean rainfall above average. Over time, however, La Ni\u00f1a has given Hawaii more drought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":23842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,44],"tags":[381,103,347,221],"class_list":["post-23844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-oceans-coasts","tag-enso","tag-news-2","tag-oceans-coasts","tag-university-of-hawaii"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"\n