Hawaii's second-driest year sparks climate action, new report says

HONOLULU (Island News) — Hawaii faced its second-driest year in over a century in 2025, coupled with persistently above-average temperatures, according to the inaugural Hawaii Annual Climate Report 2025.

The report published by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program aims to connect communities, resource managers and policymakers with essential climate data to support preparedness and long-term planning across the islands.

Ryan Longman, director of the Hawaii Climate Data Portal, highlighted the importance of this data. “Throughout 2025, we heard people across the state talking about just how hot and dry the year felt,” Longman said. “Now we have the data to show what people were experiencing on the ground.”

The report reflects decades of climate monitoring and high-level research, developed through more than eight years of collaboration by a team of climate and data scientists. It includes easy-to-interpret maps and figures, hosted on the Hawaii Climate Data Portal, summarizing climate conditions across the state.

An interactive website accompanies the report, allowing users to explore climate information for individual islands and specific ahupuaa or watersheds. This resource offers a clear picture of what many residents experienced firsthand in 2025.

Report Highlights

• 2025 was the second driest year in Hawaii’s 106-year record, with statewide rainfall averaging just 42 inches—about 20 inches below the 30-year average.
• Maui experienced its driest year on record, while Hawaii Island recorded its second driest year.
• Rainfall was below average for 11 out of 12 months, and August ranked as the driest August in the past 35 years.
• Statewide, 2025 ranked as the sixth warmest year on record, averaging 0.8°F warmer than normal. For Maui and Kauai, it was the third warmest year since 1990.
• Drought conditions were widespread and severe. By the end of the year, 65% of the state was classified as abnormally dry or worse, and all of Molokai experienced dry conditions. The most intense drought occurred in February, when 56% of Hawaii was in severe drought or worse.

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