Routine Monitoring of Climate in the State of Hawai‘i: Establishment of State Climate Divisions

Basic climate summaries and historical climate analyses produced by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) do not include the state of Hawaii, largely because Hawaii is the only state that does not have assigned climate divisions. This project will develop the analytical approach to produce climate divisions for Hawaii with regional groupings analogous to the contiguous United States’ climate division records. Rainfall in Hawaii exhibits a number of extremes that include some of the wettest locations on earth, and short-term extreme events that rival national extreme values. Extreme drought events also regularly affect the state. Given the strong spatial climate gradients in Hawai‘i, careful analysis is needed to develop appropriate climate regions that characterize the state’s spatial and temporal variability. This information is required to better understand climate variability and change, and to include Hawai‘i within NCEI’s suite of state and national climate products. The production of climate divisions for Hawaii will support development of a robust monitoring and forecasting framework, enhancing seasonal forecasting at NWS and monitoring through NCEI.