Hawaii Told to Expect El Nino to Continue All Year

El Nino will bring tropical storms to Hawaii this summer as the weather event warms the Pacific Ocean and bumps up humidity.

The National Weather Service predicts El Nino will almost definitely continue through the summer and likely last through 2015, The Honolulu Start-Advertiser reported.

Though El Nino never fully formed last year, this summer and winter will have similar conditions, says state climatologist and University of Hawaii meteorology professor Pao-Shin Chu.

Hawaii saw impacts last summer from three tropical storms during hurricane season. In 2014, more tropical storm advisories came out of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center than in any year in the past decade.

“Last season was scary,” Chu said.

Chu said El Nino could clear the path for summer hurricanes. The end of hurricane season in November will bring dryer conditions to the island, including parched landscapes and increased wildfire risk.

“We’ll have to be more cautious about water use,” Chu said.

El Nino occurs sporadically and can last anywhere from six months to four years. Hurricanes Iwa in 1982 and Iniki in 1992 both occurred during El Nino, and the western Pacific is already seeing a tropical cyclone system with more than three times the normal activity.

“We’ve got to pay attention,” Chu said. “We have to keep watch and hope for the best.”

Related:

• Better Late Than Never: El Nino Finally Arrives
• Forecaster Increases El Nino Chances to 70% for Northern Hemisphere