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VNR: New report confirms 2025 among Hawai‘i’s driest, warmest on record

Dr. Ryan Longman consults with Dylen Joaquin of the Hawai'i Cattleman's Association. Courtesy PDKE

Highly-flammable invasive grasses are contributing to an increase in wildfire activity in Hawaiʻi. (Photo credit: Clay Trauernicht)

Tom Giambelluca is the driving force behind the Mesonet system.

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In 2025, Hawaiʻi experienced its second-driest year in more than a century, alongside persistently above average temperatures throughout the year—a stark reality detailed in the inaugural . Published by the , this first-of-its-kind report uses plain language, along with easy-to-interpret maps and figures, to summarize statewide rainfall, temperature, and drought conditions over the past year. 

The report is designed to connect communities, resource managers, and policymakers with the climate data behind what many experienced firsthand, providing essential information to support climate preparedness and long-term planning across the islands.

This report reflects decades of effort to monitor Hawai‘i’s climate and conduct high-level scientific research, paired with more than eight years of collaboration by a team of climate and data scientists to develop an expanding suite of high-quality climate maps and decision support tools. These maps are hosted on the Hawai‘i Climate Data Portal (HCDP) and, for the first time, make it possible to summarize climate conditions consistently across the entire state.

“Throughout 2025, we heard people across the state talking about just how hot and dry the year felt,” said Ryan Longman, director of the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal. “Now we have the data to show what people were experiencing on the ground. We hope this type of reporting helps connect residents to their own lived experiences with Hawaiʻi’s climate and gives communities the information they need to plan for what’s ahead.”

The report is accompanied by a detailed, interactive website that allows users to explore the same climate information for individual islands and even for specific ahupuaʻa or watersheds. Together, the report and website provide a clear picture of what many residents across Hawai‘i experienced firsthand in 2025.

Highlights from the report

• 2025 was the second driest year in Hawaiʻi’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 Hawaiʻi 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 Kauaʻi, 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 Molokaʻi experienced dry conditions. The most intense drought occurred in February, when 56% of Hawaiʻi was in severe drought or worse.

Future data collection to expand

Looking ahead, the establishment of the Hawai‘i Mesonet is expected to further improve the quality and detail of future reports by expanding on-the-ground climate observations. This report marks the first in a new annual series, to be released at the start of each year and refined and expanded over time as Hawai‘i’s climate data and monitoring networks continue to grow.

The report also announced the launch of monthly climate update summaries, expected later this spring, which will send the latest information on rainfall, temperature and drought directly to subscribers’ inboxes, with a focus on the parts of the island chain that matter most to the individual subscribers.

“The goal of the monthly climate summaries is to provide an early signal of emerging rainfall and drought conditions,” said Longman. “By delivering site-specific information at the scales people actually work at, these updates can support more proactive planning and decision-making.”

The report was compiled by the Hawai‘i Climate Data Portal and Hawai‘i Mesonet teams. Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation, the State of Hawai‘i Commission on Water Resource Management, and the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center.

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The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program is part of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s prestigious School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. It supports an innovative program of research, education, and extension services directed to increasing sustainability of coastal and marine resources and resilience of coastal communities of the state, region, and nation. Science serving Hawai‘i and the Pacific since 1968.

Hawai'i Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs across the nation supported by NOAA.

SOUDBITES:

Ryan Longman, Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center, UH consortium director (:15)

“Hawaiʻi as a state was the second driest year in 106 years. We saw that 11 out of the 12 months had a below average rainfall. Regarding temperature, we saw that all 12 months were warmer than average in the last 36 years.”

Longman (:14)

“We're turning this information into really easy to understand information that folks can connect with, that they can interact with, students, teachers, resource managers, they all have access to this data now and it's taken us a long time to get here.”

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