The most recent map available from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows most of Maui County in moderate to extreme drought conditions based on data from Nov. 4. Photo courtesy US Drought Monitor

Wetter-than-normal conditions are likely across Hawaii in the coming months as a weak La Nina pattern influences the Pacific, according to the National Weather Service.

“It will be wetter than normal,” predicted Derek Wroe, the National Weather Service’s lead forecaster in Honolulu. “Right now, we’re transitioning from a dry to the wet season.”

Some areas of Maui have experienced recent rainfall, including Haiku with 0.34 inches, Piiholo with 0.27, Makawao with 0.24, and Wailuaiki with 1.26 over the last 24 hours ending midday Tuesday.

Other areas of Maui remained relatively dry, however, including Pukalani (0.04 inches), Puu Kukui (0.01), Wailuku (0.10), Kahakuloa (0.13) and Kula with no measurable rainfall.

Wroe said there’s a better probability of significant rainfall in the Hawaiian islands from November through January due to a weak La Nina weather pattern.

The National Weather Service said a weak La Nina is typically associated with above-normal rainfall across the islands, especially for the northwestern half of the state.

If wetter conditions arise, drought conditions affecting about 70% of the state may ease significantly or even end by the close of the wet season.

The National Weather Service advises residents to prepare for potential flooding, road closures and lightning-related power outages during heavy storms.

The 2024-25 dry season ranked as the third driest in the last 30 years behind 2007 and 2010.

La Nina’s cooler Pacific temperatures can alter weather patterns, often leading to more precipitation in areas like the Pacific Northwest, Indonesia and the Philippines while other regions may experience drought.

A La Nina occurs when certain parts of the Central Pacific Ocean cool by half a degree Celsius compared to normal.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared that La Nina conditions have formed, but they are likely to be not very strong and may disappear in the next few months, according to Michelle L’Heureux, lead scientist on the NOAA team that studies La Nina and El Nino.

“There is a three out of four chance it will remain a weak event,” L’Heureux wrote in an email. “A weaker event tends to exert less of an influence on the global circulation, so it’s possible there will be surprises ahead.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.