The only East Hawaii gauge to record 50% of its average December rainfall was Pahoa, with 5.61 inches. That brought the lower Puna town’s total for 2025 to 82.53 inches, 60% of its yearly average.
Drought continues for the entire state, and even Hilo — a city renowned for prodigious rainfall — is in severe drought, according to the National Weather Service. Tina Stall, hydrologist for the ...