600  
FXHW40 KWBC 191231  
PMDHCO  
PROGNOSTIC DISCUSSION FOR LONG-LEAD HAWAIIAN OUTLOOKS  
NWS CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
830AM EDT THU SEP 19 2024  
 
MONTHLY FORECAST DISCUSSION VALID OCTOBER 2024  
 
SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURES (SSTS) NEAR THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS OF KAUAI, OAHU, AND  
MAUI, HAVE WARMED DURING THE PAST FEW WEEKS TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE, WHILE  
SSTS SURROUNDING THE BIG ISLAND REMAIN CLOSE TO THE 30-YEAR CLIMATOLOGICAL  
AVERAGE.  
 
FROM JANUARY THROUGH AUGUST 2024, RAINFALL TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS WERE:  
 
LIHUE AIRPORT 23.18 INCHES (105 PERCENT OF AVERAGE)  
 
HONOLULU AIRPORT 9.71 INCHES (101 PERCENT OF AVERAGE)  
 
KAHULUI AIRPORT 10.79 INCHES (105 PERCENT OF AVERAGE)  
 
HILO AIRPORT 68.22 INCHES (91 PERCENT OF AVERAGE)  
 
THE NCEP CLIMATE FORECAST SYSTEM (CFS) AND OTHER CLIMATE MODELS OF THE NORTH  
AMERICAN MULTI-MODEL ENSEMBLE (NMME) GENERALLY PREDICT NEAR AVERAGE SSTS AROUND  
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THROUGH OCTOBER 2024, WITH THE EXCEPTIONS OF THE IMME AND  
GFDL-SPEAR MODELS WHICH PREDICT AN SST ANOMALY PATTERN SIMILAR TO CURRENT  
OBSERVATIONS. GIVEN THE FACT THAT OCEAN TEMPERATURES TYPICALLY CHANGE VERY  
SLOWLY OVER TIME, IT WAS DECIDED TO GO WITH THE IMME AND GFDL-SPEAR SOLUTIONS  
WHICH AGREE WITH CURRENT SST OBSERVATIONS. BASED PRIMARILY ON THE EXPECTED  
PERSISTENCE OF THE CURRENT SST ANOMALY PATTERN, SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE  
SLIGHTLY FAVORED TO BE ABOVE NORMAL FOR KAUAI, OAHU, AND MAUI, AND EQUAL  
CHANCES (EC) OF BELOW, NEAR, AND ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH  
OCTOBER. FOR THE OCTOBER 2024 PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK, BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION  
PROBABILITIES ARE ELEVATED FOR ALL OF THE ISLAND CHAIN, AS INDICATED BY MOST  
DYNAMICAL MODEL FORECASTS, AND CONSISTENT WITH A TRANSITION FROM ENSO-NEUTRAL  
TO LA NIñA CONDITIONS OVER THE TROPICAL PACIFIC IN THE NEAR FUTURE.  
 
TEMPERATURE PRECIPITATION  
FCST AVE LIM FCST BLW MEDIAN ABV  
HILO EC 75.7 0.5 B50 7.8 8.6 12.1  
KAHULUI A40 78.2 0.4 B45 0.3 0.6 1.1  
HONOLULU A40 80.2 0.5 B40 0.5 1.3 1.9  
LIHUE A40 78.1 0.3 B40 2.5 3.3 4.2  
 
SEASONAL FORECAST DISCUSSION VALID OND 2024 - OND 2025  
 
REFER TO THE PROGNOSTIC DISCUSSION OF THE LONG-LEAD SEASONAL OUTLOOKS FOR THE  
CONUS AND ALASKA FOR A DESCRIPTION OF THE ENSO OUTLOOK AND OTHER CLIMATE  
CONDITIONS RELEVANT TO THE SEASONAL OUTLOOK. ENSO-NEUTRAL CONDITIONS CONTINUE  
TO BE OBSERVED OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN THROUGHOUT AUGUST. EQUATORIAL SSTS ARE  
NEAR AVERAGE THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. NEGATIVE SUBSURFACE  
TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES REMAIN AT DEPTH IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN,  
WITH POSITIVE SUBSURFACE TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES OVER THE WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN.  
LOW-LEVEL EASTERLY WIND ANOMALIES WERE OBSERVED OVER MOST OF THE EQUATORIAL  
PACIFIC, WHILE UPPER-LEVEL EASTERLY WIND ANOMALIES WERE OBSERVED OVER THE  
EAST-CENTRAL PACIFIC. CONVECTION WAS SLIGHTLY ENHANCED OVER PARTS OF INDONESIA  
AND WAS NEAR AVERAGE NEAR THE DATE LINE. COLLECTIVELY, THE COUPLED  
OCEAN-ATMOSPHERE SYSTEM REFLECTED ENSO-NEUTRAL. THOUGH THE ONSET OF LA NIñA  
HAS BEEN DELAYED FROM INITIAL PROJECTIONS, IT IS STILL FAVORED TO EMERGE IN  
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER-NOVEMBER (SON) 2024 WITH A 71% CHANCE, AND IS EXPECTED TO  
PERSIST THROUGH JANUARY-FEBRUARY-MARCH (JFM) 2025.  
 
ENHANCED PROBABILITIES FAVORING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE INDICATED FOR THE  
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS (KAUAI, OAHU, MAUI, AND THE BIG ISLAND) IN OND  
(OCTOBER-NOVEMBER-DECEMBER) 2024, CONSISTENT WITH MOST DYNAMICAL MODEL  
FORECASTS FROM THE NMME AND C3S. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED TO  
CONTINUE THROUGHOUT FMA 2025 IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE EXPECTED LA NIñA, PEAKING  
IN OR AROUND JFM 2025. THE FORECAST SIGNAL WEAKENS AT LONGER LEADS, THEREFORE  
EC IS INDICATED FOR HAWAII BEGINNING IN MAM 2025 AND EXTENDING THROUGH LONGER  
LEADS.  
 
FOR PRECIPITATION, OND 2024 IS FORECAST TO BE A SEASON OF TRANSITION FOR THE  
HAWAIIAN ARCHIPELAGO, WITH EC FAVORED. FROM NDJ 2024 THROUGH FMA 2025, ELEVATED  
PROBABILITIES FOR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ARE SUPPORTED BY MOST OF THE  
DYNAMICAL MODELS AND SOME OF THE STATISTICAL MODELS. COLD SEASON LA NIñAS  
OFTEN ACCENTUATE THE USUAL TRADE WIND PATTERN OF THE LOWER LATITUDES, AND  
TYPICALLY BRING INCREASED PRECIPITATION TO WINDWARD LOCATIONS AND INCREASED  
DRYNESS TO LEEWARD LOCATIONS. THE PRIMARY EXCEPTION TO THIS INVOLVES THE  
DEVELOPMENT OF KONA LOWS, WHICH FREQUENTLY BRING INCREASED RAINFALL TO BOTH  
WINDWARD AND LEEWARD SITES. THEREAFTER, BEGINNING IN MAM 2025 AND EXTENDING  
THROUGH LONGER LEADS, THE FORECAST SIGNAL DECREASES, LEAVING EC AS THE MOST  
LIKELY OUTCOME.  
 
HILO  
TEMPERATURE PRECIPITATION  
FCST AVE LIM FCST BLW MEDIAN ABV  
OND 2024 A40 75.5 0.4 EC 28.3 34.5 42.0  
NDJ 2024 A40 74.2 0.4 A45 26.4 36.6 43.0  
DJF 2025 A40 72.8 0.4 A55 19.6 30.2 33.3  
JFM 2025 A40 71.8 0.4 A55 22.0 32.0 44.5  
FMA 2025 A40 71.7 0.4 A45 24.6 34.1 45.5  
MAM 2025 EC 72.0 0.5 EC 22.5 28.4 34.0  
AMJ 2025 EC 72.9 0.5 EC 21.4 23.7 29.0  
MJJ 2025 EC 74.0 0.4 EC 20.2 27.5 29.1  
JJA 2025 EC 75.2 0.4 EC 19.4 27.2 31.4  
JAS 2025 EC 76.1 0.4 EC 25.2 28.6 33.4  
ASO 2025 EC 76.4 0.4 EC 26.1 28.8 33.3  
SON 2025 EC 76.2 0.4 EC 24.3 30.2 40.8  
OND 2025 EC 75.5 0.4 EC 28.3 34.5 42.0  
KAHULUI  
TEMPERATURE PRECIPITATION  
FCST AVE LIM FCST BLW MEDIAN ABV  
OND 2024 A45 77.8 0.4 EC 4.2 5.3 8.1  
NDJ 2024 A45 75.9 0.4 A40 5.2 7.6 9.5  
DJF 2025 A45 73.8 0.4 A45 4.6 6.9 8.7  
JFM 2025 A45 72.5 0.4 A45 4.2 6.2 8.2  
FMA 2025 A45 72.3 0.4 A40 3.2 4.1 6.4  
MAM 2025 EC 73.0 0.4 EC 2.5 3.5 4.6  
AMJ 2025 EC 74.3 0.5 EC 1.2 1.6 2.2  
MJJ 2025 EC 76.0 0.5 EC 0.7 1.1 1.8  
JJA 2025 EC 77.7 0.4 EC 0.7 1.1 1.5  
JAS 2025 EC 79.0 0.4 EC 0.8 1.1 1.6  
ASO 2025 EC 79.4 0.4 EC 0.8 1.6 2.5  
SON 2025 EC 79.1 0.4 EC 2.1 3.3 4.8  
OND 2025 EC 77.8 0.4 EC 4.2 5.3 8.1  
HONOLULU  
TEMPERATURE PRECIPITATION  
FCST AVE LIM FCST BLW MEDIAN ABV  
OND 2024 A45 80.0 0.4 EC 4.4 6.4 8.5  
NDJ 2024 A50 77.7 0.5 A40 3.9 5.6 8.8  
DJF 2025 A50 75.3 0.5 A45 3.7 5.6 8.6  
JFM 2025 A50 73.9 0.4 A45 2.1 4.6 7.8  
FMA 2025 A50 73.8 0.4 A40 1.9 3.2 4.7  
MAM 2025 EC 74.8 0.4 EC 1.8 2.6 3.0  
AMJ 2025 EC 76.3 0.4 EC 1.2 1.6 1.8  
MJJ 2025 EC 78.2 0.4 EC 0.8 1.4 1.6  
JJA 2025 EC 79.9 0.4 EC 0.7 0.8 1.3  
JAS 2025 EC 81.3 0.4 EC 1.0 1.4 1.7  
ASO 2025 EC 81.7 0.4 EC 1.6 2.4 3.1  
SON 2025 EC 81.4 0.4 EC 2.5 4.0 5.6  
OND 2025 EC 80.0 0.4 EC 4.4 6.4 8.5  
LIHUE  
TEMPERATURE PRECIPITATION  
FCST AVE LIM FCST BLW MEDIAN ABV  
OND 2024 A45 77.8 0.3 EC 9.2 11.7 15.6  
NDJ 2024 A50 75.7 0.3 A45 8.6 12.1 16.9  
DJF 2025 A50 73.6 0.4 A55 7.5 8.4 14.0  
JFM 2025 A50 72.2 0.4 A55 6.5 8.8 13.8  
FMA 2025 A50 72.1 0.5 A45 5.8 8.4 9.9  
MAM 2025 EC 72.8 0.5 EC 5.3 6.6 8.0  
AMJ 2025 EC 74.2 0.5 EC 4.7 5.5 6.0  
MJJ 2025 EC 76.0 0.5 EC 4.9 5.4 5.9  
JJA 2025 EC 77.7 0.4 EC 4.4 5.3 6.9  
JAS 2025 EC 79.0 0.3 EC 5.3 6.1 7.8  
ASO 2025 EC 79.4 0.3 EC 6.2 7.9 8.4  
SON 2025 EC 79.1 0.3 EC 9.2 10.0 11.2  
OND 2025 EC 77.8 0.3 EC 9.2 11.7 15.6  
FORECASTER: ANTHONY ARTUSA  
 
ANOMALIES ARE BASED ON THE 1991-2020 MEANS.  
 
CLARIFICATION: EC INDICATED EQUAL CHANCES THAT THE PREDICTED PARAMETER WILL  
FALL INTO ANY ONE OF THE THREE CATEGORIES, WHOSE BOUNDARIES ARE SPECIFIC IN THE  
TABLES ABOVE. A FORECAST SPECIFICATION OF EC MEANS THERE IS NO PARTICULATE TILT  
OF THE ODDS TOWARD ABOVE NORMAL OR BELOW NORMAL CONDITIONS IN THE OUTLOOK. FOR  
EXAMPLE A40 MEANS A 40% CHANCE THAT THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OR TOTAL  
PRECIPITATION WILL BE IN THE ABOVE NORMAL CLASS, B40 MEANS A 40% CHANCE THAT  
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OR TOTAL PRECIPITATION WILL BE IN THE BELOW NORMAL  
CLASS, AND N35 MEANS A 35% PROBABILITY THAT THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OR TOTAL  
PRECIPITATION WILL BE IN THE NEAR NORMAL CLASS. WHEN EC IS SPECIFIED, ALL  
CATEGORIES ARE EQUALLY LIKELY.  
 
NOTE - THESE OUTLOOKS ARE INTENDED FOR USE PRIOR TO THE START OF THE VALID  
PERIODS. WITHIN ANY VALID PERIOD, OBSERVATIONS AND SHORTER RANGE FORECASTS  
SHOULD BE CONSULTED. ALSO, THIS SET OF OUTLOOKS WILL BE SUPERSEDED BY THE  
ISSUANCES OF THE NEW SET NET MONTH, ON THU OCT 17, 2024.  
 

 
 
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