Hawaii rainfall anomalies and El Nino

Abstract

An analysis of composite, seasonal rainfall anomalies in Hawaii shows that deficient rainfall tends to occur frequently in winter and spring of the year following an El Nino. The reliability of the El Nino composite has been tested using a Monte Carlo simulation technique. Upper-air circulation patterns during the recent three El Nino events are discussed in relation to drought winters in Hawaii. The more eastward elongated subtropical jet stream in the North Pacific and the thermally induced local Hadley circulation in the central North Pacific, characteristics of El Nino winters, are unfavorable for rainfall in Hawaii. -Author