Rain always seems to come when you’re not ready for it, right? Even if it doesn’t rain all that often on Maui, it can show up at the wrong time and ruin your plans. Now that it’s a new year, what can you expect to see from Maui rains in 2024? Read on below for some insight as to what might be in store.
Rainfall on Maui Island Last Year
Last year, in 2023, rain was harder to come by than usual. Most rain gauges showed less rainfall than average across the valley island. Rainfall is measured in inches fallen, according to the United States Geological Survey. To put it into perspective, one inch of rainfall in a rainfall gauge means six gallons of water has fallen across a square yard, or more than 27,000 gallons per acre.
In the year 2023, one key gauge at West Wailua Iki Stream measured 184.82 inches. That may sound like a lot, but that’s less than 90 percent of the average. That was one of the wettest spots, with many other parts of the island measuring low single digits for their rainfall. If 2024 follows these trends, Maui would still be rather dry.
How might heavy rainfall affect your septic system or cesspool?
Rainfall predictions for Maui in 2024
Rainfall is impossible to predict down to the exact number of inches, especially across an entire island with its varied elevations, wind conditions and other factors. For whatever stock you may personally put in almanacs, some predict that Maui will see a little more rainfall than usual through the winter, but likely not enough to make up for the drier spring, summer, and fall also predicted.
Many will likely hope for more precipitation throughout 2024, especially with December 2023 having already shown a bit of promise in that direction. For more information on rainfall, refer to the summaries provided by the National Weather Service, linked here: https://www.weather.gov/hfo/hydro_summary
