(AP) — The National Weather Service says Hawaiʻi can expect above average rainfall during the upcoming wet season and potentially experience flooding like last winter. Even so, Maui County and the Big Island may remain in drought and at greater risk for wildfires because the leeward sides of those islands won’t get as much rain. Forecasters say a moderate La Nina weather event will likely lead to heavy rainfall on the windward sides of the islands and drier conditions on leeward sides. Researchers have documented that Hawaiʻi’s overall rainfall has declined in recent decades as the climate changes, but rain events with the heaviest downpours have increased.

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