Rainfall below normal for the entire state

HONOLULU (AP) — Low rainfall across the islands is raising concerns of drought, particularly among farmers.

And with Hawaii entering its dry season this month, conditions aren’t expected to improve anytime soon.

‘‘We’re keeping a close eye on all of our sources,’’ Honolulu Board of Water Supply spokeswoman Su Shin said.

National Weather Service hydrologist Kevin Kodama said there was no single phenomenon to blame for the dry weather.

‘‘We’ve kind of passed the period where we would expect really big rain events,’’ he said.

The National Drought Mitigation Center said 99 percent of the state was classified as experiencing ‘‘abnormally dry’’ conditions in May, up from 75 percent a year ago.

Although typically one of the wettest months of the year, April proved to be dry this year. On Oahu, nearly all rain gauges recorded below-normal rainfall.

Rainfall measured at Honolulu International Airport has been only at 11 percent of normal levels since January.

The lack of rainfall means farmers are irrigating more.

Oahu farmers in Waimanalo are struggling under 20 percent mandatory water cutbacks for use of the state’s surface-level irrigation system, which is threatened with severe depletion because of the dry weather.

Farmer Grant Hamachi is using the more expensive city water for some of his crops, but he isn’t sure if he’ll be able to pass on the cost to consumers as he also contends with increased gas prices and other rising costs of farming.

‘‘All crops need water. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,’’ he said.

Lack of falling rain also means more bugs on crops, according to Dean Okimoto, owner of Nalo Farms and president of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation.

‘‘Rain would naturally knock it (the bug problem) down,’’ Okimoto said.

He uses a drip irrigation system at his farm in Waimanalo but wants to install sprinklers to mimic rain.