Hawaii should continue to see drought conditions for the rest of the year, giving way to a wetter-than-usual winter beginning in January, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said today.

The weather service said there are La Nina conditions in the Pacific which are making predictions difficult.

La Nina happens when cooler than usual ocean temperatures occur near the equator. La Nina, or the little girl in Spanish, is the opposite of El Nino, which describes warmer than usual ocean conditions.

El Nino years generally mean more active hurricane seasons in the Pacific.

In May, NOAA officials forecast that four to five tropical cyclones would develop in the Central Pacific for the hurricane season that runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.

So far, none have materialized.