You probably have some idea that Hawaii is a good place to live as far as weather and climate are concerned. Sometimes, you get the feeling living here that this is the climate the human body was designed to live in. It is a constant chuckle to see the weather forecast on a local TV channel where every day in the week long list reads "Low 68, High 82, Partly Sunny". But the weather situation is actually a bit more complex than that.
Surrounded by the vast Pacific Ocean, our climate is largely regulated by the huge thermal mass of all of this water. The large swings in temperature that occur over the period of a day and through the seasons over the continents is moderated here by the more constant temperature of the ocean. As we are closer to the equator, we do not see the large swings in daylight vs. darkness duration that more northern latitudes see. The longest summer day here is only 2 hours and 34 minutes longer than the shortest winter day, (thus no need for Daylight Savings Time!). These are the primary moderating effects on our climate.
Temperature vs. Elevation
The Big Island topography is dominated by the large volcanoes of Mauna Loa,
Hualalai, and Mauna Kea. These big "bumps" sticking out of the
otherwise flat ocean directly affect meteorological conditions on a local
scale. Where you live on the surface of these volcanoes determines to a
large degree how much rain, wind, and what temperatures to expect.
Elevation is an important factor. As you approach the coastline, expect it
to be much warmer than it is at the higher elevations. Below 4000 feet
elevation, expect to find an average decrease in temperature as you move upwards
of about 3.6 degrees F for every 1000 feet of elevation. Above 4000 feet
the rate of change decreases to about 2.2 degrees per 1000 feet (but it is still
getting colder as you move up!) When you get up to 3000 feet elevation and
above (depending on your sensitivity to temperature) you should plan on some
very cool nights, especially in the winter months. At sea level expect
some very warm days.
Rain
Another major effect of elevation is average rainfall. Many mornings will
begin with clear skies above the island but as the Sun heats the ground, clouds
called orographic clouds begin to form on the mid to upper slopes of the
volcanoes. These clouds produce what are commonly called "mauka
showers", and may greatly affect the amount of rainfall your location
receives. These clouds are relatively thin vertically and so do not
generally produce a large amount of rain at any one time. The cumulative affect
can be dramatic, however, and an area subject to mauka showers can have 4 or
more times the rainfall of a nearby area that does not. Remember, that much of
South Hawaii does not have piped in water. When you are depending on the
sky as your primary water supply, you will be happy to sacrifice some sunny
afternoons for a full catchment tank. Average rainfall
projections (based on modeling) have been made for the region from South
Point to Hookena area in the Kau to South Kona Water Master Plan report.
Drought?
People who have been in the Ocean
View area for many years will sometimes refer to the current drought.
You may hear them speak fondly of a time many years ago when the rain in the
area was much more plentiful. 2004 brought a relative abundance of rain to the
area and there were whispers that perhaps the drought was ending, but more
recently in 2005, it appear to have resumed a drier state of affairs.
Unfortunately, good scientific records of rainfall for many areas have not been
systematically collected. While a few individual residents have kept records,
these are not generally available. One must remember that the rainfall at one
location can be quite different from that just a short distance away. So
is there really a long term drought in the Ocean View area? I think it will be
hard to definitively determine. Click here
for state drought information.
Wind is another factor that is greatly affected by location on the island. The South Point region is known for its windiness. Trees growing in cattle pastures are deformed into bizarre shapes by the constant wind. Another area known to be quite breezy is the area of the Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos. The winds in this region are primarily caused by the normal wind patterns being forced to sweep around the southern end of Mauna Loa, an effect similar to what you sometimes see in cities where the wind on street corners near tall buildings is so pronounced. There are also daily movements of winds up and down the slopes of Mauna Loa. Wind has the negative effect of drying up moisture. Short rains sometimes have almost no impact because the wind so quickly dries them up in some areas.
Storms
In addition to these local weather mechanisms, Hawaii is also subject to the
major weather patterns that travel the Pacific. Occasional "Kona
storms" occur in the winter generated by low pressure regions northwest of
Hawaii. Hurricanes and tropical storms do occur in the region though landfall is
rare. The severe damage on the island of Kauai caused by hurricane Iniki
in 1992 keeps us on our toes. In January of 2001, we experienced some
rather severe storms in South Hawaii that took down many trees and produced a
tornado that heavily damaged some homes. Yes, Hawaii does have tornados though
usually not of the most severe form. Lightning is actually rather rare
over the islands and the sound of thunder is seldom heard.
Tsunamis do occur in Hawaii. Some have caused loss of life and property in the last century. The Pacific Tsumami Warning Center located in Hawaii has since been established. They monitor a wide network of sensors to help warn of approaching tsunamis. Tsunami alert sirens are located in many coastal areas. In order for the system to be effective, the source of the tsunami origin must be relatively far from the islands. Tsunamis travel at great speed, potentially hundreds of miles per hour, so a tsunami generated by a quake or undersea landslide near the islands provides little or no warning. If you are on a beach and feel a strong earthquake or if you see the water recede unexpectedly from the shore, head to high ground immediately!
Conclusion
Despite our overall consistency of weather in Hawaii, it is impossible to
tell you exactly what your particular little spot on the island will bring. I
cannot in good conscience promise you x-amount of rain or sunshine. Your
best bet is to talk to the person who has lived next door to your new location
for several years (if there is one), and to consult whatever meterological
material is available on the web and in books. Another thing you can do is take
note how of how much vegetation is around a given piece of property. Keep
in mind that the data is spotty for much of our South Hawaii region and there
may be influences such as global warming that mean things are
changing.
Unless otherwise noted all content of this website
is copyrighted © 2005 by Andrea Lee Peace
Written permission must be obtained from the copyright holder before any
pictures, maps, or text portions of this website may be republished in any form.