Weather anomalies?

[Fishboy]

I was watching the Bob Hope Classic on the Golf Channel this morning and the tournament was delayed by frost. In Palm Springs! I've been in southern California when it's been cold, but this type of cold is rare for the Coachella Valley.

I suspect we've all heard there's some fierce weather going on around the planet, such as the winter storms in the United States and the outrageous winds and storms of Northern Europe. Has Hawaii experienced any unusual weather patterns this year? I haven't heard any reference to anything unusual, so I'm curious.

Aloha,
Brian

[Les C]

Well, if you're thinking of a bit of larger scale than just 2007, the heavy and long duration of rains last winter/spring was unusual. This year there's apparently a weak El Nino in this part of the Pacific and the rainfall has been predicted to be half of normal. Does this seem like a low rainfall winter to the folks in Puna? I've heard folks who've been in Volcano longer than us say that it's been a warmer winter. I'm not sure if any of this amounts to weather anomalies, though.

[Kelena]

All I know is that I have been to Puna twice, and haven't experienced rain, other than a brief beautiful spritz in Kapoho, once. I'm walking on sunshine!

[JerryCarr]

Wow, Glen, you have led a sheltered Puna life. It really rains a lot here, but most of us have learned to deal with it or even like it. For someone like me who grew up in West Texas, it is usually pleasant, except for that night just after the earthquake when the Paradise Park rain guage overflowed and broke after 20 inches. Just couldn't take any more, I guess. So hang around long enough, and you will get to experience real Puna weather. (It really does seem to rain more at night in my experience.)

Cheerful through the rain, as always,
Jerry

[Kapohocat]

You are definately lucky Glen! It rained here in Kapoho last week in my SO's vernacular "like a cow peeing on a flat rock".... most of the week. Sunshine yesterday and today!

I heard it snowed in Santa Monica last week... any truth to that rumor?


Edited by - kapohocat on 01/21/2007 13:18:33

[Kelena]

Santa Monica has some higher elevations,and yes, they got some snow per my local paper. The water in my birdbath froze for the first time ever, and I am near the coast. Very unusual. Freakish, really. Most persistent and bitter cold spell I have ever known, and I was born here.

And so Puna is starting to look pretty good to me. I know I am living in la-la land regarding the rain. It probably DID rain on me in Puna and I just didn't notice it. Thank you, Lilikoi Margarita with Li Hung Powder!

I am actually a little concerned that I haven't had the real experience yet. I know objectively that it rains like hell there, but it didn't really rain on me and so I told myself, "Hey, this place is great!" I am sure I will get rain. Am making my third trip in February. Looking at a place in the Blue Hole. I am hoping there really is a microclimate down there. I am also hoping I get rain and that I come back down to earth with it!

But honestly, a warm day with rain beats what we have experienced here. I am concerned that I will need to get my two dalmatians rain coats though.

[Kahunascott]

Glen,
Here in Puna we only get passing showers.
The only problem is that in some cases it may take a week to "Pass"??????

[Kelena]

Okay, now I'm scared. I know that it rains in Puna. Can anyone tell me why it hasn't rained on me, if I have been there twice? Okay, the second time was just for one day. And there may have been a spritz on that one day, but before that I was there for 4 days and only got one rain (at night) in Kapoho. Are there days and days and days of sunshine? Will my dogs need raincoats near Kaloli Point? It mostly rains at night, right? I'm freakin'. Gotta go get a lilikoi margarita, man.

[Carey]

Glen, On ave. east Hawaii gets more rain at night than during the day (with 10am -2 pm the ave driest hours). this area gets heavy rains & droughts, but the ave daily rain spread over the year is a little less than 1/2 per day. But these are averages. The highest 24 hour rain in Hilo is 21 inches (it was over 2 days) and there are droughts of weeks to months. You can have a period of no rain for 4 weeks followed by 4 weeks of daily one inch rain & still make that average. In the almost 2 years I have been here the highest daily rain was 9 inches & longest time with no rain was 4 weeks. The most common daily rain is less than 1/4 in. in our cheapie rain gauge. Most of the rain is at night, but there are the dreary one week rains, esp. when a front comes through. There are many days where it rains at my house & the papaya fields that are a couple of blocks away get none. We stayed near Kaloli Pt. in 2005, it is drier than most of East Puna, but you still can get those storm fronts. I strongly recommend getting the "Atlas of Hawaii" by J. & S. Juvik, pub. by Univ. of Hawaii Press. This is an award winning book that covers many of the climate & geological questions. I was able to find this book at my local college library before moving here, but it is also available online & through the University.
Wheather the weather on this side is right for you depends a lot on you. DO you mind rain? Will that stop your activities. Most rain here is not the driving, wind blown stuff of the east coast & mid west. I never used an umbrella much in the Chicago area because of their habit of turning inside out in most of the rains there. Here, they are used, some months it seems like daily, but most of the daily type rains are passing clouds, & that makes for a lot of rainbows. This is a place where it often rains on one side of the street, but not on the other. (the sides do change, so it doesn't pay to look for the 'sunny side of the street').
I don't think your dog will mind the rain, our cat often sits on our drive in the middle of a rain...but that might be more of having a slightly off cat.
Aloha, Carey