Vog

[dakine]

The VOG in Hawaii has more or less doubled since the opening of the new vent at the summit of Kilauea last year. So, if you were to ask about the air quality in Kona the answer would be that it is twice as bad on a regular 'tradewind' day. So bad that some have stopped going to Kona entirely. The answer for east Hawaii is a bit more complicated, depending on the winds at any given time. The winds on the east side are usually trades. But, the trades have not been as consistent as in years gone by. For instance this last summer, when one would expect steady trades throughout the season, there was very little consistency, with over a dozen periods where they would break down entirely, resulting in some communities being inundated in VOG. This all depends on the direction and strength of the wind. When the trades breakdown they usually blow to the northeast, which avoids the communities on the extreme eastern end of Puna. But, from the town of Volcano to Mountain View one can experience almost unbreathable conditions on a fairly regular basis. When this condition persist Hilo is inundated and all the communities along the Hamakua coast can be effected. I used to think that the trade winds would breakdown about 10% of the year, I now feel we are experiencing a breakdown on more that 20% of the days in any given year. The answer to your first question "is it serious.." is yes, and to some it could be considered life threatening.