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Through most of the year, Hawaiian weather patterns are
affected primarily by high-pressure zones in the north
Pacific that pump cool, moist trade winds down onto the
island's northeastern slopes. This holds true for most of
the summer and approximately half of the time in the winter.
These winds are forced up-slope by the mountain heights
where their moisture condenses into clouds that produce
rain. Most of the rain falls in the mountains and valleys on
the windward (northeastern) side of the islands. It is this
weather phenomenon that creates the rich tropical
environment for Hawaii’s flowers and verdant greens. The
wettest months are from November - March, but winter rains
do not generally disrupt vacation plans, since the weather
is very localized. This means that if it is raining where
you are, there is almost always a sunny spot to be found
around the coast. |
The action of trade winds here means that there is always a
cooling breeze. The strength of this wind builds as the heat
of the day rises and reaches a peak in the afternoon, only
to diminish in the evening and start again the next day.
Several times during the year the trade winds will stop
completely and the wind will switch around to come out of
the south or west, bringing stormy or hot sticky weather.
Islanders sometimes call this "Kona" weather, because kona
means leeward or South, and this points to the direction
from which these weather systems arrive. Stormy weather
comes to the islands, primarily in the winter and sometimes
lingers for several days. Severe storms, however, are not a
common occurrence.
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