Dry in Wai`anae

[Wai`anae Steve]

What's new ?  It's always dry in the summer

Rain In Wai`ane or lack of it

[happ]

Steve

I am surprised that it is usually dry during summer in Hawaii or at least your area of Oahu  ???

[Wai`anae Steve]

(happ @ Jul. 08 2007,13:02)

QUOTE

Steve

I am surprised that it is usually dry during summer in Hawaii or at least your area of Oahu  ???

Happ,

  Yup, as the chart shows it's dry in the summer.

  If a tropical depression comes close we can get heavy rain, if we are really unlucky a hurricane will bring even more rain.    

  But I've been here since Nov of '63 and have only seen 2 hurricanes so I don't really worry about them

[chris.oz]

Hi Steve,

Looks like the flip side of the La Nina here is a dry summer in the eastern pacific... particularly on the leeward side of Oahu... How is the windoward side ?   Is that drier than usual also ? At the moment in southern Australia it is wet wet wet.  And Cold,  and thats not good for palms unless you have good drainage.

[Wai`anae Steve]

(chris.oz @ Jul. 10 2007,13:52)

QUOTE

Hi Steve,

Looks like the flip side of the La Nina here is a dry summer in the eastern pacific... particularly on the leeward side of Oahu... How is the windoward side ?   Is that drier than usual also ? At the moment in southern Australia it is wet wet wet.  And Cold,  and thats not good for palms unless you have good drainage.

Chris,

  Yup, dry on the whole island.   Summers on O`ahu are always dryer than winters as the jet stream shifts north I believe.

  The whole state is dryer than normal.  How about it guys on the "outer" islands.  Bo, Al???

[bgl]

That's a big YEP!  Some figures for our property for the last few years. Period is 01 JAN - 30 JUN

2004: 109.96 inches/2800 mm

2005: 68.25 inches/1740 mm

2006: 77.47 inches/1975 mm

2007: 57.47 inches/1465 mm

2006 was a fairly average year (rainwise) with a total of 140.84 inches/3590 mm for the 12 months.

May 2007 was extremely dry (3.7 inches), while the situation improved in June (8.5 inches). June is, on average, the driest month on the Hilo side.

[chris.oz]

Look this La Nina thing is good for us,  since its broken the drought in Southern Australia,  but its pretty clear that it has the opposite effect for others and Hawaii is one.   Californy and Fl may be dry also,  but then Fl gets rain with every hurricane.  By contrast El Nino appears to be good for Hawaii. It was a serious disaster for us last summer.

[bgl]

Chris,

No, El Niño is NOT good for Hawaii. Last time we had a serious El Niño was the first three months of 1998 (the first 85 days to be exact). During that time we only had 5 inches of rain. On average, we should be getting around 40 inches in that period. We even had a brush fire in our subdivision because of everything being so dry!

Bo-Göran

[chris.oz]

(bgl @ Jul. 11 2007,12:21)

QUOTE

Chris,

No, El Niño is NOT good for Hawaii. Last time we had a serious El Niño was the first three months of 1998 (the first 85 days to be exact). During that time we only had 5 inches of rain. On average, we should be getting around 40 inches in that period. We even had a brush fire in our subdivision because of everything being so dry!

Bo-Göran

Hi Bo,

Interesting you should say that,  because 2006 was an El Nino year for us and it was just about  the worst drought ever  the south  eastern australia.

By contrast,  your 2006 rainfall figures are normal.

I guess there may be phasing of the effect s in time at each end of the Pacific,  but perhaps its true to say that every El Nino is different..... so really the El Nino corresponds to a certain set of ocean temperature and wind conditions ,  but the end result is a range of affects on each location.

Certainly we have had El Ninos before in the epoch when records have been kept, and they have not been as bad as the last one.

So I guess the question is,  is Steves low rainfall a hangover from the El Nino or the La Nina we are getting now..

Its all stuff that keeps academics applying for grants regularly !

[bgl]

Chris,

I know, there was a lot of El Niño talk last year, but at least here on the windward side of the Big Island it was fortunately a big fat NON-event.

I'll let Steve address the scenario in his location!

Bo-Göran

[Wai`anae Steve]

(bgl @ Jul. 11 2007,14:47)

QUOTE

Chris,

I know, there was a lot of El Niño talk last year, but at least here on the windward side of the Big Island it was fortunately a big fat NON-event.

I'll let Steve address the scenario in his location!

Bo-Göran

To tell the truth guys I don't follow the different "el's" at all.  To bad I didn't keep the reccords I use to keep 25 years ago.  I wrote it on calendars but failed to keep them.

so all I have to say is water is still cheap to buy even w/my two acres and being retired.  So if I want something to grow I'll get a hose to it.  

[Wai`anae Steve]

A second thought.  I've heard many times that it takes rain water about 50 years to filter down to the water table thru our lava rock mountians.

So if there is a lack of water in the ground today it's because of something that happened 50 years ago not today  ???

[Palmy]

was about to post,

your complaining,

but then where would my manners be? Oh well to late.

[Wai`anae Steve]

(Palmy @ Jul. 15 2007,21:56)

QUOTE

was about to post,

your complaining,

but then where would my manners be? Oh well to late.

Palmy,

 My "complaining"?  Don't think I was, just informing the public on conditions.  I like it dry,  it keeps the weeds from growing all over the place.    

  As I've said before "Water is still cheap". So I'm a happy grower w/out rain.

[bgl]

Tropical Depression Cosme (who came up with that name? ??? ) is scheduled to pass about 100 miles south of the Big Island late tonight and early Saturday morning. We're supposed to get 5-10 inches of rain, which would be great news. It's been pretty dry here lately and we could certainly use a heavy-duty downpour!

[Wai`anae Steve]

up date on July

Rain in Wai`anae or lack of it.  :-)

[bgl]

Wow, not good! We had 9.55 inches here, which is VERY close to the 10 year average for the month of July (=10.03 inches).

[Wai`anae Steve]

Bo, I can just beat that.  But of course it's for the year so far and not one month.  

What it is, is normal.  And I'm not complaining as I'm making progress cutting down the weeds that grew during the winter.  

Can you guys open this link?  It's about a 270 degree sweep around on portion of the yard.

A few palms in Wai`anae

[bgl]

First photo opened up just fine, but it keeps getting stuck on the second one which only opened up about 10-15%.

[PALM MOD]

Steve,

How did you create that panorama. Special camera, or special software?

[Al in Kona]

Hey Steve, I'm kinda late getting in on this rainfall discussion but will do so now.  

Basically all of Hawaii tends to have a maximum winter rainfall pattern except for the Kona (leeward) side of the Big Island (Hawaii Is.).  The following helps one to understand how Kona differs from the rest of Hawaii.

 

On the Kona Coast of Hawaii Island, a unique summer maximum rainfall pattern occurs.  There the prevailing winds are effectively blocked by two large mountains, Mauna Loa and Hualalai.  In the absence of strong trades, ocean-land temperature and pressure differences generate local diurnal variations in wind.  Surface heating causes upslope winds during the day that give rise to convectional rainfall at middle elevations (the "coffee belt") in the afternoon.  Wind direction reverses at night, as cooled mountain air moves down-slope.  Increased surface heating in summer intensifies this process, resulting in the only summer maximum in the state.  

Altho' our summer rains were a bit late in getting started this year we are now experiencing our typical summer afternoon/early evening rains.  I, and the plants, like the summer rains but so do the weeds, so I do understand why Steve prefers it dry as he waters only what he wants to grow.  I must close this and get out and do some weed pulling and whacking before it gets too late!

[Al in Kona]

Steve your panoramic view is great.  Teach me how you do that!

Here are two recent pics I took right after one of our afternoon rain showers.

[Al in Kona]

a July sun going down after an afternoon shower . . .

[Wai`anae Steve]

(IPSPTModerator @ Aug. 04 2007,17:02)

QUOTE

Steve,

How did you create that panorama. Special camera, or special software?

Software.  I take pictures that overlap about 25% and the software does the rest.  someone gave it to me years ago.  I'm sure w/a little googling you can find some.

Bo.

There should only be one picture.  A very skinny one.  When you click on it it  should open to full size.

[bgl]

Steve,

Finally got it! It kept getting stuck but after a few attempts I got the whole view. Wow, you sure need some water desperately!!

And Al,

Great sunset shot! One thing we don't have here: nice sunsets. The sun tends to just disappear behind Mauna Loa.

Bo-Göran