Hurricane Season






 For those guests of ours traveling to Hawaii June through November, we want to share with you some information about Hurricane season, specifically as it relates to us on the Big Island.



Virtually every storm system approaching Hawaii from the east since 1950 eventually weakened to a tropical storm or depression by the time it reached the islands. This included a large majority of those migrating from the eastern Pacific basin.



Dating to 1950, there is no record of a hurricane landfalling on the Big Island of Hawaii. On August 7, 2014 Tropical Storm Iselle became only the second tropical storm, and the strongest, to landfall on the Big Island since 1950. The only other storm to do so was in 1958. Of course, in the vast Pacific Ocean, even the Big Island represents a pretty small target for the center of a tropical cyclone.  There are several reasons why this happens so often.



Drier, more stable air from the subtropical high to the northeast of Hawaii eventually inhibits thunderstorms from persisting and remaining clustered near the cyclone's center. Wind shear (the change in wind speed and/or direction with height) is typically stronger near the Hawaiian islands, acting to displace thunderstorms from the cyclone's center. Cooler sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific waters to the east of the Big Island of Hawaii keep the air somewhat cooler above it, increasing the stability of the atmosphere, making it less susceptible to forming and maintaining thunderstorms.



Of course, this doesn't mean every single storm will do that in the future. This is the reality of a meteorological rule of thumb.



August is the peak month for tropical cyclones in the central Pacific basin, chalking up twice as many (74) as September (37) from 1971-2013, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.



The Big Isand of Hawai‘i is not immune to hurricanes but thanks to its large volcanic mountains, Mauna Loa and Muana Kea, they help obstruct approaching storms, diverting them around the island which means we may get rain and wind, but in a much more subdued than one would expect.



As in any travel situation be sure to monitor the airports for delays to flights and let your innkeeper know if you may be late. It's often a good idea to call or email and get the local status of the weather. The old saying, the calm before the storm certainly rings true. It's often a great time to get a hike in as the weather is usually nice right before a storm!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A New Eruption, Different Volcano!

    Madam Pele sure is busy! A new eruption within a different volcano, Mauna Loa, began around 11:30 PM in Sunday November 27th for the first time in 38 years! The eruption began  in Moku‘āweoweo, the summit caldera of Mauna Loa, inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.   This means there are currently TWO eruptions on Hawaii Island in TWO different Volcanoes!   One eruption  is Mauna Loa and a significantly smaller one is Halema’uma’u crater on the Kilauea summit caldera.     As of an hour ago, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) confirms that lava has exited Mauna Loa summit and can be seen in two lobes on the northeast flank and the northern flank.     Currently, the lava is not flowing toward populated areas and does not pose a threat to any communities.   It is headed towards saddle road which is a main throughfare for Hawaii Island residents and tourists alike to go from one side of the island to the other.    I...
Read more

What’s Happening with the Volcano?

 On December 20, 2020 Hale'mau'mau Crater began filling with lava again.  I remember that evening before we went to bed, the dogs were acting restless and we had an earthquake.  We were exhausted so we drifted right off to sleep.  A few hours later, around 12:30 I woke up.  Curious about the magnitude of the earthquake we had, I opened my phone to Volcano’s trusty coconut wireless, Facebook, and before my eyes were post after post about Kilauea erupting again!  I couldn’t believe it and I was so excited Madam Pele was blessing us  with her with her presence once again! I woke Randy up and said “Rand, Hale'mau'mau is erupting again! Look!” “Huh?” he groggily replied.   “When…?” “It just started at 9ish after the earthquake.” I said. “Should we go?” he asked. “I think we should.” I said excitedly. So, we got up at 12:45 am drove five minutes to the park and watched the lava pouring back into the crater.   Steam was heavy as the lava...
Read more

COVID 19- Reopening Update

We sincerely hope all our past and future guests are remaining safe during these uncertain times.   We feel so fortunate to be living on the Big Island of Hawaii but miss our family and friends on the mainland and abroad.   We are not sure when we may see you again, but we know we eventually will.   As most of you remember, we managed to survive the slowdown of tourism in 2018 when Kilauea erupted in Leilani Estates.   Just as we were starting to figure out what the “new normal” would look like COVID- 19 erupted around the world.   We have been hanging on hoping to re-open, but not too early as we still want to protect our island home and think about not only our neighbors, but our future guests. The state of Hawaii is still requiring a 14 day quarantine for out of state visitors, but starting August 1 st they will waive the 14 day quarantine if you take a valid COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to your trip and show proof of a negative result.  ...
Read more