Hawaiian Winters - it's not always sunny here

Two thousand and seven was a pretty dry year in Hawaii.  Ironic, because in 2006 we had the "40 days and nights" of rain in March and April.  

On December 4, 2007 we got another heavy dose of rain.  I woke up around 2 a.m. to the sound of wind and rain, pelting the south side of our home.  It was unusual because Hawaii normally experiences trade winds, which come from the northeast.  The rain was traveling in a near horizontal pattern, flying into our south-facing windows and covering the kitchen floor with water.

I looked outside to check on our two dogs.  Our kitchen porch is covered, but with this unusual strong wind and rain from the south the porch was soaked.  And so were our two dogs.  The dogs normally stay outside, that night was an exception and I moved them into the bathroom to spend the rest of the evening.

Having closed all the windows, mopping the floor and putting the dogs to sleep, I too went back to bed.  In the morning the news showed us how bad it was.  Winds gusts of up to 60 mph toppled trees and blew shingles off of roofs.  The ground became saturated with water and in some areas minor landslides occurred.  Power went out in a few neighborhoods.  Roofing companies were booked solid with requests for repairs.

A neighbor's corrugated roof nearly tore off due to the south winds.   This photo was taken in Palolo Valley on Oahu.

A large old tree fell on these parked cars.  When I came back for a photo, the tree had been chopped up and removed.

The next day, the storm moved on to Maui and the Big Island.  They also were socked pretty badly.  In upcountry Maui some roads were washed out.  The storm sat over South Kona on the Big Island for awhile and dumped on an area that's usually pretty dry.  Streambeds usually trickling or dry became raging rivers.

It's been nearly a month and we're still getting rain.  Nothing heavy-duty but daily rainfall is almost expected.  We have enough rainfall now, time for some sun!  I can't say when it will happen but I think it will be soon.  In the wintertime we get more rain, and rain we have received. 

One might be disappointed with the rainy weather if you're traveling here for a vacation.  Please bear in mind that we do need the rain to keep our mountains and rainforests green.  Rain also provides our drinking water.

On the happy side, temperatures are more comfortable these days, hovering in the 70's and low 80's.  That's gotta feel better than 20 degrees or below-zero temperatures that some other places are getting in January.  Come see us!

Aloha, Mike

• Honolulu Star Bulletin storm article

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