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I've read that in the last 40-50 years trade winds have been changing their direction and frequency. Direction is changing from north-east to east, and the number of days with trade winds went from 290 to 210 days per year.
To long-time Puna residents, do you notice these changes? Is it significantly less rainy?
What are the consequences of direction changing from north-east to east?
The last two years in my area have been 200+ inches and 180+ inches, both more than average (About 145-150).
Have trade winds diminished? Well, apparently that's an established fact. However, during the big Kilauea eruption of 2018 they were thankfully quite consistent. Nearby parts of Puna were spared from the volcanic emissions.
Conditions this Fall/Winter have been La Nina, which ups chances for wetter than average weather. On the contrary, after a wet December it's been quite dry in Puna since then. Winter months are more prone to rainfall extremes, either very wet or very dry, with rest of year more consistently wet.
Rather than looking at annual rainfall numbers and comparing to other locations, until you've actually experienced some time living in this tropical rainforest environment it's difficult to really understand/appreciate how wet it actually is.
Compared to my primary home of SE Alaska it's not even close to being as damp or cloudy, for instance. In other words, the rainfall numbers by themselves "lie" to some degree, IMO.
But make no mistake, it can be incredibly wet in Puna for weeks on end!
Edit: Consequences of winds shifting more Easterly. I don't know, but imagine this could slightly raise average temperatures since ocean to the North is typically cooler than to the East.
It is well documented rainfall has declined in Hawaii in general since the 1980's
Weather patterns due to global warming have shifted weather disturbances more north - hence declining trade winds.
El Nina and La Nina cause significant ebbs and flows to annual rain patterns.
Hawaii is also in a positive phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation - which tends to have lower rainfall and whose phases generally last 30 years.
With that said - the area is still prone to flooding.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arktikos
The short answer is NO.
The last two years in my area have been 200+ inches and 180+ inches, both more than average (About 145-150).
Have trade winds diminished? Well, apparently that's an established fact. However, during the big Kilauea eruption of 2018 they were thankfully quite consistent. Nearby parts of Puna were spared from the volcanic emissions.
Conditions this Fall/Winter have been La Nina, which ups chances for wetter than average weather. On the contrary, after a wet December it's been quite dry in Puna since then. Winter months are more prone to rainfall extremes, either very wet or very dry, with rest of year more consistently wet.
Rather than looking at annual rainfall numbers and comparing to other locations, until you've actually experienced some time living in this tropical rainforest environment it's difficult to really understand/appreciate how wet it actually is.
Compared to my primary home of SE Alaska it's not even close to being as damp or cloudy, for instance. In other words, the rainfall numbers by themselves "lie" to some degree, IMO.
But make no mistake, it can be incredibly wet in Puna for weeks on end!
Edit: Consequences of winds shifting more Easterly. I don't know, but imagine this could slightly raise average temperatures since ocean to the North is typically cooler than to the East.
Interesting, thanks for sharing info. To the point about living on BI, regardless of whether we buy land later this year we will try to find place to rent for one year. It seems like renting is unavoidable in any case, permits and other logistics take long time.
Even with diminishing trade winds - the windward side of each island will continue to get plenty of rain - simply because of the nature of trade winds which usually push storm clouds the the northeast to southwest where they often dissipate over the mountains - or pushing hot air causing clouds to form against the mountains where the air is cooler.
Each island has had drought on the Kona sides for years now - ask the coffee farmers on the BI - Maui has gotten hit hard - Oahu to a lesser degree - and Kauai to an even lesser degree likely due to its more northerly position.
I've spoken with some old timers, they said 30+ years ago the islands were wetter and had more trade winds. These were based on memories and not statistical data.
What the old timers report is probably true, namely that rainfall was more consistent during years when the tradewinds blew more frequently. One of my neighbors says the same thing, that the weather "pattern" changed in the 80's. However, seeing that he came to the island during the 70's, this seems like a fairly small time window of observation.
Note that projections for the future, as the planet warms, expect that the windward sides of "major" islands will see an increase in rainfall rather than a decrease. Perhaps more major rain events, with actually fewer wet days and more periods of drought.
Note that projections for the future, as the planet warms, expect that the windward sides of "major" islands will see an increase in rainfall rather than a decrease. Perhaps more major rain events, with actually fewer wet days and more periods of drought.
Yeah, it makes sense that if the ocean itself and sea level air above it are warmer then higher humidity air will be forced to rise against mountains. Thus more rain. Probably, it will start raining at lower altitudes considering all other factors remain the same.
What the old timers report is probably true, namely that rainfall was more consistent during years when the tradewinds blew more frequently. One of my neighbors says the same thing, that the weather "pattern" changed in the 80's. However, seeing that he came to the island during the 70's, this seems like a fairly small time window of observation.
Note that projections for the future, as the planet warms, expect that the windward sides of "major" islands will see an increase in rainfall rather than a decrease. Perhaps more major rain events, with actually fewer wet days and more periods of drought.
How do you deal with dampness and mold inside house?
How do you deal with dampness and mold inside house?
It's important to keep air moving. Don't close closet doors. During the coldest and dampest months it helps to close windows at night when the humidity is close to 100%. Don't buy things that are prone to mold (like leather furniture). Keep windows open during the driest part of the day. Keep vegetation away from house (you'd want to do this anyways because of the coqui frogs). Have landscaping that is well draining.
Or run AC / dehumidifier. Some people put damp-rid in their closets. Like the big 1 gallon size. Almost every room we have has a ceiling fan in it. Not that we run them all the time but it helps to move the air around.
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