Weather Whys; Hawaii

This is Weatherwise. Hawaii is the island paradise of many people's dreams. Its tropical climate beckons to residents of colder climbs during harsh winter and its lush beauty attracts tourists from many places year round. But while the even tempered nature of Hawaii's climate is legendary, there's actually great variation in the weather of the Hawaiian Islands depending on location and elevation. The year-round temperate climate of the islands is the result of the persistence of the northeasterly trade winds and the small amount of seasonal change in the energy received from the sun. The trades provide comfortable temperatures to the areas they affect and that change is very little from season to season. For instance, Honolulu's average daytime high in January is about 72 degrees, while the average high in August is just below 80. But annual rainfall varies widely from location to location. Areas on the windward side of mountains receive the most, with yearly totals that sometimes

exceed 300 inches. Sheltered areas, however, may receive less than 100 inches. Both are impressive totals by mainland standards, but still that's quite a variation over a relatively short distance. And while it's true that few tourists take their snow skis on a Hawaiian vacation, there are places on the islands that occasionally do receive snow. In fact, March 1953 saw snow on some Hawaiian peaks as far down as 8,500 feet above sea level, perhaps a chilling sight to mainland tourists sunning themselves on the beach. We'd like to know what you think of WeatherWise. Please write us at WeatherWise KGOU Radio, the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019-0258. For WeatherWise, I'm Drew Barlow.