How can their be such a wide variation of weather conditions on the Island of Maui?

-- Sandy Smith (donsandysmith@webtv.net), January 24, 1999

Answers

Were you watching the Hula Bowl? Yup, that's typical winter weather in Hawaii.

It can pour cats and dogs for 15 minutes and then full sun the next.

It rains everyday in Hawaii and you can see a rainbow if you go where it's raining. That's the key as it may be pouring on the windward side of a island, but sunny without a cloud in the sky on the leeward side of the same island.

It rains more inland than towards the ocean. There could be an average rainfall of 25" at the shore and 250"+ on the slopes of the mountains. On the island of Maui, the average rainfall for Lahaina is 17" and seven miles away in mountains, Mt Puu Kukui gets close to 40 feet per year. The wettest spot on the earth, Mt Waialeale on Kauai gets over 40 feet per year.

To almost guarantee no rain, come during the summer months. Only problem is it is hot, but then again, you have the ocean right there ;))

And for cold...on January 1961, Haleakala on Maui had a record -11 degrees. Since Haleakala is over 10,000 feet in elevation, you get snow during the winter and the temperature is normally about 30 degrees cooler than sea level.

-- Roy Inouye (roy@bothi.com), January 24, 1999.