![]() Notice how it's sunny in Ka’anapali but raining in the mountains less than 1 mile away. In fact, Kapalua actually receives about 30 inches of rainfall per year, whereas Lahaina-which is only nine miles away-receives about 10.Īn example of a Maui microclimate. This is why areas such as Kapalua receive more rainfall than areas such as Lahaina. Oftentimes, however, moisture in the atmosphere is carried in on the northeasterly tradewinds and therefore makes the windward sides of the island not only windier, but also wetter. This much we learned in the last section. ![]() Since towns on the windward side of the island are closer to the wind, they consequently are going to be windier than those on the leeward side of the island. To brush up on geography, this places areas such as Hana, Kahului, Makawao, Wailuku, Kapalua, and Napili on the island’s windward side, whereas ares such as Wailea, Kihei, Maalaea, Lahaina, and (barely) Ka’anapali are tucked on the island’s leeward side. Since Maui’s tradewinds blow out of the northeasterly quadrant for the majority of the year, Maui’s north and east shores are classified as the “windward” side, and the south and west shores are classified as the “leeward” side. On some occasions, when the east wind is strong enough, it will also weave its way through the valleys of the West Maui mountains at places such as Olowalu. Notice the way in which areas such as Molokini and Lahaina are sheltered from the wind, and areas such as Ka'anapali and Kapalua are exposed to the trades. Let's look at these pictures: This is, for the most part, what an east wind will look like on Maui. When wind encounters a large mountain, such as Haleakala volcano here on Maui, it doesn't just choose to go around one side or the other, but instead, splits the mountain and passes around both sides of it in the same way that water moves around a rock in the middle of a stream.Īlso, when air passes between two large mountains, there is a funneling effect known as a venturi which actually strengthens the wind as it passes through a narrow channel, such as one located between two islands.Ĭonsequently, a 20-knot wind out of the north will have a completely different effect on where it's windy than a 20-knot wind out of the east will, because the air is funneling and moving from a different location. All of this air is moving unobstructed across the Pacific Ocean, when suddenly it needs to navigate around mountains that rise 10,000 ft from the sea. It's important to remember that wind-in its simplest form-is air moving from one place to another. With respect to Maui sailing and snorkeling, wind direction is more important than speed. Ok, so there are tradewinds and kona winds, but what does the direction of the wind have to do with anything? Kona winds are more common during the fall and winter months, and it’s the kona winds which carry the sulfur dioxide known as “vog” up from Kilauea volcano on the Big Island, thereby turning the air hazy for a few days until the tradewinds turn back on. Kona winds are often lighter than tradewinds and usually are only in the 10-15 knot range (12-18 mph). The other 20% of the year is categorized by periods of “kona” winds when the winds switch directions and blow out of the south or southwest. The tradewinds can also blow during the winter months, although the pattern is often interrupted by periods of kona winds, or days where there’s no wind at all. What this means for your Trilogy trip is that on excursions such as our Molokini snorkeling trip, our Ka'anapali snorkeling trip, and our Ka'anapali sunset sail, you can pretty much guarantee we’re going to have ample amounts of wind to sail toward the end of the trip (particularly Molokini). The summer months of April-October are when the tradewinds are most consistent, usually blowing somewhere in the 10-30 knot category (12-36mph). The tradewinds are Maui’s most common wind and blow for about 80% of the year. What direction the tradewinds are blowing from makes a HUGE difference, although we’ll get into that later. With respect to compass points, if the wind is coming from anywhere in the NE quadrant (0°-90°), then this is what’s known as the tradewinds. To begin with, Maui really only has two types of wind: Tradewinds, and kona winds. Understanding Hawaii's wind patterns will explain why it can be windy in Ka'anapali, but completely calm on the beach in Lahaina, just three miles down the road. Of all the Maui weather components, wind is arguably the most important-yet also the least understood.
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