It's been extra humid this week since the trade winds disappeared. The trade winds, which blow from the northeast, create the pleasant tropical breezes that Hawaii is famous for. Winds from the southeast are Kona winds, and bring with them the volcanic fog (vog) from the Big Island, along with hazy, muggy conditions. According to the Pacific Disaster Center, "during the summer, trades prevail more than 90% of the time, sometimes persisting throughout an entire month. However, in the winter, January through March, trade winds may occur only 40% to 60% of the time."
Mean monthly frequency of the trade winds over Hawaiian waters/and strong trade wind percentages (Pacific Disaster Center).
Even the locals complain about the humidity and the heat when the trade winds stop blowing. Maui meteorologist Glenn James, who has the most interesting Hawaii weather website I've found so far, says the trade wind breezes should be back for the weekend, but gone again during the week. Hope you're right Glenn! This Paia studio gets pretty stuffy when the breeze stops blowing.
Last night I drove out to both rental properties that I've looked at to see what the neighborhoods are like after the sun goes down. I've learned from my experience in this little studio that neighbors who seems non-existent during the day can come to life in a big way in the evenings.
Also, George wanted to me see if I could hear any coqui frogs (pronounced ko-kee). These little invaders have wreaked havoc on the Big Island and there are populations of them on Maui. Coquis are originally from Puerto Rico and are only the size of a quarter, but when you get groups of them together (some areas have reported up to 10,000 in an acre), their distinctive mating calls have registered as high as 90-100 decibels. Now that could keep you up at night.
But both places seemed peaceful, with no coquis to be heard. Say...I wonder if Hoppity Hooper was a coqui?
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