- Mount Waialeale
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Waiʻaleʻale 
Waiʻaleʻale (or 'Rippling Waters') Lake, the namesake of Mount Waiʻaleʻale.Elevation 5,066 ft (1,544 m) Location Location Kauai, Hawaii, United States Coordinates 22°04′26″N 159°29′55″W / 22.07389°N 159.49861°WCoordinates: 22°04′26″N 159°29′55″W / 22.07389°N 159.49861°W Mount Waiʻaleʻale (pronounced [wɛiˈʔɐleˈʔɐle] in Hawaiian, literally, "rippling water" or "overflowing water" (Pukui, Elbert & Mookini 1974: 220) and also often spelt Waialeale in English without the ʻokina) at an elevation of 5,148 feet (1,569 m), is a shield volcano and the second highest point on the island of Kauaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands. Averaging more than 452 inches (11,500 mm) of rain a year since 1912, with a record 683 inches (17,300 mm) in 1982, its summit is one of the rainiest spots on earth.[1]
Contents
Climate
Climate and Rainfall Statistics
The summit of Waiʻaleʻale features a tropical rainforest climate (Koppen Af), with substantial rainfall throughout the course of the year. (Bodin 1978: 272) quotes 11,684 millimetres (460.0 in) per year figure as being the 1912-45 average, an average that quite possibly will have changed since then, while The National Climatic Data Center quotes this figure as a 30 year average.[2] The Weather Network and The Guinness Book of Weather Records (Holford 1977: 240) quotes 11,455 millimetres (451.0 in) rain per year, while (Ahrens 2000: 528) quotes 11,680 millimetres (460 in, 12 m) as the average annual rainfall at Mount Waialeale and (Kroll 1995: 188) claims 13,000 millimetres (510 in) falls here. Similarly, The Weather Network and the Guinness Book of Weather Records quote 335 days with rain here while (Simons 1996: 303) suggests that rain falls on an incredible 360 days per year here.
The local tourist industry of Waialeale has promoted it as the wettest spot, although the 38-year average at Mawsynram, Meghalaya, India is higher at 467.4 inches (11,870 mm). Both Mawsynram and Cherrapunji in Meghalaya are recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as having higher average rainfall. Mawsynram's rainfall is concentrated in the monsoon season, while the rain at Waiʻaleʻale is more evenly distributed through the year.
Climate data for Mount Waialeale Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 79.9
(26.6)81.2
(27.3)83.3
(28.5)79.6
(26.4)82.2
(27.9)81.8
(27.7)82.6
(28.1)83.1
(28.4)83.6
(28.7)83.4
(28.6)81.9
(27.7)81.1
(27.3)83.6
(28.7)Average high °F (°C) 77.9
(25.5)77.7
(25.4)77.6
(25.3)78.2
(25.7)79.3
(26.3)80.5
(26.9)81.1
(27.3)81.7
(27.6)81.0
(27.2)78.9
(26.1)77.4
(25.2)79.0
(26.1)79.19
(26.22)Daily mean °F (°C) 69.8
(21.0)70.2
(21.2)70.5
(21.4)70.8
(21.6)71.6
(22.0)72.8
(22.7)74.0
(23.3)74.4
(23.6)74.6
(23.7)74.2
(23.4)72.6
(22.6)70.8
(21.6)72.19
(22.33)Average low °F (°C) 61.7
(16.5)62.7
(17.1)63.4
(17.4)63.4
(17.4)63.9
(17.7)65.1
(18.4)66.9
(19.4)67.1
(19.5)68.2
(20.1)69.5
(20.8)67.8
(19.9)62.6
(17.0)65.19
(18.44)Precipitation inches (mm) 24.78
(629.4)24.63
(625.6)27.24
(691.9)47.24
(1199.9)28.34
(719.8)30.65
(778.5)35.87
(911.1)32.75
(831.9)24.14
(613.2)31.76
(806.7)36.33
(922.8)30.10
(764.5)373.83
(9,495.3)Source no. 1: NOAA[3] Source no. 2: Weatherbase[4] Causes
Several factors give the summit of Waiʻaleʻale more potential to create precipitation than the rest of the island chain:
- Its northern position relative to the main Hawaiian Islands provides more exposure to frontal systems that bring rain during the winter.
- It has a relatively round and regular conical shape, exposing all sides of its peak to winds and the moisture that they carry.
- Its peak lies just below the so-called trade wind inversion layer of 6,000 feet (1,800 m), above which trade-wind-produced clouds cannot rise.
- And most importantly, the steep cliffs cause the moisture-laden air to rise rapidly - over 3,000 feet (910 m) in less than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) - and drop a large portion of its rain in one spot, as opposed to spreading the rain out over a larger area if the slope were more gradual.
Ecology
The great rainfall in the area produces the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve, a large boggy area that is home to many rare plants. The ground is so wet that although trails exist, access by foot to the Waiʻaleʻale area is extremely difficult.
A number of rare local plant species are named for this mountain, including Astelia waialealae, Melicope waialealae, and the endemic Dubautia waialealae.[5]
Citations
- ^ National Water Information System — Waialeale
- ^ "Global Measured Extremes of Temperature and Precipitation". National Climatic Data Center. August 9, 2004. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalextremes.html#highpre.
- ^ "Mount Waialeale - Climate Summary". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?hi6565. Retrieved August, 2010.
- ^ "Climate Data for Mount Waialeale, Hawaii". Weatherbase. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=565615&refer=&cityname=Mount-Waialeale-Hawaii-United-States-of-America. Retrieved November 2011.
- ^ USFWS. Determination of endangered status for 48 species on Kauai and designation of critical habitat; Final rule. Federal Register April 13, 2010.
References
- Ahrens, C.D. (2000), Meteorology Today, Brooks/Cole, ISBN 053439776X
- Bodin, S. (1978), Weather and Climate, Blandford, ISBN 0713708581
- Holford, I. (1977), The Guinness Book of Weather Records, Book Club Associates
- Kroll, E. (1995), De Wereld van het Weer, Teleac
- Pukui, Mary Kawena; Elbert, Samuel H.; Mookini, Esther T. (1974), Place names of Hawaii (2, illustrated, revised ed.), University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 9780824805241, http://books.google.com/books?id=fkw4JooFxZAC&lpg=PP1&dq=Place%20Names%20of%20Hawaii.&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Simons, P. (1996), Weird Weather, Little Brown and Company
External links
Categories:- Landforms of Kauai
- Mountains of Hawaii
- Volcanoes of Hawaii
- Shield volcanoes
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