Every now and then, Hawaii experiences what’s called Kona winds – winds that blow from the south instead of the normal trade winds that blow over Hawaii from the Northwest.
When that happens, it becomes muggy – humid and hot – without the refreshing trades to cool things off.
Combine that with haze that drifts over the rest of the state from volcanic activity on the Big Island of Hawaii, and you get “vog” – supposedly “volcano” plus “fog” – like the combination of “smoke” and “fog” that produces “smog.”
Vog is a misnomer, of course, because Hawaii doesn’t get fog except in the much higher elevations. It’s more of a haze, but I guess “vaze” sounds stupid.
We’ve been experiencing that this week, and it was very evident during a recent ocean-side walk. Diamond Head, which is usually easily seen on near-crystal clear trade wind days, was shrouded in vog. Check it out:
Not good for tourism, but what can anyone do about it? Nothing.
1 comment:
You all don't get fog? Interesting.
I feel for the poor people who picked this week for their vacation.
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