Late afternoon sun shines on the ocean and a small fishing boat off the Big Island.
Category Archives: Weather
Mauna Kea’s winter wonderland
The past few weeks have been very wet on the Big Island with moisture-laden systems sweeping through from the south as well as the usual northeast. As a result, both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa have received generous amounts of snow. This view is taken from the relative warmth of the Kohala coast.
Sunset obscura
A dark cloud blankets the sun approaching sunset on the Kohala coast.
Mauna Kea telescopes
One of the reasons Mauna Kea is a prime spot for telescopes is that it boasts clear skies for more than 300 days a year. It’s common to see clouds below the summit, but less so to see them passing above the summit like this.
In the foreground is the CalTech Submillimeter Telescope, one of 13 currently operating on the mountain.
Better Days: Skull
This old skull marked where the trail up Pu’u Wa’awa’a disappeared into the cloud.
Clouds over Waimea
Seen from the lower slopes of Mauna Kea, a blanket of cloud climbs over the Kohala Mountains and Waimea, but Maui is still visible in the background.
The night sky
The night sky above the Big Island is often clear and awash with stars. The biggest problem with it is that it occurs when I’m snoring softly (sometimes). I have good intentions to get up and spend time soaking in the stars, but then I roll over and the moment is gone.
I’ve done better during meteor showers. A half hour’s viewing during a good shower invariably yields rewards. But even there I’m torn. This wasn’t a great year for meteors – conflicts with the moon and the weather gods – and I saw almost as many looking through the window, from the comfort of my bed.
However, the impulse remains to do better and thinking about new horizons and what the coming year might hold, a greater regard for the night sky is high on my list.
Snow on Mauna Kea
Ah Hawaii, a place of golden sandy beaches, warm tropical waters, luxuriant foliage and snow-capped peaks. Wait a minute! Snow? In Hawaii?
It’s true. Here on the Big Island, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea are high enough to see snowfall most years. People go up there to ski and tube. There’s a local tradition of driving up the mountain, loading a pickup truck with snow, and then driving back to lower elevations for a snowball fight.
This winter’s first snow fell yesterday. Last year, there was a snowfall in July! This photo is from last winter, taken from Waimea, which as the foreground suggests, is paniolo (cowboy) country.
This is one image where I photoshopped something out, in this case a distracting wire trailing above the building’s roofline.
Graham's Island 