What a difference a couple of miles makes - rainfall on Maui
Last Thursday was our Upcountry Realtor Caravan, in Kula Maui. Kula is on the dry side of the island, up on the slopes of Haleakala. I was driving up from Huelo in Haiku which is on the wet or windward side of the lsland. In Haiku we are blessed with 50-75 inches of rain or more each year, in a fairly even handed distribution. Some would even say it rains every day in Haiku. To see both locations within a short time really makes you appreciate the differences in climate and weather on this small island. This was a distance of only 20 miles!
Due to the fact that our landscape is dominated by a 10,000 ft high dormant volcano, our weather patterns are formed by this huge obstacle to the flow of air over the Pacific Ocean. Moisture laden clouds pile up on the windward slopes leaving a vast rain shadow on the far side which is where Kula spreads out. Kula experiences very little precipitation for most of the year, and what little rain it gets usually comes in one or two months.
To make it easier to understand I'm just going to show you in pictures, all of which were taken on the same day within just a few hours.
The green ones are taken in Haiku Maui and they show a landscape that is naturally green from rainfall, with no irrigation.
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The brown ones are taken in Kula Maui, and you can see the dry ground that lacks rainfall.
What a dramatic difference of climate in only 20 miles! If you have ever lived on an island you can appreciate this. We have almost every microclimate on earth right here on one small island. If you're thinking of moving to Maui, it's nice to know you can pretty much pick the climate you want. Where do you want to live on Maui?
aloha from Maui - the Maui Hunter
Thanks for reading My Maui Blog! ~ Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro
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