Mount Waialeale
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Waiʻaleʻale | |
|---|---|
 Waiʻaleʻale Lake or Rippling Waters, the small lake that is the namesake of Waiʻaleʻale. |
|
| Elevation | 5,066 feet (1,544 m) |
| 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 [weɪˈʔɐleˈʔɐle] in Hawaiian, literally, "rippling water" or "overflowing water"[1] and also often spelt Waialeale in English without the ʻokina), elevation 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 426 inches (10,800 mm) of rain a year since 1912, with a record 683 inches (17,300 mm) in 1982, its summit is considered one of the rainiest spots on earth[2]. It has been promoted in tourist literature for many years as the wettest spot, although the 38-year average at Mawsynram, Meghalaya, India is 11,873 millimetres (467.4 in). However, Mawsynram's rainfall is concentrated in the monsoon season, while the rain at Waiʻaleʻale is more evenly distributed through the year.
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.
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.
[edit] References
- ^ Pukui, Mary Kawena. Place Names of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-0524-0.
- ^ http://hi.water.usgs.gov/recent/waialeale.html
[edit] External links
- Honolulu Star-Bulletin article on Waiʻaleʻale
- Site with hiking info on routes to Waialeale and Kawaikini and summit photos.
- "Real-time" rainfall data from the USGS Waiʻaleʻale Raingauge
 |
This Hawaiʻi state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
