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If you are sensitive to things like smog, then vog will affect you. I believe the week's forecast is for elevated vog levels on most islands.
70 will be more humid here than north Texas or California. Less humid than, say, Houston.
There are many microclimates, even on each island there are different (very different) climates and weather. Pack for warm weather with occasional showers and buy good sunblock. Most of all, enjoy yourself. It's hard not to in Hawai'i.
We're leaving for Hawaii - Oahu - in a few days.... I've been checking the weather online... I'm confused. Some sites are saying it's sunny and warm, while others are saying it's hazy and rainy?
That's because it is sunny and warm, and hazy and rainy, not to mention cool and clear, sometimes all in the same day. And it can be pouring rain all day in one place, and 20 miles away they don't even get sprinkles.
Weather in Hawai'i is broken up into lots of small microclimes and is highly variable, sometimes changing very rapidly. And you can easily go from cool to hot to chilly in the course of a day.
The way to handle that is with layers that you can put on or take off to adjust to the changing day. Stick with breathable natural fabrics. It does tend to be more humid in Hawai'i than you may be used to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf
When the weather guy says it's "hazy" is that the same thing as saying there's a lot of vog?
Hazy can also refer to a lot of moisture in the air. They're usually pretty specific if the haze is due to vog.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf
What should a mainlander who's never been to Hawaii know about vog? Do you stay indoors when there's haze or vog?
I don't, and I'm no spring chicken, but I have neighbors who do, or who at least restrict their outdoor activities on vog alert days. It all depends on how your system reacts. Some people with respiratory ailments or strong allergies find themselves nearly crippled during alerts, while most of us just limit strenuous activity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf
Does 70 degrees in Hawaii feel like 70 degrees in say like, California or Texas?
In general I find that California and Texas are drier, Hawai'i is more muggy.
70 degrees in Hawaii feels cooler than 70 degrees in Denver, where there is no humidity. The combination of the moisture in the air and the tradewinds that we have at our house make the evenings feel very cool. We actually wear sweaters to sit outside after sunset.
I'd suggest bringing a rain jacket with a hood and a light sweater. Depending on where you are staying, the air conditioning may be cool.
We live on the Big Island and vog has never bothered us, but like OpenD says it can bother some people. You may notice a slight headache or scratchy throat. I wouldn't worry unless you already have some sort of breathing problem, in which case you should pay attention to the vog alerts.
Vog entirely depends upon where you are. Where I live, it has been non-existent for several years,and I am relatively close to the "action". It goes up and over us. OpenD lives in area where it drifts right onto him, before it goes up. Vog might be prevalent in Honolulu but not on the other (windward) side of the island. It all depends upon wind patterns.
> Some sites are saying it's sunny and warm, while others are saying it's hazy and rainy?
I'm in Honolulu, it's cloudy and comfortable. Forecast calls for rain, but like others have said, it rains for a bit and then it stops. But at 78 degrees, the rain isn't all that bad. Even though it's cloudy it's still bright enough for sunglasses during the middle of the day.
> When the weather guy says it's "hazy" is that the same thing as saying there's a lot of vog?
Haven't been here long enough to know the difference. The haze is out a ways. Just makes the sunset a bit less easy to see.
> What should a mainlander who's never been to Hawaii know about vog? Do you stay indoors when there's haze or vog?
Hasn't bothered me one bit. Reminds me of the haze in L.A.
> Does 70 degrees in Hawaii feel like 70 degrees in say like, California or Texas?
Feels the same to me as 70 degrees in Dallas. Not as humid as florida or Houston, just a touch more humid than California. That's with A/C though. WIthout A/C it gets pretty muggy indoors without the tradewind breezes.
What to pack?
Shorts/skirts, flip flops, t-shirts. I wore shoes the first day I moved here, haven't since. In the evening a light jacket if you are going to walk around.
Sounds bad, but when my wife and I would come visit in the past I would pack like 3-4 pair of shorts and only wear 2 of them.
Leave room to bring stuff back though. If you see stuff in the ABC stores you want, you can pick it up for less at a Longs Drugs/Wal Mart/Costco. All of those are within 5 miles of Waikiki, need a car though.
For what it's worth, tonight's weather report called for a slight clearing tomorrow (Wednesday), then a return to hazy, voggy weather until the middle of next week. Two things are going on... Kilauea is very active, sending up big plumes; and the winds from the east are blowing the plumes over to Kona and then across the water to the other islands.
My best advice is simply to plan light activity until you know how the vog affects you. Most people just get a little itchy eyes and scratchy throat. Ironically, I live on top of the source, only a mile and a half from the main crater and plume, but the only thing I usually notice is a bit of sulfur taste in the mouth.
What to pack would be natural fabrics and loose fashions so you won't feel the humidity. A light jacket would be about the heaviest thing you'd need. I usually have a heavy flannel shirt as my "jacket". Frequently rain on Oahu is a brief shower lasting several minutes and then the sun comes out again. Makes for great rainbows. There usually isn't too much vog on Oahu and with the winds the way they are now, there shouldn't be too much vog.
Folks also don't dress up to the same level as on the mainland unless they are going to a fancy nightclub, then they dress more mainland style. No nylons (icky nasty things!), lower heels, more "resort casual" type of wear. There's loads of places to get tropical fashion in Waikiki so you could buy a dress to wear. Not a lot of name brand recognition and wearing a happy smile is more important than wearing anything by Gucci.
Vog is a moving target. Can suddenly be clear or can be overwhelming. One day nice, next day bad. Can miss Maui but hit Oahu or can miss all or hit all.
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If you see stuff in the ABC stores you want, you can pick it up for less at a Longs Drugs/Wal Mart/Costco. All of those are within 5 miles of Waikiki, need a car though.
