A Kona Low on the Hawaiian Paradise
The weather can wreak havoc on a vacation
Patricia Lampl’s vacation in Maui was the Hawaiian paradise one would expect – until the Kona low weather system moved in. In this From Our Readers memory, Lampl reflects on the drenching rain, ruined ballet flats, and perspective.
A Kona low is a slow-moving, cold-core low-pressure system that forms west of Hawaii during the cool season (November to March), reversing normal trade winds to bring heavy rain, flash floods, thunderstorms, and snow to summits. They often bring southerly winds (Kona winds) to the leeward side, causing severe weather damage.
It certainly does.
My husband I and another couple were in Maui for a relaxing beach vacation. We spent a week in Kauaʻi, which was wonderful. The weather was in the 70s, slighter cooler in the evenings, lots of sunshine. We read, took a boat ride in a rain forest, and had meals out that were delicious and beautiful.
Then we went to Maui. Maui Wowee. The first day was lovely – sunny, a little warmer – you know, paradise.
We took a car ride on the Hana Highway. The highway is a road that traverses a mountain – it gains elevation going from a two-lane road to a one-lane road. We stopped counting the one-lane bridges. Hairpin turns thrown in for good measure. We laughed talking about how we wouldn’t want to drive it in bad weather or at night.
The Kona low sets is
That afternoon the rain started. It rained. And rained. The news had said there would be some rain during the week, but this was intense. The 50-mile-an-hour winds were no joke. And then we turned on the local news. There was a TSUNAMI WARNING. Whaaaat??
We called the airline to see if we could book a flight out a few days earlier. No way. Everything was booked. The next morning we drove our friends to the airport – they had been able to change their flight. The airport was an hour away, and it took an hour and a half to get there. Not too bad considering the rain and some local flooding. We dropped them off and consulted our NAV system for the best way to get back. It was taking us a whole other way. We turned on the local radio and learned that roads were closing due to flooding. OK. Let’s go.
Oh Man. We took a road that led us up a mountain and around a mountain. Just like the Hana Highway, complete with hairpin turns and one-lane bridges, except this one didn’t have guard rails. I was driving, and, yes, my knuckles were white. There were falling rocks and trees down – it was like a movie, though not exciting, just terrifying. I mentally counted down the miles on our NAV screen and the needle wasn’t going very fast.
My husband and I barely spoke except to joke that it didn’t matter how long it took us to get back because there was nothing to do anyway. Roads flooded, shops closed, high winds. Not a beach day!
Three hours later we arrived at our hotel and checked out. We couldn’t extend our stay and were going to another hotel. And then disaster really hit. My lavender ballet flats bought for this vacation were drenched – ruined! I almost cried. You would think I would have cried that night when the hotel ran out of sauvignon blanc. I didn’t. I was mourning my ballet flats. The prettiest color you could imagine. They looked like lilacs.
I repacked them when we moved to another hotel for the next night. You guessed it – there were no flights leaving. The airports shut down due to damage and weather conditions. We sat in our room, ate Fritos and watched TV. Luckily cable service was still on.
Within two days, the airport opened and we began our journey home. I repacked my flats, as a souvenir of this stressful time, and got a grip. The buildings that were ruined, the roads that would need major repair, and lives changed were the disaster. I knew that. I knew my shoes didn’t matter. I knew that. But, somehow, in a disaster, it was cold comfort to think they mattered.
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