Hawai’i and the Pacific Islands

       

 

           Hawai’i and the Pacific Islands have very minimal similarities to Washington State.  Hawai’i is a region of the United States that is made up of eight inhabited islands located in the Pacific Ocean.  These islands were formed by the Pacific Plate moving over an area where magma rises constantly (Hardwick, 2008).  This formed large underwater mountains that soon broke the surface of the ocean and kept growing until it formed an island.  As the plate kept moving, the magma kept spilling, forming a chain of islands.  The island of Hawai’i is the largest, and youngest of all the islands.  Since the islands were formed by volcanic activity, this means that flat open land is rare.  The islands are rugged and steep with sheer drops into the ocean in certain parts. 

        Along with the unique land features, the Hawaiian Islands can experience dramatic weather patterns.  The trade winds, which blow from east to west, have a major effect on Hawaii’s weather.  These winds, along with the Coriolis Effect, cause the winds Hawai’i experience to come from the northeast and head southwest.  This results in extremely high precipitation along the north and east coasts of the islands.  The eastern slope of Mount Waialeale on the islands of Kauai is the rainiest spot on earth, with an average of 486 inches of rain a year (Hardwick, 2008).  All the island’s northeast sides are relatively similar, with most of the rain occurring in these areas.  The southwest sides however, located in the rain shadow, are much dryer.  The southwestern cities are only averaging about 20 inches annually.  This is compared to some cities in Arizona and New Mexico.  The average temperatures throughout the year do not vary dramatically.  The high for Honolulu is about 88F in the summer and falls to 82F in the winter (Hardwick, 2008). 

        Washington, on the other hand, cannot be directly compared to the islands of Hawai’i.  Washington does possess high mountains that do experience some of the highest precipitation in the lower 48.  The Cascade Ranges receives most of the rain and snow that Washington will obtain but on the eastern side, the rain shadow side will receive less water.  The Hawaiian Islands are so far off into the Pacific that the two different wind patterns of Hawai’i and Washington dump their rain on opposite sides of the regions.  The Pacific Northwest’s temperatures can also very quiet dramatically.  Winters can fall into temperatures as low as 27F in January and 70F in the summer months on east side of Washington (Hardwick, 2008).  These two regions have some common similarities but for the most part are completely different.               

 

 

Hardwick, Susan W., Shelley, Fred M., Holtgrieve, Donald G. The Geography of North America. Glenview, 2008. Print.