Tropical Storm Flossie dropped on Maui like a ton of bricks. Cloud to ground lightning that blew up a bathroom and zapped one guy, 40+ mph winds that shredded my wife's orchids and enough rain to overflow the pool. Probably nothing out of the ordinary for a lower end tropical storm. Those of you living along the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf are probably thinking, “Wimp!”
What’s interesting is that we got a tropical storm at all.
We’ve lived on Maui for over thirteen years. In all that time no cyclone, tropical storm or tropical depression has held together long enough to get far enough north to hit any of the islands. We would see the remnants drift by that brought a little extra rain but all that meant was sitting under an umbrella and knock back a few mai tais until the clouds blew past.
Flossie coming this far north, by itself, may not mean much unless you look at other recent changes in our weather.
Up until three years ago the weather was locked into a boring annual pattern. Trade winds most of the year, two weeks in September when the winds stopped and we were smothered in humidity, hellacious Kona (south wind) storms late in October or early November. Then something changed.
We haven’t seen a hellacious Kona storm in three years. The trade winds come and go or are replaced by light Kona winds. The always-reliable clouds that push up against the mountains to supply our drinking water don’t come as often. We’re seeing more large swells out of the south.
Global climate change? You be the judge.