Light trade winds should strengthen at the end of the week. Maui County and the rest of the state have all been experiencing the same light-wind days and humid nights. James and Rosendal agree that not having the trade winds is unusual. They said the trade winds blow 95 percent of the time during this period. Weather officials also warn that smoke from fireworks today will linger because of the light wind pattern, adding to the vog or volcanic haze that is already blanketing the islands.
Scientists attribute the climatic oddity to a lopsided planet.
With the land-crowded northern half of the planet tilted toward the sun, Earth's temperature is slightly higher in July because the sun is shining down on land, which heats up rather easily, said Spencer. According to the National Weather Service community forecast, Maui County's forecast for today calls for mostly sunny skies, turning to locally cloudy in the afternoon with trade winds 5 to 15 miles per hour. On Tuesday, the high temperature at Kahului Airport was reported at 89 degrees at 3 p.m., although the warmth was tempered slightly by a 17 mph trade wind, according to Weather Service reports. At West Maui's Kapalua Airport, the noontime high of 87 degrees may have felt a little warmer with a barely perceptible westerly breeze. Molokai was reported to be sizzling with a high of 90 degrees at noon and a southwesterly wind, while Lanai's airport recorded a high of 82 degrees.