The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-17
A GENUINE
K0NA STORM.
Prof. Lyons Thinks It
Is Not Over Yet.
WHERE IT CAME FROM
Territorial MeteoroIogist Describes
Weather Phenomena Peculiar
To Hawaii.

The storm which has prevailed for the |
past few days throughout the entire group
OF Islands. is the chief topic of discus
sion. The causes and effect. atmospheric
and otherwise. have been advanced by
the knowing ones The individual who is
unable to tell the difference between a
ships compass and a barometer, or a
trade wind and a kona is always heard in
the land. IL Is fact worthy of note. how
ever. that the Island group has been Wis
tied by the heaviest storm experienced
for years. while the barometer has reg
lstered exceedingly low and the end is
not yet.
During an interview yesterday afternoon
with Professor Lyons, who has been con-
nccted with the Government survey for
| the past twenty-eight years, and who for
the past nineteen years has kept the
weather records. the Advertiser obtained
/ much Information. He states that the
| storms that have ragged for the past few
days Is what has always been termed
/ "kona' by the natives, meaning of
course a strong wind from the southwest.
called Kona In the native language, which
indicates the southwest corner Of the
compass.
The white population have adopted the
storm where the wind is from the south
west or varying to the west and north"
said Professor Lyons. There Is no de-
gree of regularity i'm the coming Of the
Kona but they appear In the winter sea-
son and mostly in November, though oc-
casionally In other winter months, one
having occurred as late as April.
"In point OF fact II is simply a temper
ate zone revolving storm. while the move
ment itself l. from the northwest as near
as known. These revolving storms pass
across the Northern Pacific Ocean from
east 20 west, generally as far north as
latitude 10 or ~. We frequently catch
one OF the southwest side of the circum-
ference OF the circle, that gives us
northerly winds for a few days which
pass of. When the path of the storm Is
well to the southwark, then we catch the
center and the southeastern side. which
gives us southwest winds, shifting to the
, north after II has passed over IL seems
likely that the recent storm Is the one
encountered by the Doric on her recent
passage from Yokohama. She probably
sailed out OF IT, possibly travelling more
rapidly than the center Of the storm did
Honolulu is very much sheltered from the
Kona storms by the mountains which SCI
the winds back and break their force. w:
sometimes hear Of Kona prevailing or
Maui. which is barely perceptible here; o.
course vessels at sea get the full force
Of n.
THE heavy surf on the reef and thu
very low barometer indicates that thii
was an extensive storm and quite violen
az sea. As 10 the damage done by thes'
storms I'm the past, 10 can be stated tina
houses have frequently been blown dow
4 NJ Koolau. on this island, and also at Ko
hala and other places on Hawaii.
point to be taken into consideration ant
from which the KOna storms have gaine'
such an undesirable name Is the fact tina
the native houses and coasting schooner
are fitted out for trade winds. and are no
ready for winds coming In the opposit
direction. The Island shipping have ofte
had occasion 10 run around to rainy IN
for shelter during the prevalence of thes
y storms. which generally last for two o
three DAYS, although they have bee
known to last n week. especially when IN
wind backs around again from west {
southwest.
The last heavy storm occurred In Dc
ceuber 1906 there being no special les
lures OF II recorded and lasting but
couple OF DAYS. Not having heard froi
the other Islands OF the group as yet.
can give no results. There Is no doub
however. but that a heavy fall OF sno
has occurred on Mauna Kea and Noun
a Ioa. During the present storm the ba
omater registered 29.5s. being the loves
recorded for n number Of years. In Jal
uary ISL, the barometer registered ga
this beinR.the lowest with two exception
n ls n fact worthy OF note, and OF int
est TO some that the barometer does m
register as low here as in the typhoc
and hurricane regions, where IL falls
n as low as q. IL would be well 10 sta
that in Honolulu We are so accustomed
mid weather, that any marked distur
anse Is made much Of. 1t looks vet