Kona daily weather cycle.

These infrared images, from the GOES-10 satellite ( University of Hawaii Meteorology), illustrate the typical daily weather cycle in the Kona region. On the right, trade winds sweep over the Hawaiian islands from the North-East. The movie spans from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Hawaii time, on May 27th, 2002. Below it is a detail, showing just the Big Island. The detail is actually from the previous day, May 26th, but the weather pattern is essentially the same. This demonstrates the strict daily weather cycle.

Below, one frame from the morning of May 26th is labeled with the gross features of the Big Island. The peaks of the three tallest volcanoes -- Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai -- are above the layer of clouds and hence appear as dark spots on the infrared image. Located on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa, the Kona region receives tropical sunshine in the mornings and misty clouds and rainfall in the afternoons.