Mount Waialeale at an elevation of 5,148 feet (1,569 m), is a shield volcano and the second highest point on the island of Kauaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands. Averaging more than 452 inches (11,500 mm) of rain a year since 1912, with a record 683 inches (17,300 mm) in 1982, its summit is one of the rainiest spots on earth. Recent reports though mention that over the period 1978-2007 the wettest spot in Hawaii is Big Bog on Maui (404 inch per year), and that the rainfall in Hawaii is decreasing.
The great rainfall in the area produces the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve, a large boggy area that is home to many rare plants. The ground is so wet that although trails exist, access by foot to the Waiʻaleʻale area is extremely difficult.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z58vWt-rhMA]
No comments:
Post a Comment