Discussing the unique qualities of rainbows in Hawaii, Steven Businger professor at the UH School of Marine and Earth Science and Technology explained that there are four factors that contribute to the beauty of the colorful Hawaiian sky. (Read: Defeat Elephants, These are the Animals with the Largest Ears in the World)
First, the position of the islands in the atmospheric circulation known as the Hadley Cell ensures that Hawaii is visited by the northwest trade winds on an almost daily basis. This produces patches of convective rain, interspersed with areas of clear sky, allowing sunlight to mix with rainfall and produce rainbows.
The warmth of the night provided by the sea causes the air to rise in the morning and allows rainbows to form. In contrast, a night rainbow is produced when temperatures rise throughout the day, creating air currents. (Also read: Earth is dying, filled with mask waste up to 3 million per minute)
“Under these conditions, heavy rain forms on the tops of the ridges above Oahu and Kauai in the late afternoon, producing lush rainbows as the sun goes down,” Businger was quoted as saying IFL Science .
This mountainous topology is another key factor in the formation of rainbows Hawaii , because the peaks force the winds to rise and cool, resulting in rainfall. Without these mountains, Hawaii would be a rainless desert.
Finally, Hawaii’s remote location ensures that the air is largely pollution-free which means there are very few aerosol particles that can scatter sunlight and detract from the beauty of a rainbow. (Also read: Large Asteroids Cross the Earth March 21, NASA: How Safe!)
All of these factors combine to allow Hawaiian rainbows to last for hours. Even Businger claims that rainbows in Hawaii can last up to 6.5 hours during summer and 8.5 hours in winter.
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“It’s no surprise that rainbows are so prominent in Hawaiian mythology and culture. In language Hawaii , for example, there are words for a rainbow stuck to the Earth (uakoko), a standing rainbow (kāhili), a barely visible rainbow (punakea), and a rainbow (ānuenue kau pō), “explains Businger.
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