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kona wind The word "kona" is of Polynesian origin and means leeward. It refers to the south or southwest winds and accompanying weather on the normally leeward slopes of the principal Hawaiian Islands which, because of the wind shift, have temporarily become the windward slopes. Kona wind means a southerly wind, but kona weather can also be used to describe just a lack of the normal trade winds, which leads to hot humid weather. Although the trades go weak or absent more often in the winter, the kona conditions on land are more oppressive when this occurs during the summer. Kona winds, which occur most frequently during October through April, provide the major climatic variations of the Hawaiian Islands. During these conditions, heavy rainfall and cloudiness can be expected on the lee sides of coasts and slopes, which, under the usual wind pattern, receive less cloudiness and may have almost no rain. Near gales may occur, especially near points where the air tends to funnel into sharp mountain passes near the coasts. At such times leeward anchorages may become unsafe for smaller craft.

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