Posted on: Thursday, December 20, 2001

Christmas in paradise comes with sunny skies, light winds

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

It may be partly cloudy and rainy over the weekend, but don't worry, Santa won't need his rain slicker when he arrives on Christmas Eve.

The National Weather Service is calling for one of those classic, only-in-Hawai'i Christmas days: Blue skies, light tradewinds, a high temperature in the low to mid 80s.

"It looks like very nice weather for Christmas," said Hans Rosendal, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Honolulu.

There will be a chance of showers this weekend, especially Sunday, Rosendal said, but it will clear on Monday.

"We should have very nice settled weather," he said. "Low winds, if any at all on Christmas day and lots of sunshine."

But this is the winter storm season, he cautioned.

"We do see a storm possibly affecting us on the 28th and 29th, which is pretty far out," Rosendal said.

Big waves are also on the way.

Surf forecaster Pat Caldwell is predicting wave faces to reach 24 feet on north-facing shores by Christmas Eve.

But Caldwell also said "to expect giant surf" building on Wednesday along those same shores. He had no wave heights yet for that long-term prediction.