Vog expected to linger through next week

The vog that rendered Mauna Kea all but invisible from Downtown Hilo on an otherwise beautiful Friday will stick around awhile.

According to the seven-day forecast on the National Weather Service website, “widespread haze” will blanket Hilo throughout the coming week.

“In general, the wind is light and variable, so it’s allowing the vog to pile up,” Robert Ballard, a NWS meteorologist in Honolulu, said Friday.

Winds on Friday afternoon were light and from the northeast.

“The wind is going to turn Kona (southerly) and it’s going to hang on for a few days, so it’s probably going to keep the vog plume somewhere in your area through at least the weekend and into next week. The winds are going to turn northwest after the front goes through, so you’re going to have a chance for it to clear out, possibly Tuesday,” Ballard said.

The front Ballard referred to is forecast to bring scattered showers starting Monday morning and continuing through Thursday, according to the weather service website.

“You’re in Hilo, so you might be a little sheltered there, but some parts of the Big Island are going to have a much bigger chance of rain,” he said. “The Kona side is probably going to see quite a bit more rain. When you switch the wind direction around, Kona becomes a bit more like Hilo.”

The vog index for Hilo was 97 as of 5 p.m. Friday, which is a “moderate” reading, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow website. A reading of 101-150 is considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” 151-200 is “unhealthy,” 201-300 is “very unhealthy,” while a reading of 301 or higher is “hazardous.”

The vog index also was moderate for Kona, at 83, while Ocean View and Honolulu checked in at 58 and Pahala had a “good” reading of 42.

In the meantime, be prepared for a hazy Super Bowl Sunday in Hilo.

“It’s probably going to get a little bit worse before it improves,” Ballard said.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.