Residents sensitive to vog likely will get a short break with the return of the tradewinds this weekend.
The National Weather Service predicts 10 to 20 mph northeast winds will return today, clearing out the thick vog. But relief could be brief, with winds forecast to weaken and shift.
Robert Ballard, science and operations officer with the National Weather Service, predicted 5 to 15 mph southeast winds to return in the middle of next week, possibly as early as Tuesday. Southeast winds drive emissions from Kilauea Volcano toward Oahu.
Vog hovered over the islands due to calm and light southeast winds this week, causing grief for residents with allergies and respiratory problems.
A lack of tradewinds is common this time of year, according to Ballard.
"When we get into the winter season, tradewinds become a lot less frequent," he said. "We expect the tradewinds to disappear from time to time."
Vog, short for volcanic fog, consists of gas, aerosols and acidic droplets that form when sulfur dioxide and other gases emitted from Kilauea interact with sunlight, oxygen, moisture and dust, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website.
The vog coming from Kilauea has prompted residents who suffer from allergies and asthma to increase their medication to control their symptoms, a Honolulu doctor says.
Dr. Jeffrey Kam, chief of the Department of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology at Straub Clinic & Hospital, said there has been an increase in patients complaining of itchy eyes, noses and throats due to the weather. Patients with asthma are experiencing more coughing, chest congestion and wheezing, he said.
Kam recommended that residents who are sensitive to vog stay indoors, drink lots of liquids and use saline drops or a saline wash to relieve irritation to eyes and nose. Kam also advised them to see their doctor if symptoms worsen.
"Don’t sit there and wait," he said.
Janet Babb, a geologist and spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said there has been no significant change in the sulfur dioxide emission rate, currently at 500 to 1,000 tons per day.
"We don’t see any indication of a significant change," she said. "It’s just the wind pattern that’s the change."
