The Hawaii Traveler

Vog Blog

by Jody Reale on April 22nd, 2008

No Parking, No Duh Photo by Flickr (Creative Commons), Fred Hsu

If you’ve just been to the islands, you most likely noticed the vog. Vog is what happens when the gases from an erupting volcano make friends with the sunlight, water vapor, dust particles and oxygen in the air. Let’s call it tropical smog, which is usually confined to the Big Island, and which doesn’t usually cause a ruckus; however, big time winds began blowing the sulfur gas and volcanic ash off Kiluea on April 8th, 2008, causing closures in and around Volcanoes National Park. Even nearby Maui was experiencing quite a bit of haze. The potency and severity of vog is measured by the vog index.
The park is open at the time of this posting, but you can always check the Parks Service for area closures before you go.

Share This

Related Stories

Vog-Tied
Welcome to the Valley Isle: Maui
The Origins of LOLspeak
Welcome, Mama
More Green Blogs

POSTED IN: Announcements, Attractions, Environment, Travel Tips - General Information