[2] However, recent reports mention that over the period 1978–2007 the wettest spot in Hawaii is Big Bog on Maui (404 inches or 10,300 mm per year).

[3] The summit of Waiʻaleʻale features a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af), with substantial rainfall throughout the course of the year.

The local tourist industry of Kauai has promoted it as one of the wettest places on earth, which it is.

Several factors give the summit of Waiʻaleʻale more potential to create precipitation than the rest of the island chain: The great rainfall in the area produces the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve, a large boggy area that is home to many rare plants.

The ground is so wet that although trails exist, access by foot to the Waiʻaleʻale area is extremely difficult.