Mount Wai'ale'ale in Kauai, Hawaii stands 5,148 feet tall. It is known as one of the worlds wettest mountains and receives an average annual rainfall of 460 inches. Mount Waialeale is in central part of the mountain. While the top of the mountain receives an incredible amount of rain, the base of the mountain, near the shore, receives only a moderate amount of rain. The heavy rainfall has caused some pretty spectacular features to be carved out on the mountain. Visitors will also find a gorge at Waimea that is known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" of "Little Grand Canyon". The rain that falls on Mount Waialeale also feed many streams on the island that flow into majestic waterfalls and feed into the various rivers on Kauai such as Waimea, Wailua, Makeweli and Hanapepe. The top of Mount Waialeale has a wide variety of mosses, sedges and grasses. It is difficult for most species of plants to survive in the wet moist and sun deprived climate that is found at the top of the mountain. The top of Mount Waialeale is also very windy. The name Waialeale literally means rippling water or overflowing water in Hawaiian.. This mountain is the second highest point on Kauai. The high amount of rain that is received on the mountaintop is due in part to the northern position of the mountain that gives it more exposure to frontal systems that bring in rain, and the peak of the mountain lie below the trade wind inversion layer which lies at 6,000 feet. Also the steep cliffs on the mountain cause the air to rise quickly which causes a lot of rain to drop in the area.
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