Hawaii is the rainbow capital of the world. Here's what that means

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's regular sunshine, short rain showers and clean air come together to create some of the planet's best conditions for viewing rainbows. They're such a frequent sight that a University of Hawaii professor calls the state the “rainbow capital of the world.”

Right now it's the winter rainy season in the islands, which means the odds of seeing a rainbow are even higher than usual.

Rainbows emerge so often in Hawaii they've become popular symbols of island life. Pictures of them adorn buildings, the sides of public buses and appear on standard vehicle license plates. University of Hawaii sports teams are even named after rainbows.

“For me, rainbows really signify hope and new beginnings,” said Liane Usher, the president of the Children's Discovery Center in Honolulu, which features rainbows on its exterior wall and in its exploration rooms. “I can’t ever help but smile whenever I see a rainbow after the rain.”

Here are some things to know about rainbows in Hawaii.

Rainbows form when raindrops refract sunlight into a spectrum of colors. The brighter the sun, the clearer the rainbow.

Look for them when it is both sunny and raining at the same time. They will appear opposite the sun. They will seem larger and higher in the sky in the early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is lower on the horizon.

Steven Businger, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, says the archipelago's trade winds bring many small showers with enough blue sky between them for the sun to shine through.

Hawaii's clean air also helps. Other places tend to have more air particles from dust, pollen and cars. Conditions improve further during Hawaii's rainy season, which lasts from October through April.

“Hawaii has maybe the best rainbows on the planet,” Businger said.

Businger created an app called RainbowChase to help people find rainbows in Hawaii.

Rainbows are so prevalent that there are about 20 names for them in the Hawaiian language, according to a Manoa website, including distinct words for rainbow fragments and those that sit low on the horizon.

Rainbows represent divine or supernatural power in Native Hawaiian tradition.

Sam 'Ohu Gon III, senior scientist and cultural adviser at The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii, said rainbows are considered a symbol of Kāne, one of the four main gods in Hawaiian tradition. Traditionally, the closer one got to a rainbow, the more likely they were to encounter a supernatural force, or an extremely powerful or chiefly person, he said.

In one centuries-old story, a rainbow appears over the secluded home of a Hawaiian princess for four straight days. Another emerges above the ocean when her suitor arrives, a man so strong his punch pierces an opponent’s chest like a spear.

To Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, a teacher and Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, a rainbow signals an “aumakua,” which is a deified ancestor or a family or personal god.

“When those of our loved ones go before us, they precede us in life and they leave us in this realm. They are able sometimes to show their presence," Wong-Kalu said. "The rainbow is one of those ways.”

Rainbows let her know spiritual protection is present and that she is loved and watched over, said Wong-Kalu, who is also known as Kumu Hina.

Rainbow imagery decorates everything from buildings and restaurant facades to athletic uniforms.

The Hawaii men’s athletic teams are called Rainbow Warriors and the women’s teams are Rainbow Wahine, using the Hawaiian word for women. The teams are called ‘Bows’ for short.

The origin of the rainbow mascot dates to New Year's Day in 1924. Hawaii was locked in a scoreless tie against the visiting Oregon Aggies when a rainbow appeared over the field. Hawaii scored soon after and reporters began calling the team the Rainbows, according to the book “Hawai'i Sports: History, Facts and Statistics.”

The Hawaii football team in 2000 dropped “Rainbow” from its nickname when a coach expressed concern it carried a “stigma” because of its association with the LGBTQ+ community. The school restored the name in 2013.

When Kimberly Carlson was a professor at Manoa, she saw a rainbow outside her apartment window that made her wonder how climate change would affect them.

Now a New York University environmental studies professor, she's studied the impact over the next century.

Her team's analysis, published in a paper two years ago, predicts Brazil, the Mediterranean and parts of Central Africa will have fewer rainbows by 2100. They found places that currently get lots of snow, but that will instead receive more rain, will likely see more rainbows. Alaska falls in that category.

Scientists believe rainbows will continue to be plentiful in Hawaii, but in the coming decades, longer dry spells might lead to fewer rainbows on the arid, leeward sides of the islands, Businger, the atmospheric sciences professor, said. Maui and the Big Island might be particularly affected, he said.

The singular experience of glimpsing a rainbow makes them worth studying, he said.

“Rainbows are a cultural touchstone for us. They cause us to stand still and for a moment, forget about the past and the future,” Businger said. “We are really in the moment when we see a spectacular rainbow, and that’s a rare experience in our busy lives.”

In this image taken through a window, a rainbow appears in the sky on Dec. 23, 2023, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

CORRECTS DATE A rainbow appears over a soccer field on Sept. 7, 2024, in Waipahu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)

The Rainbow Drive-In, a popular local eatery in Honolulu, is seen on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

Rainbow Shave Ice is seen at Waiola Shave Ice, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

CORRECTS DATE A rainbow appears in the sky on Sept. 24, 2021, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)

Members of the Napili Canoe Club run on the beach as a rainbow forms nearby on Monday, July 8, 2024, at Hanakao'o Park in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Two rainbows are seen in the sky on April 24, 2024, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

A rainbow arches over a Honolulu Skyline train at sunset, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

A rainbow appears over a soccer field on Oct. 28, 2024, in Waipahu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)

FILE - Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang, front right, wears a shirt showing his team’s Rainbow Warriors mascot before an NCAA college football game against San Diego State, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia, File)

The Rainbow Tower of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is seen on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Honolulu. The iconic 31-story Rainbow Mural was designed by artist Millard Sheets in 1968. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

Two rainbows are seen in the sky on April 24, 2024, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

A rainbow appears in the sky on Oct. 28, 2024, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)

FILE - Joseph Heher photographs rainbows at Shipwreck's Beach, Grand Hyatt Kauai, Hawaii, July 2, 2010, in Hawaii. (AP Photo/Ashley Heher, File)

FILE - A tourist takes photos of a rainbow on the road that leads to Haleakala National Park on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Dec. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Martha Irvine, File)

People gather outside a farmers market while a rainbow appears in the background in Kamuela, Hawaii, on Dec. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/ Audrey McAvoy)

A rainbow forms as members of the Napili Canoe Club run on the beach on Monday, July 8, 2024, at Hanakao'o Park in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Members of the Napili Canoe Club run sprints on the beach as a rainbow forms nearby on Monday, July 8, 2024, at Hanakao'o Park in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

FILE -A rainbow is seen in the sky from President Barack Obama's motorcade as it passes Kaneohe Bay heading for the beach at Bellows Air Force Station, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, on the final day of the Obama family vacation. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE - Professional surfers make their way to the water while a large rainbow crosses the ocean during the Pro Hawaii surfing contest at Ali'i Beach in Haleiwa, Hawaii, Nov. 18, 2005. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni, File)

DENVER (AP) — Among the throng of blue-clad BYU fans who packed Ball Arena to witness the Cougars' narrow escape against Wisconsin was Jimmer Fredette.

BYU's last basketball blue-chipper, Fredette sweated it out with the rest of the Cougars fans as they watched Wisconsin scratch and claw and come within another John Tonje basket of sending what had once been a 14-point laugher into overtime Saturday night.

Tonje burned BYU for 37 points — the most by any player in this edition of March Madness so far — but his final shot came up short and when Keba Keita corralled the rebound and took off with a mile-high smile, the Cougars were 91-89 winners.

“Yeah, I was nervous,” Fredette told The Associated Press in the jubilant BYU section of first-level seats. “Look, you watched the game and you’re kind of like, ‘How did we get to a two-point game here, you know?’

“But look, I think that describes this team. They fight, they’re resilient and play with heart and energy. And you’re going to win a lot of games doing that.”

The Cougars are on their way to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011, when Fredette was jacking up jumpers at the beginning of a basketball journey that would include six seasons in the NBA and an appearance in the Paris Olympics for the United States' 3x3 team.

Fredette was in uniform in this very arena the last time the Cougars earned a Sweet 16 berth, with an 89-67 win over Gonzaga 14 years ago.

Now, Fredette has another reason to love Ball Arena — which was called Pepsi Center back when he was in college.

Fredette couldn't be happier for — or prouder of — his alma mater.

“It's been an incredible, incredible team to follow, to watch,” Fredette said. “I think I've caught the last four games that they've played this year. And man, I love how this team plays, the energy, the passion.”

He loves how coach Kevin Young has brought elements of the NBA with him to Provo, Utah, including NBA-caliber talent.

“I don't know all the X's and O's associated with basketball but I like what Kevin has done. And obviously, I'm closely connected to the program. I've heard nothing but good things about having the players and how they bought into what he brought in,” Fredette said.

The last player drafted out of BYU was Fredette, back in 2011. Now, Egor Demon, the 6-foot-9 swingman from Moscow, could be one-and-done, and next year the Cougars will get AJ Dybansta, the nation’s top recruit who made a splash this season when he signed an NIL deal with BYU that's reportedly worth between $5 million and $7 million.

Fredette smiled as he talked about his school suddenly being the talk of the NCAA Tournament and a desired destination for top talent.

“Yeah, a lot of excitement,” Fredette said.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Wisconsin guard John Tonje, right, drives past BYU guard Egor Demin during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/John Leyba)

Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter, left, blocks a shot by BYU center Keba Keita (13) during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)