Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday:
78 Lihue, Kauai
85 Honolulu, Oahu
77 Molokai
76 Kahului, Maui
78 Kona, Hawaii
83 Hilo, Hawaii
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops around the state… as of 810pm Monday evening:
Kailua Kona – 77
Hana airport, Maui – 72
Haleakala Summit – 41 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 36 (13,000+ feet on the Big Island)
Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live web cam on the summit of near 13,800 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. This web cam is available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon shining down during the night at times. Plus, during the nights you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise and sunset too… depending upon weather conditions. Here’s the Haleakala Crater webcam on Maui – if it’s working.
Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest weather information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast… can be found here. The 2012 hurricane season is over in the eastern and central Pacific… resuming on May 15th and June 1st 2013.
Aloha Paragraphs
A retiring cold front between Maui and the Big Island keeps cloudy weather in place, with just a few leftover showers, lots of clearing over Kauai and Oahu…more to come everywhere Tuesday
The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Monday evening:
24 Mana, Kauai – NNW
17 Kuaokala, Oahu – NNE
08 Molokai – WNW
15 Kahoolawe – SW
12 Kaupo Gap, Maui – SSW
17 Upolu airport, Big Island – WSW
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Monday evening:
0.08 Kilohana, Kauai
3.21 Schofield South, Oahu
1.03 Molokai
1.14 Kahoolawe
1.75 Kaupo Gap, Maui
0.86 Honaunau, Big Island
We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean. Here’s the latest NOAA satellite picture – the latest looping satellite image… and finally the latest looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands.
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Our local winds will remain generally on the light side, although locally stronger from the north to northeast over Kauai…and perhaps Oahu. Here’s a weather chart showing high pressure centers far to the east, north and west. At the same time, we find a weak low pressure system just to the north of Hawaii, with its associated, now retiring cold front nearly stationary between Maui and the Big Island. Our winds will be light and variable…as the pressure gradient force across the state remains slack. It appears that the trade winds won’t play a part in our local weather picture until Friday into the weekend. The latest models are showing that as we get into early next week, these trades could ease up again quite a bit.
Satellite imagery shows clear to cloudy skies over the island chain, along with whats left of the decaying cold front…positioned in the Alenuihaha Channel (between Maui and the Big Island). We’ll find more than the normal amount of clouds over and around the eastern islands tonight, prompted by the weakening cold front…and lots of low level moisture still in that area too. As we get into Tuesday, we should start off the day quite clearly, and least in many areas. The lighter winds now however, will allow onshore sea breezes as the day progresses, making for locally cloudy afternoons…especially over and around the mountains. Here’s the looping radar image, showing just a few leftover showers around Maui County and the Big Island.
We remain in an area without much air movement, with the breezy trades still a long way off. What’s left of the cold front, over the eastern side of the chain, will keep clouds around for a while longer. However, the upper air support for this retiring weather feature, has moved away for the most part. This leaves the clouds around, although now without the prompt for these clouds to do much raining. We’ll move back into a modified convective weather pattern, likely through Thursday. This means that we’ll see clear to partly cloudy mornings, giving way to cloudy afternoons on the slopes of our mountains. There may be a few rather insignificant showers, although the more generous stuff is long gone now. As for our trade winds, and their associated windward showers, we’ll have to wait for them until Friday at the earliest, and Saturday at the latest.
Here on Maui [655pm Monday, HST]: The cold front, that finally brought some good rain to us, is now somewhere on the far side of east Maui, or the far northwestern end of the Big Island, likely in the Alenuihaha Channel…between these two islands. It’s gone as far as its going to go now, and will, or at least the clouds that it brought with it, will remain nearly stationary. Before the dense fog enveloped my area in Kula, for the umpteenth time today, I did spot a little sunshine down in the central valley. I’ve been blanketed with clouds, fog, and off and on light showers all day into this evening. Do I mind, on the contrary, I love it actually! I’m expecting a clear to partly cloudy start to the day on Tuesday, with more afternoon clouds in the upcountry areas…although much less showery. The air temperature here in Kula, at my place, was 64.8F degrees, while down at the Kahului airport at the same time, it was 74 degrees. (Update at 825pm: I can see stars, although the eaves are still dripping, air temperature was 63.7F here in Kula, while the Kahului airport at the same time, was showing 75 degrees). I’ll be back early Tuesday morning with your new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha, Glenn
World-wide tropical cyclone activity:
Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones
Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones
Eastern Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Central Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Western Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
South Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
North and South Indian Oceans: There are no active tropical cyclones
Email Glenn James: 
Timothy bryan Says:
Aloha and thanks for your narratives! They have taught me a tremendous amount about our weather here in the islands. That’s important because as a boat captain out here I depend on this knowledge. But tell me, is this highly unusual weather? I’ve lived here for 13 years and have never seen weather like this in may. Should we be worried about hurricanes this year? Was this the trend in 1991? The iniki year? Thanks!!!~~~Hi Timothy, good to hear from you, and thanks for your good positive remark about this website! Yes, this is unusual, I’ve lived in the islands for almost 40 years, and have a hard time remembering any cold fronts making it into Hawaii during the first week of May, although it has happened very rarely. Let’s wait for the official NWS 2013 hurricane season outlook to come out, for our central Pacific, I’ll report their outlook on this page when it arrives…a little later this month. Thanks for your interesting comment! Aloha, Glenn
Judy Says:
These reports make the kind of sense one wishes the official sites would make. Your report is so much better than any other site.
Here is a huge hope that we meet one of these days.
With your mind for helpful movie criticism, plus the info wanted on what’s up with the weather, well, you are a wonder.
Judy~~~Hi Judy, a wonder? Well, I’m not exactly sure about that, although I’ll take your comments as very positive…thanks so much! I’ll try and keep you posted about the weather here in the islands, as best I can. If you see me around, please say hello. Aloha, Glenn