Air Temperatures The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday:

84  Lihue, Kauai
86  Honolulu, Oahu
86  Molokai
91  Kahului, Maui – Highest temperature on this date: 93 in 1977
86  Kona, Hawaii
88  Hilo, Hawaii


Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops on Maui and the Big Island…as of 843pm Friday evening:


Kailua Kona – 81
Lihue, Kauai – 75


Haleakala Summit –   48
(near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 36 (13,000+ feet on the Big Island)


Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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.

 


Aloha Paragraphs



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aSZjW_0B6t8/TxEkTD5VskI/AAAAAAAAAz4/njfGSrX6qVk/s1600/clarklittle_+%25281%2529.jpg

Kauai and Oahu got lots of rainfall from this early season cold front…
while Maui County and the Big Island saw practically nothing
in comparison


Our trade winds will remain active into the weekend…and beyond




The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Friday evening:

24  Port Allen, Kauai – NE
31  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
23  Molokai – E
29  Lanai – NE
29  Kahoolawe – NE
30  Kahului, Maui – NE
30  PTA West – NE


Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Friday evening:


2.35  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
4.06  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.26  Molokai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.00  Lanai
0.58  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.35  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 ~~~



The trade winds will continue…then increase some right after the weekend. Here’s a weather chart showing a near 1024 millibar high pressure system located to the north of the islands…with a second weaker near 1018 millibar high pressure cell to the east-northeast. At the same time, we find the tail-end of an early season cold front over the ocean to the east of the Big Island. This frontal boundary will disrupt our trade winds slightly over the next several days…although still be quite strong and gusty in many areas.

Windward showers will remain a bit more active than normal into the weekend…particularly over Kauai and perhaps Oahu. Satellite imagery shows low clouds both offshore, and over the islands too. There’s signs of towering cumulus, dropping heavy rains over the ocean to the south of Kauai…and west of Oahu at the time of this writing. Further to the west, we see an area of high level clouds approaching our area. Here’s the looping radar image, showing light-moderate showers moving across the the windward sides of the islands…especially taking aim on Oahu and Kauai at the time of this writing. Our weather will be showery tonight, along our north and east facing windward coasts and slopes…with a few spreading over in the leeward sides on our smaller islands…particularly on the western islands. The source of these showers are the remnant moisture brought our way by the old cold front…riding in on the trade flow.


What a difference! 
This cold front that moved into the state yesterday, brought lots of rainfall to Oahu and Kauai. This showery reality sure didn’t do anything, or at least not much, over the eastern side of the state however!  Weather charts show the tail-end of this cold front still evident out to the east of the Big Island. The trade winds are carrying this moisture westward, where it’s finding a landing pad, again on Kauai and Oahu. This looping radar image shows this precipitation, along with heavier showers over the ocean near Kauai. It appears that those western islands will continue to see passing showers at times tonight, while down here on Maui and the Big Island, we’re still waiting…in vain? I’ll be back with your next new weather narrative early Saturday morning, I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Friday Evening Film: There’s a film that I thought I was going to pass over, although my neighbor Jeff liked it enough, that he’s talked me into seeing it. It’s called 2 Guns, starring Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, and Paula Patton…among many others.

The synopsis: Contraband director Baltasar Kormákur and star Mark Wahlberg reteam for this all-star thriller centered on the fragile alliance between two operatives from rival bureaus, neither of whom realize that the other is working undercover. For the past year, U.S. naval intelligence officer Marcus Stigman (Wahlberg) and DEA agent Bobby Trench (Denzel Washington) have been on a covert mission to infiltrate a powerful narcotics syndicate. In the criminal underworld, trust comes in short supply. Stigman and Trench have been forced to work as partners, but continue to eye one another with an air of suspicion. Both men realize their only hope for survival is to stick together, however, after a sensitive mission involving a Mexican drug cartel goes horribly awry. Their identities compromised as their respective agencies deny any knowledge of their existence, Stigman and Trench must now elude capture by the authorities while using their acute criminal know-how to also strike back at the ruthless gangsters who would sooner see them six-feet underground, rather than rotting away behind bars.

~~~ You know, when you live here on Maui, you get either these kinds of thrillers/action films (fortunately I like them), or comedies (which often aren’t that funny to me), and family flicks. There isn’t an Indie film within a million miles I’m afraid…oh well. At any rate, I’ll let you know if I liked it as much as my neighbor did, early Saturday morning. Here’s the trailer, just in case you have any curiosity about what I’ll be seeing.



World-wide tropical cyclone activity:


Atlantic Ocean: Tropical storm 09L (Humberto) remains active in the Atlantic. Here’s the National Hurricane Center’s graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image. Here’s what the hurricane models are showing for this system. This is the first hurricane of the 2013 hurricane season, a late date for the first occurrence.


Caribbean Sea:
There are no active tropical cyclones


Gulf of Mexico:
Tropical storm 10L (Ingrid) remains active in the southwest Gulf of Mexico…very near Mexico. Here’s the National Hurricane Center’s graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image.


Here’s a satellite image of the Caribbean Sea…and the Gulf of Mexico.


Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)


Eastern Pacific:
Tropical storm 13E (Manuel) is active in the northeast Pacific…offshore from the Mexican coast. Here’s the National Hurricane Center’s graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image.


Here’s a wide satellite image that covers the entire area between Mexico, out through the central Pacific…to the International Dateline.


Central Pacific Ocean:
There are no active tropical cyclones


Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)


Western Pacific Ocean:
Tropical storm 16W (Man-yi) remains active in the western Pacific. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image.


South Pacific Ocean:
There are no active tropical cyclones

 

North and South Indian Oceans: There are no active tropical cyclones


Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)


Interesting: Groundwater Reserves Discovered in Kenya – It has long been known that Africa has been facing a water crisis. Not only is the continent stressed because of erratic rainfall patterns, arid climates, and hot temperatures, but access to clean, safe drinking water is depriving much of the population of a basic human necessity. Specifically in Kenya, 17 million people lack access to safe drinking water. However, this all could change as an exploration of groundwater resources in northern Kenya has identified two aquifers in the Turkana and Lotikip Basins.


Aquifers are underground layers of permeable rock that contain or transmit groundwater. So in a region known for being hot and dry, this discovery is bound to bring hope and economic growth to the country.


The findings were announced at the opening of an international water security conference in Nairobi yesterday, and are the result of a groundwater mapping project, GRIDMAP (Groundwater Resources Investigation for Drought Mitigation in Africa Programme), spearheaded by UNESCO in partnership with the government of Kenya and with the financial support of the Government of Japan.


Using advanced satellite exploration technology, researchers located the underground aquifers and then confirmed their existence by drilling to see if water was actually there. And there was! While there is a need for further studies to adequately quantify the reserves and to assess the quality of the water, people are hopeful.


Announcing the findings during the opening session of the UNESCO Strategic and High-Level Meeting on Water Security and Cooperation, Judi Wakhungu, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, said that the results were a critical scientific breakthrough for the country.


“The news about these water reserves comes at a time when reliable water supplies are highly needed. This newly found wealth of water opens a door to a more prosperous future for the people of Turkana and the nation as a whole. We must now work to further explore these resources responsibly and safeguard them for future generations,” she said.


“UNESCO is proud to be a part of this important finding, which clearly demonstrates how science and technology can contribute to industrialization and economic growth, and to resolving real societal issues like access to water,” said UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, Gretchen Kalonji. “It is indeed in line with UNESCO’s vision for science for sustainable development and we will continue to support Africa to unlock the full potential of its invisible water wealth.”


The Government of Kenya also announced the launch of a national groundwater mapping program that would be implemented with UNESCO, which would assist governments in identifying and assessing their groundwater resources.