Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Thursday:
80 Lihue, Kauai
82 Honolulu, Oahu
85 Molokai
85 Kahului, Maui
82 Kona, Hawaii
81 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 810pm Thursday evening:
Kailua Kona -77
Hilo, Hawaii – 67
Haleakala Summit – 36 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 27 (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.
Aloha Paragraphs
Moderate trade winds, turning lighter from the southeast
this weekend…trades picking up again early next week
Showers at times on the windward sides, a few elsewhere…
High Surf Warning for north and west shores of Kauai, and
north shores of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui…and west shores
of the Big Island
High Surf Advisory west shores of Oahu, Molokai, Lanai,
and Kahoolawe
Small Craft Advisory…over our coastal and channel waters
The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Thursday evening:
18 Port Allen, Kauai – ESE
28 Kahuku Trng, Oahu – ESE
29 Molokai – ESE
32 Lanai – NE
36 Kahoolawe – ENE
27 Kahului, Maui – NE
33 South Point, Big Island – NE
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Thursday evening:
2.45 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
2.46 Waihee Pump, Oahu
1.11 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
1.55 Kaupo Gap, Maui
1.83 Kawainui Stream, 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 ~~~
Moderate trade winds will continue through the rest of this week into early next week…although becoming lighter from the southeast later Friday through the weekend. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the Pacific Ocean. We find a near 1038 millibar high pressure system far to the northeast of the state, with its associated ridge extending southwest…to the northwest of Kauai. At the same time we see gale low pressure systems far north-northwest and northeast of us, with an associated cold front well to the northwest of our islands. Finally, we see a surface low pressure trough, now just west of Kauai at the time of this writing. High pressure will remain active to our northeast, with moderately strong trade winds continuing…although which may veer to the southeast and become lighter this weekend.
We’ll find unsettled weather prevailing tonight, with locally heavy rain and potential flooding over the Big Island and possibly elsewhere…with snow at times over the Big Island mountains. Satellite imagery shows patchy clouds over and near the islands at the time of this writing. There’s also a threatening area of towering cumulus, and thunderstorms over the ocean to the east of our area, moving over the islands in places…especially the Big Island. Here’s the looping radar image, showing showers falling mostly over the ocean, although coming ashore over the islands at times locally too.
This showery period of weather should ease up Friday into the weekend. There will begin to be a slow improvement tomorrow, although that doesn’t rule out the threat of localized showers this weekend…especially in the upcountry areas during the afternoon hours. As we push into early next week, it appears that a more typical trade wind weather pattern will move back over us. We should remain prepared for inclement weather conditions tonight…at least on the Big Island and perhaps Maui. I’ll be back with your next new weather narrative early Friday morning, I hope you have a great Thursday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
World-wide tropical cyclone activity:
Atlantic Ocean: The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th. Here’s the 2013 hurricane season summary
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
Caribbean Sea:
Gulf of Mexico:
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: The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15th through November 30th. Here’s the 2013 hurricane season summary
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: The Central Pacific hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th. Here’s the 2013 hurricane season summary
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
Western Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
South Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
North and South Indian Oceans: Tropical cyclone 03S (Amara) remains active in the South Indian Ocean. Here’s a JTWC graphical track map…along with a satellite image.
Tropical cyclone 04S (Bruce) remains active in the South Indian Ocean. Here’s a JTWC graphical track map…along with a satellite image.
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: New Tapir Species Discovered – In what will likely be considered one of the biggest (literally) zoological discoveries of the Twenty-First Century, scientists today announced they have discovered a new species of tapir in Brazil and Colombia. The new mammal, hidden from science but known to local indigenous tribes, is actually one of the biggest animals on the continent, although it’s still the smallest living tapir. Described in the Journal of Mammology, the scientists have named the new tapir Tapirus kabomani after the name for “tapir” in the local Paumari language: “Arabo kabomani.”
Tapirus kabomani, or the Kobomani tapir, is the fifth tapir found in the world and the first to be discovered since 1865. It is also the first mammal in the order Perissodactyla (which includes tapirs, rhinos, and horses) found in over a hundred years. Moreover, this is the largest land mammal to be uncovered in decades: in 1992 scientists discovered the saola in Vietnam and Cambodia, a rainforest bovine that is about the same size as the new tapir.
Found inhabiting open grasslands and forests in the southwest Amazon (the Brazilian states of Rondônia and Amazonas, as well as the Colombian department of Amazonas), the new species is regularly hunted by the Karitiana tribe who call it the “little black tapir.” The new species is most similar to the Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris), but sports darker hair and is significantly smaller: while a Brazilian tapir can weigh up to 710 pounds, the Kabomani weighs-in around 240 pounds. Given its relatively small size it likely won’t be long till conservationists christen it the pygmy or dwarf tapir. It also has shorter legs, a distinctly-shaped skull, and a less prominent crest.
“[Indigenous people] traditionally reported seeing what they called ‘a different kind of anta [tapir in Portuguese].’ However, the scientific community has never paid much attention to the fact, stating that it was always the same Tapirus terrestris,” explains lead author Mario Cozzuol, the paleontologist who first started investigating the new species ten years ago. “They did not give value to local knowledge and thought the locals were wrong. Knowledge of the local community needs to be taken into account and that’s what we did in our study, which culminated in the discovery of a new species to science.”
Brent Says:
Good morning Glen from upper Kula, we cleaned up great grandma rain gutters, got the house ready for the storm, and the great grand kids were ready for some snow flying over Haleakala the last couple of days. Other than a 10 minute rain each day, it has been great weather (a little cold for us Honolulu folks). Currently it is 60 degrees here and we enjoy reading what the weather is like on Maui on your web site everyday (especially when you list the weather in Kula). Have a great day and enjoy those beautiful sunsets.~~~Brent, good to hear from you, probably not far away from where I live. You described it just right, another close call, but really nothing to write home about. We just can’t quite coax much exciting weather our way! Oh well, I suppose we should be very happy to have what we have, and I really can’t complain. Although, I must say I do enjoy a little something different once in a while. Happy Holiday’s to you and your family, lets just enjoy whatever we get, in terms of weather here in Kula. Aloha, Glenn
Marjorie Classen Says:
Aloha Glenn,
What do you suppose the weather will be on Christmas day in Waikoloa, Big Island?
Wind? Vog? We usually have one or the other.
I have so many guests I will have to move the feast outside and I need to think about
wind and heat.
Aloha,
Marjorie~~~Hi Marjorie, good question of course. I’d suspect that you will have trade winds blowing, I’ll go that far. As for vog, lets just hope not! This is for Kohala: Christmas Day: Mostly sunny. Isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs 66 to 83. Northeast winds up to 10 mph shifting to the northwest in the late morning and afternoon. Gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
That doesn’t sound too bad, could be worse! I hope you have a great gathering! Aloha, Glenn
Robert Kay Says:
Good Evening Glenn, It’s Thursday eve here on Maui and we are all wondering what happened to the rain.? This is the third or fourth “non-rain event” that was forecast this fall. It has been raining east and west of us for the past few weeks and I was just wondering what your take on that would be. We all look forward to winter and Maui becoming green again! Any input would be great…Thanks for still doing what you do, I always look forward to your reports, daily.—Much Aloha!–Rob-Makawao, Hi.~~~Hi Robert, good to hear from you! That is such a good question, truly, one that certainly deserves a great answer, so you could say to yourself…now I understand. Well, the truth is that as soon as I understand what the heck is going on here, I’ll be writing about it here. In other words, I’m afraid it’s over my head! The clouds appeared so ripe for dumping the last day or two, I just knew they were going to, and yet…they didn’t again. I’m sorry that I don’t have a brilliant, in-depth answer for you, something that makes perfect sense, but unfortunately…I don’t. It’s getting very interesting though, no not this not knowing of mine, but the fact that the rains seem to fall everywhere but over Maui. I guess there are some folks who are rejoicing, although my take on it is, we need some deep rains. Rob, I’m happy to know you read my weather words, it helps give me heart to continue. Happy Holiday’s! As you, I’m always looking for that next cold front, that next upper level low pressure system, that next good rain storm, although I don’t see it on the horizon yet. Aloha, Glenn