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

80  Lihue, Kauai
82  Honolulu, Oahu
82  Molokai
86  Kahului, Maui
83  Kona, Hawaii
80  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 643pm Saturday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 78
Hana, Maui – 73


Haleakala Summit –   41
(near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 32 (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://kcdcskateshop.com/wp-content/uploads/Coastal_Holiday_Sand_Beach-1024x768.jpg

Winds a bit lighter now, becoming locally voggy…trades
picking up again on Monday


A few showers, some of which may become quite heavy




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

12  Mana, Kauai – NW
17  Kahuku Trng, Oahu – SE
16  Molokai – ENE
24  Lanai – NE
24  Kahoolawe -WSW
22  Kahului, Maui – NE
21  Upolu airport, Big Island – NE


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


3.24  Kapahi, Kauai
1.62  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
1.63  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.68  Hana airport, Maui
1.13  Kealakomo, 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 ~~~



Light to moderate east to southeast breezes this weekend…picking up again later Monday. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the Pacific Ocean. We find a very large, near 1031 millibar high pressure system far to the northeast of the state, with the tail-end of its associated ridge extending southwest…to the north of Kauai. We now find a second high pressure cell to the northwest of Hawaii, moving northeastward. At the same time we see a gale low pressure system far north, in the Gulf of Alaska, with an associated cold front draping down to the northwest of our islands. Our local winds will be lighter this weekend, with daytime sea breezes locally. This softening of the winds will be due to the approach of a cold front to our northwest, which ends up moving by just offshore to our north Sunday into Monday. As the winds shift more towards the east and southeast, we’ll see an increase in volcanic haze (vog) in some areas. This cold front to our north will weaken the high pressure ridge just to the north and northeast of our islands, until it strengthens again Monday…with rebounding trade winds then through most of the rest of the work week.

We’ll find some showers at times, a few of which may be locally quite generous through Sunday. 
Satellite imagery shows clouds over the interior sections of the Big Island, Maui, parts of Oahu and Kauai…at the time of this writing. There’s a rather impressive area of towering cumulus, or thunderstorms to the north of Kauai. There’s also an area of showers to the east and northeast of the state too, with a couple of heavy showers embedded in it as well. Here’s the looping radar image, showing despite these showers well offshore, that there are just a few showers over the islands. The bulk of these offshore showers will likely remain offshore, although there’s a chance that during the night, into Sunday…some of them may bring locally heavy showers our way. An upper level low pressure system may trigger heavier showers over some parts of the state…with the outside chance of a thunderstorm.

As we move into the upcoming new week, our weather will be dominated by gusty trade winds…and their associated windward showers.  Localized showers will fall this weekend, as mentioned above, with a few locally quite generous…perhaps even a thunderstorm. As we push into the new week however, it appears that a more typical, early winter trade wind weather pattern will return. However, there may be more than the normal amount of passing showers over the Big Island and Maui Monday and Tuesday. It’s still looking like Christmas Day may have favorably inclined weather conditions…stay tuned. Looking even further ahead, the models continue showing another cold front approaching the state next Friday into the weekend, with more unsettled weather arriving then…yet another stay tuned. We’re into our winter season now, which typically has quicker changes, and even unexpected twists and turns too. I’ll be back Sunday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Saturday 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 asatellite image.


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



Interesting:
Winter solstice As the winter arrives, the sun’s maximum elevation during the day, the elevation at noon, gets lower. This maximum elevation attains its lowest value at the winter solstice and after that it starts to increase.


When it is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Here in Hawaii, the shortest day will be December 21st (Saturday) and last 10 hours 50 minutes and 12 seconds. Officially, the winter solstice occurs at 07:11am Hawaiian local time on December 21st.


For the Northern Hemisphere, at the moment of winter solstice, the sun is at its greatest height as observed from the South Pole. Similarly, for the Southern Hemisphere, at the moment of the winter solstice, the sun is at its greatest height as observed from the North Pole. In the Northern Hemisphere the winter solstice is also the Southern solstice and occurs in December, In the Southern Hemisphere this is the Northern solstice which occurs in June.


Depending on one’s position on the globe, the December solstice usually occurs on the 21st and the 22nd and the June solstice usually occurs on June the 20th or 21st. However, it is sometimes possible for a solstice to coincide with three different dates. Thus the December 2016 solstice coincides with 20th of the month in American Samoa, with the 21st in London and with the 22nd at Kirtimati.


The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of the planet’s daily rotation keep the axis of rotation pointed at the same point in the sky. As the Earth follows its orbit around the Sun, the same hemisphere that faced away from the Sun, experiencing winter, will, in half a year, face towards the Sun and experience summer. Since the two hemispheres face opposite directions along the planetary pole, as one polar hemisphere experiences winter, the other experiences summer.


More evident from high latitudes, a hemisphere’s winter solstice occurs on the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun’s daily maximum elevation in the sky is the lowest. The winter solstice itself lasts only a moment in time, so other terms are used for the day on which it occurs, such as “midwinter”, or “the shortest day”. For the same reason, it should not be confused with “the first day of winter” or “the start of winter” (Lidong in the East Asian calendars). The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. The earliest sunset and latest sunrise dates differ from winter solstice, however, and these depend on latitude, due to the variation in the solar day throughout the year caused by the Earth’s elliptical orbit (see earliest and latest sunrise and sunset).


Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but many cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.