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

80  Lihue, Kauai
79  Honolulu, Oahu
82  Molokai
86  Kahului, Maui
83  Kona, Hawaii
82  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 Tuesday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 78
Hilo, Hawaii – 71


Haleakala Summit –   45 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 37 (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


http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000ZnD346JgSDY/s/900/900/W1008.jpg

Generally light east to east-southeast winds in most areas
of the Aloha State

Generally clear to partly cloudy, some cloudy
periods…with passing showers locally




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

10  Waimea Heights, Kauai – SSW
15  Kahuku Trng, Oahu – SE
22  Molokai – E
18  Lanai – NE
27  Kahoolawe – NE
20  Lipoa, Maui – E
24  South Point, Big Island – NE


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

1.36  Anahola, Kauai
0.63  Waihee Pump, Oahu
0.02  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.05  Kula Branch Station, Maui
0.23  Hilo airport, 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 winds will be quite light from the east and east-southeast through the next several days. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the Pacific Ocean. We find the tail-end of a ridge not far offshore to the northeast of the Big Island and Maui. At the same time, we see several low pressure systems to the north and northwest of the state, with the tail-end of a weakening cold front still over Kauai…with a new one further to the northwest. As this old frontal boundary dissipates over Kauai, we’ll see or winds strengthening some from the east to east-southeast. The winds will vary between light to moderately strong trades, and lighter breezes…through the rest of this week – depending upon the day and the location in the state.

This past weekend’s cold front will be dissipating near Kauai. Satellite imagery shows still quite a few lower level clouds near Kauai and Oahu, and the Big Island, with clearing skies over most of Maui County. At the same time, we see those bright white streaks of high cirrus clouds over Kauai and to the east of Big Island as well. Here’s the looping radar image, shows showers falling, mostly over the nearby ocean…although a few showers are occurring over the islands in places too…especially Kauai at the time of this writing. Skies will remain clear to partly cloudy with cloudy periods during the days, clearing out quite nicely during the nights in most areas. As the trade winds pick up some around Maui County and the Big Island, most of whatever showers that are around…will fall along our windward sides through Friday and Saturday. I’ll be back early Wednesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Tuesday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.


Here’s the NWS rainfall outlook for this winter – the Hawaiian Islands


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:


Atlantic Ocean:  The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th…and has now ended


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…and has now ended. 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…and has now ended. Here’s the 2013 hurricane season summary


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


Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical Depression 33W is now dissipating over the ocean in the western Pacific. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with the latest satellite image. – Final Warning


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:  Another rotten Grinch tale – Seemingly working in concert with the Grinch, Phytophthora root rot is taking hold in the roots of Christmas tree farms throughout Oregon and North Carolina. Phytophthora root rot is a rapidly moving fungus found in poorly drained soils. It causes a slow decline in a tree first destroying the feeder roots and then turning the needles light green or yellow. The pathogen infects the root cortex first depriving the remainder of the root and the plant from its nutrients. Pytophthora root rot is difficult to detect and is only verified with laboratory analysis.


With a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Washington State University and North Carolina State University have been conducting research on the invasive soil borne fungus.


“Phytophthora root rot plagues all regions where firs are grown as Christmas trees,” said John Frampton, a Christmas tree geneticist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh and a collaborator on the project. There is no effective control for Phytophthora, so the best way to tackle the problem is to find resistant tree species.


“The Christmas tree industry has some big challenges,” said WSU researcher Gary Chastagner. “We hope that this national project will bring together scientific expertise and techniques to address these two issues.”


One study estimated the potential losses to Oregon’s nursery and Christmas tree industries of up to $304 million a year if Phytophthora is not properly contained. Douglas and Noble fir are the dominant holiday tree species in the Pacific Northwest.


In North Carolina, nationally the No. 2 producer, it costs farmers up to $6 million a year, said Frampton.


Most Christmas tree species are susceptible to this condition; including all true firs, Douglas firs, spruce and eastern white pines. Field identification of symptoms includes failure to thrive after planting, reddish-brown needles, or dieback. Root systems may exhibit decay or stunted feeder root networks. Low-lying and poorly drained areas are at particular risk. There is no known remediation available for this disease so replanting the area is for naught.


Katie McKeever, a Ph.D. candidate in Chastagner’s lab, is working under a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to create a nationwide collection of Christmas tree Phytophthoras to understand regional variation in pathogen populations. The goal is to challenge various firs with different Phytophthoras to determine mechanisms of resistance and ultimately develop genetic markers to identify trees resistant to the disease, Chastagner said.