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

79  Lihue, Kauai
79  Honolulu, Oahu
79  Molokai
83  Kahului, Maui
82  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 943pm Sunday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 75
Hana, Maui
– 66


Haleakala Summit –   41
(near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 30 (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.

 


Aloha Paragraphs

http://surferart.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/RoaringRight-5.jpg
Artist Credit…John Severson

The large northwest swell will gradually lower Monday,
followed by a
very large to giant northwest swell
Wednesday into Thursday!


Generally good weather expected, although with cloudy
periods and a few showers at times…in parts of the state
through Tuesday

Then, as we get into the middle of this new week, a
much stronger cold front will arrive, bringing a quick
dose of widespread heavy showers to most of  the state…
followed by relatively cool  breezes – and drier weather
Friday into Saturday


High Surf Advisory…north and west shores of Kauai,
Oahu, Molokai – north shores of Maui – and the west
shores of the Big Island

Small Craft Advisory in effect for large seas on our
north shores – through 6am Monday morning





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


18  Mana, Kauai – N
18  Makua Range, Oahu – NE
10  Molokai – NW
17  Lanai – NW
15  Kahoolawe – SSW
08  Hana, Maui – NW
15  South Point, Big Island – SW


Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Sunday evening (545pm totals):


0.47  Kokee, Kauai
0.33  St. Stephens, Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.02  Kahakuloa, Maui
0.03  Saddle Quarry, 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 ~~~



Generally light and variable breezes, with volcanic hazy locally…continuing into Monday. This will be followed by the return of gusty south and southwesterly winds Tuesday…ahead of a strong cold front Wednesday. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. ~~~ We find a weak near 1015 millibar high pressure system to the west of the state, moving eastward. At the same time, we see a deep near 959 millibar storm low pressure system far to our north, with its dissipating cold front brushing our central islands.

Satellite imagery shows patchy low clouds over the ocean…impacting a few areas in the state.
There are a few cloudy conditions over parts of the state, associated with the dissipating frontal cloud band. The daytime heating, along with the light winds, prompted increasing clouds over the interior sections of the other islands. These clouds will evaporate rapidly after dark into the night. Here’s the looping radar image, showing just a few showers falling over the ocean, especially around Oahu and Maui County…and to the southeast of the Big Island. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we can see the frontal cloud band falling apart over the ocean to our north. There will continue to be a few showers from this quickly dissipating front, although its influence will fade quickly. The Monday Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will dawn quite clear and somewhat chilly, with afternoon clouds developing over the interior sections, with a few showers later in the day.

This fragmented cold front, as mentioned above…is now just brushing our central islands. This front, like the last one, didn’t bring many showers with it. Monday will be a transition day between the rather benign weather we saw today…and a more dynamic event that will arrive early Wednesday morning. This will come in the form of another cold front, this one is expected to be considerably stronger. This front will be preceded by gusty Kona winds Tuesday, and followed by fair weather…with slightly cooler northerly breezes in the wake of its passage. The front itself will bring a brief period of locally heavy rains, likely reaching down through the entire state by Wednesday night. Meanwhile, with all the gale and storm low pressure systems now active in our north Pacific, we’ll see large and very large high surf events continuing through the rest of this week. These will require great caution when getting near the ocean on our north and west facing shores! ~~~ I’ll be back early Monday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Sunday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Friday Evening Film:
I went to see one that looked very interesting, and am wondering if it’s referencing what the future will be like!? At any rate, this film is called Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, and Scarlett Johansson…among others. The synopsis: set in the Los Angeles of the slight future, “Her” follows Theodore Twombly, a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. From the unique perspective of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Spike Jonze comes an original love story that explores the evolving nature—and the risks—of intimacy in the modern world.


This film looked good, and the critics are being very supportive, with it coming in at an impressive 93 out of a 100 rating. As I was saying here last week, these ratings don’t always hold up completely, although this one certainly did. I heard an interesting piece on this film recently, on National Public Radio, that made it sound very interesting. ~~~ The first word that came to mind, when I was asked what I thought of the film last evening, was stunning. There were several of us that saw this film, and out of that crew, there were three A’s, one of those was mine…with also an A+. This was an emotional film, as I felt myself squirming around in my seat many many times. It was a gentle film, sublimely original, taking a true grown-up look at love relationships. It was charming, and yet at the same time…so strange that the lead actor, Joaquin Phoenix, fell so deeply in love with a computer operating system! I wonder, is this a sneak preview at the future of relationships up ahead!? Here’s a trailer, check it out.



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: Tropical Cyclone 01W (Lingling) remains active in the Philippines, here’s the JTWC graphical track map…and a NOAA satellite imageFinal 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: The number of days of northeast trade winds is decreasing, according to new research from the University of Hawaii. – And while it means more days with muggy weather and volcanic haze, it also is resulting in longer-term effects for the state.


The study began on a hunch from Pao-Shin Chu, who moved to Hawaii in 1985. “Over the last 27 years, I just feel that the trade winds do not blow as much as they used to,” he said.


Chu also is a professor of meteorology at UH and is the head of the Hawaii State Climate Office. He was one of the scientists who looked at and analyzed 37 years of wind speed and direction data recorded at the four major airports in Hawaii: Lihue, Honolulu, Kahului and Hilo. They also looked at data from the four major weather buoys in waters around the state.


The analysis showed a decrease in the number of northeast trade wind days per year overall from 1973 to 2009, with the biggest decrease in Honolulu. “We used to have 291 days of northeast trades at Honolulu Airport, but now it dropped to only 210 days,” Chu said.


The trade winds are responsible for much of the rainfall around the state, especially in windward areas. That’s where moisture is pushed up against the mountains by the trade winds, causing condensation and producing rain.


Besides showing the decrease in northeast trade wind days, the research also showed that the trade winds are becoming more easterly, which has long-term effects for rain. As northeast trade wind days decreased, drought conditions increased over the islands. “Since the late 1970s, you do see there’s a large drop in rainfall over the last 30 years.”


Chu said climate change may be one reason for the decrease, but scientists are still trying to determine exactly why it is happening.


The study was recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.