Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday:
76 Lihue, Kauai
79 Honolulu, Oahu
76 Molokai
79 Kahului, Maui
82 Kona, Hawaii
77 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 Monday evening:
Kahului, Maui – 73
Port Allen, Kauai – 68
Haleakala Summit – 32 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 19 (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.
Aloha Paragraphs
>Look for showers locally, particularly on the Big Island
and perhaps Maui…where a few could be quite generous –
an increase in showers may arrive Wednesday/Thursday
on the other islands
>Our winds will be locally quite gusty…and cool too
through Tuesday
>Looking further ahead, there’s a chance that we may
see a storm over the state this upcoming weekend…
bringing rain, gusty winds, and perhaps thunderstorms
to our islands – stay tuned
Small Craft Wind Advisory…over the coastal and channel
waters across most of the state of Hawaii – through 6pm today
Wind Advisory…for lower elevations on the Big Island,
for winds gusting as high as 65+ mph – until 6pm today
High Surf Advisory…north and west shores of Kauai, Oahu
and the north shores of Molokai and Maui – until 6pm today
The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Monday evening:
16 Port Allen, Kauai – WNW
28 Kuaokala, Oahu – NNE
24 Molokai – NE
33 Lanai – NE
35 Kahoolawe – NNE
24 Kapalua, Maui – NE
40 Kealakomo, Big Island – SE
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Monday evening (545pm totals):
1.81 N Wailua ditch, Kauai
0.61 Hakipuu Mauka, Oahu
0.30 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.22 Hana airport, Maui
2.85 Island Dairy – 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 come in from the north and northeast…keeping a chill in the air through Tuesday. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the Pacific Ocean. ~~~ We find high pressure systems over the ocean to the north and northeast of the state. At the same time, we see a low pressure system just to the east, with an associated cold front over the ocean…and the tail-end of another cold front to the north of Hawaii. The chilly north and northeast winds will keep winter weather over our islands for the time being.
Satellite imagery shows a large area of deep clouds over the ocean well to the east, with a few towering cumulus clouds over the ocean…not too far northeast of the Big Island and Maui. Here’s the looping radar image, showing generally light showers falling over the ocean, being carried into our windward sides of Maui and the Big Island, on the north-northeast winds. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we can see the impressive area of clouds to the east and northeast of the state…along with the counter-clockwise rotating low pressure system as well. There remains a slight chance of a localized heavy shower, and perhaps even a thunderstorm on the Big Island during the next 24 hours.
The upper level low pressure system over our area, with its very cold air aloft…will keep our atmosphere unstable. The one limiting factor however, continues to be the lack of moisture to feed these showers. The atmosphere remains very dry, keeping shower activity at a distinct minimum. As the low pressure system to our northeast moves southwest in our direction…we could see shower activity pick up around Wednesday for a day or two. ~~~ Looking further ahead, towards this coming weekend, at least some of the computer models are suggesting that we may have a storm in our area. This could bring windy and rainy weather our way then. The models have latched onto this situation for several days now, which continues to give better and better chances to its prospects. I’ll be bringing you more information on this coming weekend’s situation, along with when this more current possible wet weather might finally arrive over the state. ~~~ I’ll be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday night wherever you happen to be 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 07P remains active in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, here’s the JTWC graphical track map…and a NOAA satellite image
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: Thinning out on Antarctica – Pine Island Glacier, located in West Antarctica, is showing signs of thinning making it more susceptible to climatic and ocean variability than at first thought. Scientists led by the British Antarctic Survey have discovered large fluctuations in the ocean heat manifesting itself in the melting of the ice shelf into which the glacier flows. Between 2010 and 2012 the ice shelf into which the ice stream flows has decreased by 50%, most likely due to La Ninã, suggesting a complex interplay between geological, oceanographic and climatic processes.
Driven by acceleration in its flow, Pine Island Glacier has thinned continuously. The acceleration is thought to be caused by thinning of the floating ice shelf created as the glacier slides into the sea. Understanding the cause and effect between ice shelf thinning and glacial response is essential in assessing the contributions to rising sea levels.
Much of the thinning is due to a deep oceanic inflow of Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) on the continental shelf neighboring the glacier. This warmer water then makes its way into a cavity beneath the ice shelf melting it from below.
In 2009, a higher CDW volume and temperature in Pine Island Bay contributed to an increase in ice shelf melting compared to the last time measurements taken in 1994. But observations made in January 2012, and reported now in Science, show ocean melting of the glacier was the lowest ever recorded. The top of the thermocline (the layer separating cold surface water and warm deep waters) was found to be about 250 meters deeper compared with any other year for which measurements exist.
This lowered thermocline reduces the amount of heat flowing over the ridge. High resolution simulations of the ocean circulation in the ice shelf cavity demonstrate that the ridge blocks the deepest ocean waters from reaching the thickest ice enhancing the shelf’s sensitivity to climate variability.
The temperature fluctuations may be explained by particular climatic conditions. In January 2012 the dramatic cooling of the ocean around the glacier is believed to be due to an increase in easterly winds from the La Ninã event in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Normally the winds flow from the west.
The study stresses the importance of both local geology and climate variability in ocean melting in this region.
Marjorie Classen Says:
Aloha Glenn,
You called it right when you saw the candles at Christmas dinner. We waited until
the bees were asleep in their hive, covered them (as they are drawn to the light…
much like the rest of us) and then turned on the Christmas lights I had hung.
It was a scene from Harry Potter. The guests, 18 of them, oohed and ahhed.
A great moment in Christmas dining.
Aloha, Marjorie~~~Marjorie, that sounds really lovely, what a special night it must have been! I’ll bet those 18 folks ate like kings and queens too! Thanks for filling in more of the particulars, Aloha, Glenn
Marjorie Classen Says:
Aloha Glenn,
When we see the radar map, where is that shot being taken from?
It seems South of the Big Island and waaaaay up there, so is it a satelite
taking that picture?
Curious.
Aloha, Marjorie
P.S. Thanks for the Christmas report, we set up dinner in the greenhouse
to avoid the wind, and it was spectacular.~~~Hi Marjorie, another good question. The local radar images are taken from instruments on the islands themselves, rather than from a satellite. They show that the showers are coming in from the north-northeast, keeping the chill going. Most of the showers seem to be heading towards Maui and the Big Island at the moment. I see a little yellow color, and even a slight bit of red in a couple of places, so showers will turn out to be locally heavy during the day – again though – hit and miss. Thanks for your note, and that was a smart idea to set up your Christmas dinner in the green house, that sounds lovely to me…perhaps with candles! Aloha, Glenn
Max Says:
Wow -I see it got down to 12 degrees on the summit of Mauna Kea in the past 24 hours, tied with the state record. I was wondering what the coldest temperature is that you have ever recorded at your house on the mountain. Also, it appears Haleakala is tied with its record of 27 at this very moment.~~~Hi Max, yes it’s a cold time here in our tropical latitudes…as you say…tying long held reports now. As for my lowest recorded temperature here at my place in upper Kula, it was 39.7F degrees. It was too windy last night to allow my temperature to dip into the 40’s. Thanks for your note! Aloha. Glenn
Jay Says:
I realize the whole earthʻs weather is interconnected, and i find this fascinating…so no coincindence (sp) we are having our cold snap at same time as Mid-north East USA? ~~~ Hi Jay, I would say that the fact that we’re in a deep phase of winter, here in the islands, likely has more to do with our chilly weather…than any association with the cold plunge of air into the mid-west of the North American continent. It’s just that our winds have been coming in from the north, that helps to bring a chill from more northerly latitudes of the central Pacific. Good question, Aloha, Glenn