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

72  Lihue, Kauai
77  Honolulu, Oahu
76  Molokai
82  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 810pm Monday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 75
Poipu, Kauai
– 64


Haleakala Summit –   43
(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.

 


Aloha Paragraphs

 

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/ir4.jpg

http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
The colors yellow and red indicate the heaviest rainfall

We’ll see showers across the state, locally heavy at
times – more off and on rain up ahead…some of
which will be heavy


Generally light winds…except around thunderstorms

An upper level low pressure system will enhance
whatever showers that are around – thunderstorms
here and there

High Surf Advisory…for north and west shores of
Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, north shore of Maui

Flash Flood Watch…for heavy rains on Kauai,
Oahu, Maui County

Winter Weather Advisory…Big Island Summits





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


06  Poipu, Kauai – NNE
27  Makua Range, Oahu – E
20  Molokai – NNW
18  Lanai – NE
20  Kahoolawe – NE
20  Kula 1, Maui – S
20  South Point, Big Island – ENE


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


0.11  Mohihi Crossing, Kauai
0.82  Waimanalo, Oahu
0.39  Molokai
0.01  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.56  Kaupo Gap, Maui
0.65  Honokaa, 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 generally light for the time being, although strong and gusty around thunderstorms. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. Here’s a real-time wind profile of the central Pacific…centered on the Hawaiian Islands. ~~~ We find gale low pressure systems far to the north and northwest of the islands, with a dissipating cold front just to the east of the Big Island. It appears that we’ll get back into a trade wind flow Friday…into the weekend, followed by lighter southeast winds ahead of the next cold front early next week.

Satellite imagery shows and impressive, more or less northeast through southwest and of heavy clouds…straddling the Hawaiian Islands
. Those brighter white clouds, with embedded thunderstorms, are causing mostly clouds conditions at the time of this writing. There are some towering cumulus and a few thunderstorms starting to show up over the waters southwest of the islands…heading in our direction! Here’s the looping radar image, showing showers coming into the state locally. Most of these are light to moderately heavy showers, being carried along on the southwesterly wind flow…although there are some heavy to very heavy showers around too. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we can see clouds being pulled northeastward across our area, most of these are of the high and middle level variety.

This past weekend’s cold front passed over the state…bringing a round of good showers with it. This stalled front is now located just to the east of the Big Island. The next weather event that we’re dealing with now, is an upper level low pressure system, which is moving closer into Tuesday. This upper low, with its associated cold air, is making our air mass unstable, prompting isolated locally heavy showers…and even thunderstorms. This inclement weather situation will continue into Tuesday. Wednesday may be one of our best days of the week, as things settle down some. However, as we get into Thursday and Friday, rains could return, perhaps being quite heavy at times again locally.  Then, as we push into the weekend, the trade winds are forecast to return, with abundant windward showers expected. The latest computer model output now suggests that the next cold front will arrive early next week, prompting light winds from the southeast Sunday into next Monday. There will absolutely need to be fine tuning to all of the above, as we move forward of course. I highly suggest that we all drive with great caution, as there will be localized flooding, making driving hazardous. I may be back again later this evening with more updates, if the weather gets wild. I hope you have a great Monday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui early this morning, at the 3,100 foot elevation, at my upper Kula, Maui weather tower, the outdoor air temperature sensor was reading 57.9F degrees at 545am this morning.
Looking at the satellite image above, and seeing that area of heavy clouds not too far to our west and southwest, is slightly alarming. That, in addition to the flash flood watch as of tonight, that’s covering the state from Kauai down through Maui County…is catching my attention. We’ll need to monitor this situation during the day, and be ready for locally heavy rains, with some embedded thunderstorms late today into Tuesday.

~~~ Now that its 810am Monday morning, the skies over Maui have become mostly clear and sunny…for a change! The air temperature was 59.7 degrees. I’m a little shocked to see all the clouds have evaporated during the last hour or so, really a major change. As I was mentioning above however, we’re not out of the woods just yet. We could see more rain arriving later today or tonight…into tomorrow. I’ll be writing more about that prospect during the day. Right now however, I’m heading out into this sunny morning for my walk, then back for breakfast.

~~~ Well, it’s now 10am, and the clouds are sweeping back in quickly…with patches of fog already enveloping my area. The air temperature is 67.1 degrees, with at least partly cloudy conditions…which will likely be cloudy soon. Therefore, I’ve made a jug of black tea, and am going up the mountain, and try to sneak in some skateboarding before the rains return. I’ll catch up with you upon my return down.

~~~ I’m back down the mountain, where I found foggy conditions hanging closely to the slopes. I had to drive all the way up to the 7,000′ elevation to get above this fog. I ended up talking on my cell phone some of the time, catching up with a good friend in California, I found the time to do some walking around, and to do a bit of skateboarding as well. The roads up there were still a little damp from our recent rains, which slowed me down…as I didn’t want those wheels to slip out from under me…oh no no no. Here in Kula, it’s totally cloudy, with an air temperature of 70.3 degrees. Looking at this looping radar image, we can see that showers are moving back into our area, after a short break this morning. The majority of these showers are reaching Kauai, Oahu and Molokai at the moment, with some of them looking to be moderately heavy…the yellow color. I’m heading out into the garden now, to pick some parsley and kale, which I’ll throw in a bowl with grated carrot and beet…I’ll plate that with organic cottage cheese, and have a few sea weed crackers on the side. Now that it’s 150pm…light rain has arrived, which had changed to light to moderately heavy rain with thick fog a short time later.

~~~ It’s now 540pm here in upcountry Maui, at my Kula weather tower, which is socked in with fog, and a very light mist. The air temperature is 64 degrees. Looking at that looping radar image just above, we have a very impressive line of showers heading our way…at least at the time of this writing! There are definitely thunderstorms associated with this cloud line, and I’m hoping to see some lightning and hear some thunder before too long. It feels sort of like the calm before the storm at the moment. Folks keeping letting me know that they are really enjoying finally have a winter to speak of, which I must agree…is true! I would typically sign for the night about now, although if things really start to pop, and I get woken up in the middle of the night by rumbles of thunder, or flashes of lightning, I’ll be forced to crawl out of bed, and to get back online, and do some more updating. Again, drive carefully if you find yourself under heavy downpours on the road!

~~~ It’s 815pm, and raining moderately hard, with an air temperature of 61.5 degrees. The winds are rather gusty at times, making that cool sound that they do when they come through my windows. Radar shows that the heaviest rains, with small hail, will move just to the south of east Maui. The NWS office in Honolulu has just issued a flood advisory for the entire island of Maui, which is in effect until 11pm. I haven’t seen any lightning yet, although if there is small hail in our area, that means that there are thunderstorms in the vicinity. I’ll be going to bed fairly soon, so when I turn out the lights, I’ll be able to see any flashes. As I said in the 540pm update above, if things get wild, I’ll get back up and online, to keep you abreast of the latest happenings.



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:
There are no active tropical cyclones

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


Interesting: Building Green –
In a world which faces increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions, the construction industry must confront demand to adopt modern methods of building which causes less damage to the environment. As a result, there are increasing numbers of alternative materials and methods available, a selection of which are included in this post. While these methods are by no means the only ones available within the industry, the selected materials and methods include:


-Metallic paint


-Chemical containment


-Spray-on insulation


-Concrete alternatives


-Green roofs


Each method boasts the more efficient properties in terms of reducing environmental damage, with the least change to standard methods.

Metallic paint


Until relatively recently, metallic paint has largely been used in agricultural and industrial structures, to protect corrugated sheeting from weakening in exposed sunlight. However, this simple addition has been recognized as a cost-effective method of increasing the lifespan of building materials.


Chemical containment


There is no end to the amount of damaging chemicals present on a construction site, whether that’s bitumen, varnish or even paint. When you’re dealing with chemicals that could cause damage to the environment, especially in large quantities, it’s important to take measures to contain these substances as much as possible.


An eco spill pallet, available from industrial suppliers, is a relatively simple and affordable piece of equipment for a building site, which could have a big impact on your efforts to be more environmentally friendly. Use it to store chemicals and drums, and contain leakages and spills with little fuss.


Spray-on insulation


Insulation is a vital part of any build that strives to be as efficient and as green as possible. While traditional materials like fiber roll insulation boast effective thermal properties, newer and more innovative techniques such as spray on insulation offer even more benefits and efficient insulation. Walltite is one such example, which utilizes a spray on application to create an airtight layer design for internal walls, floors and roofs.


Concrete alternatives


Recycled building materials are becoming much more common place, as construction firms strive to be environmentally friendly.


Concrete production accounts for around 5% of all carbon emissions, so this is a key area of focus for cutting emissions in the industry. Alternatives such as honeycomb blocks are increasingly common, especially in continental Europe, and boast lightweight, insulating designs, without the associated carbon output.