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

81  Lihue, Kauai
84  Honolulu, Oahu
79  Molokai
83  Kahului, Maui
84  Kailua Kona
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 743pm Tuesday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 79
Lihue, Kauai
– 73


Haleakala Summit –   46
(near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 36 (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://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f7/fb/fa/f7fbfac156e162e9cf5dcd0dbd29003e.jpg


Locally strong trades prevailing…becoming
slightly lighter into the weekend


Shower activity will ease up…becoming fairly
dry into the upcoming weekend – with a modest
increase along our windward sides Thursday 


Small Craft Wind Advisory…parts of Hawaii’s
coastal and channel waters


Celebrating Earth Day!




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


29  Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
35  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
35  Molokai -NE
42  Lanai – NE
35  Kahoolawe – NE
38  Kahului,
Maui – NE
39  Kealakomo, Big Island – NE


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


1.59  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.23  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.02  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.06  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.26  Pahoa, 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 ~~~



The recent strong and gusty trade winds will gradually become lighter…then continue in the moderately strong range through the rest of this week. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean, along with a real-time wind profile of the central Pacific…focused on the Hawaiian Islands. ~~~ We see a moderately strong, near 1029 millibar high pressure system located to our northeast…moving slowly eastward. This high pressure cell, which is about 1200 miles NE of the state, has an elongated ridge of high pressure extending west from its center…located to the north of the Hawaiian Islands. Our winds will be from the northeast for the most part, which will remain locally gusty…then finally slacking-off Wednesday into the weekend. As we move into early next week, this steady trade wind flow will ease up for a few days, as a weak cloud band moves by to our north.

Satellite imagery shows scattered high clouds from Kauai down into Maui County…while the Big Island was clear to partly cloudy.
The majority of the lower level clouds in our area are banked-up along our windward sides. There are still quite a few higher level clouds over the state, and just to the east of the Big Island. These high clouds will provide nice sunset colors this evening, at least locally, and then again Wednesday morning…if they’re still around then. Here’s a looping radar image, showing light showers moving across the island chain. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we see the high clouds east of the Big Island and over the western islands. There are clouds around, although our atmosphere is becoming drier and more stable...which is limiting shower activity now. There may be a modest increase in showers, as a weak shower band moves through the state.

The blustery trade winds will continue blowing locally, with a subtle shift to the moderately strong realms going forward.  As we move through the second half of this week, the only spike in rainfall may arrive Thursday…as a band of showers moves through the state. Our winds, at least in those most gusty areas, were topping 40 mph today, although will become a little lighter during the next 24 hours. A drier air mass is nosing into the state from the east, we’ll see just a few showers arriving along our windward sides. There are no dynamic cold fronts on our horizon, nor any rainfall enhancing upper level low pressure systems, thus no major rainfall events. We may see an increase in high cloudiness this weekend, which could dim and filter our warm Hawaiian sunshine then. I’ll be back again 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 on Maui, at the 3,100 foot elevation, at my upper Kula, Maui weather tower, the air temperature was 54.1 degrees at 615am on this Tuesday morning…under clear skies. I just got back from California last evening, and found considerable clouds around, with gusty winds statewide. This morning however, I don’t see any of those high clouds, and just the typical windward clouds stretched along the windward side of east Maui. My vacation was simply grand, really great in every way. It’s good to be back home, and I look forward to getting into my regular work mode again now.

The temperature has risen to 74.8 degrees now at 1215pm, with partly cloudy conditions taking over. The winds here in Kula are light to very light, while down at the Kahului airport, they were gusting up to 42 mph…with gusts to 38 mph at Kaupo Gap. I drove down to Paia to get some food, and am now back home. The tropical heat is hitting me, and has me feeling rather slow, in contrast to how I felt in the cooler weather in northern California. I couldn’t fall asleep right away, as I usually do, and I woke up way earlier than usual…which is augmenting my slow state of being.

It’s now early evening, at 6pm here in Kula…with a warm air temperature of 75.6 degrees. I’m seeing high and middle level clouds to the west, which will promote some color in our local skies at sunset. It has been a summer-like day upcountry, which is quite a shift according to my neighbors. I expect another favorably inclined day Wednesday, perhaps starting off with more nice color at sunrise. I’m trying to get back in the saddle, after just getting back from California last evening. It always takes me a couple of days to get used to the tropical weather, and deal with things that need to be handled. In general however, I’m glad to be back in the islands, finding it comforting on many levels. I do miss my friends and family in California though, no doubt about that.

Extra…great underwater video  



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)


North 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:  Each year April 22nd, marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the environmental movement in 1970. Not only did this movement help pass landmark legislation like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act but it has also engaged more than 1 billion people who now participate in Earth Day activities each year.


The first Earth Day, was essentially a grassroots protest, called for by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson who announced a national day of environmental protest when Congress did not seem interested in joining his fight to clean up the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, rallies were held in major US cities where speakers tried to raise awareness about environmental issues and transform public attitudes. Since then, environmentalism has moved from a fringe issue to a mainstream concern.


Not only has Earth Day become a global event, but it has transformed from what started as a rally to a day where we volunteer and highlight environmental issues through civic engagement. According to Earth Day Network, a nonprofit who helps mobilize the environmental movement, Earth Day activities make it “the largest secular civic event in the world.”


Typical volunteer events that will occur today across the globe will focus on trash pick-ups, native plantings, recycled arts and crafts and a plethora of other ‘green’ events. While these activities will immediately help our local environment and help educate the public on these issues, future environmental problems, seem to be less immediate than littered streets, dirty air, or polluted water.


In a growing world, we now face more abstract issues like global climate change, access to clean drinking water, and rising oceans – issues that we might not see first hand and can seem more difficult to understand and even more difficult to combat. While these subjects may seem impossible to prevent on a local scale, Earth Day reminds us about the importance of acting locally and thinking globally.


We hope each of our readers take time today to reflect on what Earth Day means to you and encourage everyone to get involved with your local Earth Day events. Happy Earth Day everyone!