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

81  Lihue, Kauai
86  Honolulu, Oahu
81  Molokai
87  Kahului, Maui
86  Kailua Kona
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 743pm Thursday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 80
Hana airport, Maui
– 75


Haleakala Summit –   39
(near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 28 (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-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/71/16/03/7116035db64c79bdd276ca23d46e1b29.jpg
It’s such a nice feeling…being at the beach in Hawaii

Active trade winds, continuing through Friday…then
becoming lighter this weekend into early next week 


The trade winds will bring off and on windward
showers, along with generally nice weather along
our leeward beaches – with a few generous showers
to the upcountry Kona slopes this afternoon


Small Craft Wind Advisory…over the windiest
coasts and channels
around Maui County and
the Big Island


 




The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions…as of Thursday evening:


24  Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
28  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – NE
24  Molokai – NNE
29  Lanai – NE
28  Kahoolawe – NE
18  Kaupo Gap,
Maui – NNE
31  Kealakomo, Big Island – NE


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


0.94  Kilohana, Kauai
0.24  Maunawili, Oahu
0.05  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.12  Kahoolawe
1.08  Puu Kukui, Maui
2.49  Ahumoa, 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 trade winds will continue to blow, which will be moderately strong through Friday…and then weaken slightly this weekend into early next 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 have a strong, near 1036 millibar high pressure system far to our northeast…with a ridge extending to the southwest from its center…well north of Hawaii. As a result of this stronger than normal high pressure cell, our local air flow will remain active, strongest during the days…lightest at night. This classic trade wind episode will continue through the end of this work week, although as we move into the weekend, our trade winds will ease up some…remaining somewhat lighter for several days. The models suggest that they will increase again next Tuesday or Wednesday onwards.

Satellite imagery shows hardly any clouds over and around the islands at the time of this writing…with a cloud band moving our way from the east and northeast.
Looking at this larger satellite image, we see the lower level clouds most focused over the ocean to our northeast and east, and over the waters southwest and west of the leeward sides of the islands too. We see that cloud band, that should increase showers tonight into Friday morning along our windward sides for the most part. Meanwhile, there are areas of high clouds being moved around on the upper level winds to our south, southeast and southwest for the most part. Here’s a looping radar image, showing generally light showers being carried along in our trade wind flow, impacting the islands locally. 

Trade winds and some windward showers…will be the name of the game for the time being. We’ll find moderately strong trade winds continuing, at least through Friday, becoming light to moderately strong this weekend. If the winds take on a more southeasterly orientationThese trades will bring showers to our windward sides in an off and on manner. The leeward sides should have pretty nice weather, with just a few showers here and there, along with lots of warm sunshine beaming down in most areas. The Kona slopes may see some locally generous showers falling during the afternoons for a while longer. As noted above, a trough of low pressure will get close enough this weekend, to bring the trade wind speeds slightly downward in strength for several days. As this happens, they should veer around to a more easterly direction. If these lighter breezes veer all the way around to the southeast, we could be feeling quite hot and muggy during the days into the early part of next week. I’ll be back again early Friday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Thursday 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 56.8 degrees at 605am on this Thursday morning. Skies are mostly clear overhead, although there were some low level clouds over along the windward sides now, in addition to the normal capping clouds over the West Maui Mountains.
The leeward Kihei/Wailea area, and the Lahaina side of the island too, are beginning the day with favorably inclined weather conditions.

We’re now into the early afternoon at 1240pm, under partly cloudy skies, occasionally breezy trades, and an air temperature of 78.4 degrees. It’s another lovely day here on Maui, and around the rest of the state as well. It’s warm but not hot, windy but not overly, and dry in many areas. It appears that the east and southeast side of the Big Island will be in store for the most frequent showers, including those upcountry ones in Kona. Otherwise, no big changes to this favorably inclined weather for the time being.

It’s now 550pm in the early evening, under partly cloudy skies, light breezes, and an air temperature of 76.1 degrees. We had a few drops that fell during the afternoon hours, but not enough to even measure. Nonetheless, it continued the many, many days in a row that we’ve had at least some precipitation. Update at 710pm, it’s very lightly drizzling, calm winds, and an air temperature of 70.5 degrees. Looking out towards the north shore, over the water, I can see that the cumulus clouds out there…are vertically developed much more than usual. At the same time we have an air temperature of 41 atop the Haleakala Crater at the moment, with an unusually cold 28 degrees atop the Mauna Kea summit on the Big Island. These temperatures indicate an unstable atmosphere, which could prompt some locally generous showers around tonight…particularly as this cloud band impacts the windward sides later.


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: Former tropical cyclone
Amanda degenerates to a remnant low pressure system west of the Mexican coast. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, with a broad satellite picture of the northeastern Pacific…along with a close-up satellite image of this system. The NHC has given its last advisory on this system.


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 begins on June 1st…and runs through November 30th. Here’s the 2013 hurricane season summary / Information about the 2014 hurricane season in the central Pacific Ocean.


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:  April Ties For Warmest On Record – Globally, this April was a scorcher, tying with 2010 for the warmest April on record, according to new data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) last week. This makes 2014, to date, the sixth warmest year on record going back to 1880 when comparing the first four months. However, if an El Nino event strikes this summer or fall—as seems increasingly likely—global temperatures could rise even more.


April’s temperatures were 1.39 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th Century average around the world. Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and northern Africa all experienced temperatures well-above average. But the hottest region proved to be Eastern Siberia, where temperatures hit more than 9 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th Century average. Meanwhile, much of Canada, the U.S. Midwest, and portions of Central Asia were below average.


April 2014 is also a landmark for being the 350th month in a row where global temperatures have been above the 20th Century average: the last time the world had a below-average month was February 1985. Moreover the last time the world had a below average year was 1976. According to NOAA the warmest year on record was 2010.