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

85  Lihue, Kauai
90  Honolulu, Oahu – the record high temperature for Tuesday was 94 degrees…back in 1995
84  Molokai
87  Kahului, Maui
87  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 (HST):

 

Honolulu, Oahu – 82
Hana airport, Maui
75


Haleakala Summit –   48 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 37 (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/40/53/00/405300c3685a26d1aeb077e7f21d1de8.jpg

Our local winds will gradually increase…bringing refreshing
relief from the recent sultry conditions near sea level, at
least through Saturday


Off and on showers…primarily along our windward sides,
although elsewhere at times into Wednesday morning, then
drier through Saturday…before increased showers and muggy
weather arrives again Sunday into early next week


This looping satellite image shows lower level clouds, and
some high and middle level clouds in our general area too


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

High Surf Advisory…for south shores – through 6pm


Flood Advisory…windward side of the Big Island –
until 815am





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


22  Poipu, Kauai – NE
23  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – NNE
27  Molokai – NE
35  Lanai – NE
30  Kahoolawe – NE
27  Kapalua, Maui – N
31  PTA Keamuku, Big Island – NE


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


1.65  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.49  Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.14  Kahoolawe
1.38  Puu Kukui, Maui
1.74  Waiakea Uka, 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 local trade winds will be picking up…lasting through the rest of the week at least. 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 couple of moderately strong high pressure systems located to the north and northeast, along with a ridge running by to our north and northwest. Meanwhile, there’s a whole host of low pressure systems, called cyclone families, with cold fronts reaching southward…well to the north and northwest of our state. The forecast calls for the winds to remain active, in fact picking up some…lasting through Friday at least.

Satellite imagery shows a mix of high, middle, and lower level clouds in our general area. Looking at this larger looping satellite image, it shows low level clouds riding along in the trade wind flow from east to west. The high and middle level clouds are generally offshore, although locally overhead across the state in places too…perhaps giving a little color to our sunset. Here’s the looping radar, showing passing showers moving across our area, although generally over the offshore waters at the time of this writing. These off and on showers will fall locally, most actively along our windward sides. There are still showery clouds upstream of the islands, which will bring periodic showers our way during the next 12 hours or so. As we get into later Wednesday, drier weather should return, until this weekend…when we could see increased showers again locally.

An unusual period of tropical showers occurred yesterday…and today is still a bit humid. These conditions arrived thanks to a trough of low pressure moving by in the deeper tropics to our south. The moisture associated with this trough was once part of a former tropical cyclone named Fausto, in the eastern Pacific last week. At any rate, this trough brought beneficial showers, at least in some areas, which turned out to be rather heavy, and even brought some flooding to a few places Monday. The air mass was unstable enough, with the trough of low pressure going by to our south, and the abundant moisture…that there were even unusual thunderstorms on Maui and the Big Island! We have additional showers on tap, at least locally, before things dry out nicely later Wednesday through Friday. ~~~ The models are trying to bring another increase in showers later this coming weekend…which incidentally would be part of another tropical disturbance, soon coming into our central Pacific from the eastern Pacific. I’ll be back again many times during the day with more updates on all of the above, I hope you have a great Tuesday 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 61.3 degrees at 605am on this Tuesday morning. Skies are clear to partly cloudy, with still some thin cirrus clouds, and even some nice looking middle level altocumulus as well…which lit up a colorful pink at sunrise.

We’re into the early afternoon now at 1240pm, under cloudy skies, a very light sprinkle, light breezes…and an air temperature of 79.9 degrees. I can see that we have a batch of clouds coming in on the trade winds, carrying some showers with it, even a few here at my place…getting a bit heavier now. Update at 240pm, under partly to mostly cloudy skies, with off and on very light showers…and an air temperature of 81.1 degrees. Update at 420pm, cloudy, a shower, near calm winds…and an air temperature of 78.6 degrees – and its sultry!

It’s now 540pm,
with cloudy and foggy skies, a few light sprinkles, near calm winds…and an air temperature of 75.7 degrees – and still very muggy. It’s now 810pm, and its foggy and still lightly raining, after quite a bit of off and on heavier rain over the last couple of hours. I’ll be going to Long Beach tomorrow, to see my Mom, and the rest of my family there, although only for a week. I’ll have more to say about that in the morning.

~~~ Here’s a weather product that I produced for the Pacific Disaster Center this morning.



World-wide tropical cyclone activity:


Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones expected through the next 5 days


Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

Caribbean Sea:
There are no active tropical cyclones expected through the next 5 days

Gulf of Mexico:
There are no active tropical cyclones expected through the next 5 days

Here’s a satellite image of the Caribbean Sea…and the Gulf of Mexico.

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

North Eastern Pacific:
There are no active tropical cyclones

An area of low pressure located about 1175 miles east-southeast of the Big Island of Hawaii is expected to move westward into the central Pacific basin later today. Shower activity associated with the low remains disorganized, but environmental conditions are still conducive for some development of this system today or Thursday. After that time, upper-level winds are expected to become unfavorable for tropical cyclone formation.


This area is being referred to as Invest 90E…here’s a satellite image, along with what the
hurricane models are showing for this disturbance.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low…20 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…20 percent.


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:
No tropical cyclones are expected through the next two days


An area of low pressure located about 1175 miles east-southeast of the Big Island of Hawaii is expected to move westward into the central Pacific basin later today. Shower activity associated with the low remains disorganized, but environmental conditions are still conducive for some development of this system today or Thursday. After that time, upper-level winds are expected to become unfavorable for tropical cyclone formation.


This area is being referred to as Invest 90E…here’s a satellite image, along with what the
hurricane models are showing for this disturbance.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…20 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low…20 percent.


Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)


Northwest Pacific Ocean: Typhoon 09W (Rammasun) remains active over the Philippine Islands, here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with a satellite image
animated image


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:  Drought Conditions Linked to Human Activity – US Government scientists have developed a new high-resolution climate model that shows southwestern Australia’s long-term decline in fall and winter rainfall is caused by increases in man made greenhouse gas emissions and ozone depletion.


“This new high-resolution climate model is able to simulate regional-scale precipitation with considerably improved accuracy compared to previous generation models,” said Tom Delworth, a research scientist at NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., who helped develop the new model and is co-author of the research.


“This model is a major step forward in our effort to improve the prediction of regional climate change, particularly involving water resources.”


NOAA researchers conducted several climate simulations using this global climate model to study long-term changes in rainfall in various regions across the globe. One of the most striking signals of change emerged over Australia, where a long-term decline in fall and winter rainfall has been observed over parts of southern Australia.


Simulating natural and man made climate drivers, scientists showed that the decline in rainfall is primarily a response to man made increases in greenhouse gases as well as a thinning of the ozone caused by man made aerosol emissions.


Several natural causes were tested with the model, including volcano eruptions and changes in the sun’s radiation. But none of these natural climate drivers reproduced the long-term observed drying, indicating this trend is due to human activity.


Southern Australia’s decline in rainfall began around 1970 and has increased over the last four decades. The model projects a continued decline in winter rainfall throughout the rest of the 21st century, with significant implications for regional water resources. The drying is most severe over southwest Australia where the model forecasts a 40 percent decline in average rainfall by the late 21st century.


“Predicting potential future changes in water resources, including drought, are an immense societal challenge,” said Delworth.