Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday:
84 Lihue, Kauai
90 Honolulu, Oahu – the record highest temperature on this date was 92…back in 1987 and 1994
84 Molokai
88 Kahului, Maui
88 Kailua Kona
86 Hilo, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands, as of Sunday evening:
0.78 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.48 Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
0.04 Molokai airport, Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.06 Puu Kukui, Maui
1.58 Honaunau, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Sunday evening:
21 Port Allen, Kauai
21 Makua Range, Oahu
17 Molokai
20 Lanai
15 Kahoolawe
24 Kapalua, Maui
20 Kaupulehu, 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
Satellite image showing category 1 hurricane Julio to the north of the islands…
quickly moving further and further away
Big, big full moon…so called Supermoon
Here’s a real time wind profiler showing category 1
hurricane Julio moving away to the north
Tropical storm Warning …Hawaiian offshore waters
High Surf Advisory…for hurricane Julio waves –
east shores
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Lighter winds now through Tuesday, as hurricane Julio interrupts the trade winds. 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 moderately strong high pressure systems located to the northwest and northeast of the state, with a ridge of high pressure extending between the two…to the north of Hawaii. Our trade winds will return by Wednesday or so, keeping sultry weather conditions over the state.
Satellite imagery shows hardly any clouds over and around the islands, with hurricane Julio well offshore to the north. Looking at this larger looping satellite image, it shows hurricane Julio out to our north. Here’s the looping radar, showing hardly any showers, and most of those are out over the ocean…with few falling over the islands locally. The light winds will prompt afternoon clouds over and around the mountains…which may drop some showers locally here and there. Our local beaches will remain in good shape, although be careful with the larger waves in places.
Here’s a looping radar compilation of images that shows former tropical cyclone Iselle impacting the Big Island…and then moving on from there.
Hurricane Julio will move away to the north of our islands into Monday. We’ve missed all of the heavy weather associated with this hurricane, including the rain and winds. The most dangerous part of this hurricane, at least for our islands….was the high surf that was been generated by Julio. As this hurricane continues moving between Hawaii and a trade wind producing high pressure system, far to the northeast…it will help to tamp down our trade winds temporarily. Our winds will come in generally from the northerly direction, although none of the dreaded hurricane or tropical storm force wind flow will bother us. We may see some clouds, and a few showers through Monday. Although, the outflow from Julio should keep descending air, with clear to partly cloudy skies prevailing over our area in most places. The trade winds will return later Monday or early Tuesday across the state…bringing back normal August weather conditions. As a matter of fact, it appears that our local weather will be very nice during the upcoming week. I’ll return with more updates on all of the above and below, I hope you have a great Sunday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
~~~ Hurricane Julio: will be moving northward on a path that’s taking the center further and further away from Hawaii. The latest Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) forecast estimates the sustained winds are near 85 mph near the center, with stronger gusts.
Friday Evening Film: I was finally able to break away from my computer, as Iselle was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone! As was the case last Friday, there were many films that looked good to me, and I had to pick just one. This time it was one called Get On Up, starring Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Nelsan Ellis, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter…among many others. The synopsis: In his follow-up to the four-time Academy Award (R)-nominated blockbuster The Help, Tate Taylor directs 42’s Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in Get on Up. Based on the incredible life story of the Godfather of Soul, the film gives a fearless look inside the music, moves and moods of Brown, taking audiences on the journey from his impoverished childhood to his evolution into one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
I went to see this film with my neighbor Jeff, and neither of us were sure what to expect. However, we both came away liking it very much, much more than we thought we might! This was a magnificent performance, bringing the heart and soul of the music…directly into my whole body. My feet were especially moving, as the music wanted me to stand up and dance right in the isle. Chadwick Boseman was excellent, with his explosive energy carrying the film from start to finish. James Brown is the soul brother of our age, the king of funk…there’s no doubt about it! It’s been great, the last two films have been anything but action thrillers…a very nice change of pace. Here’s the trailer for this great film, another A grade film in my opinion…Jeff gave it an A rating too.
Saturday Night Dancing: Jeff and I went down to see a film called The 100 foot Journey, although it was sold out. He and I, and another friend of ours, had dinner at Whole Foods before trying to see this film. She had to work, and he and I decided to go back up to Kula to do so more work ourselves…and then to go out dancing in Makawao. There were three DJ’s playing, and the music was fun, fun enough that I was out on the dance floor for the better part of two hours. I figured that I so rarely go dancing these days, that I’d better take full advantage of this opportunity. I really enjoyed the experience, it was different than earlier in my life, although fun anyway. It was full moon, so it seemed to be a good a time…to spread my wings on the dance floor. The truth is that I wish I could go dancing much more than I end up doing. My only two requirements are good music, and enough room to dance. I sometimes just turn out the lights in my weather tower on some Saturday nights, use Pandora to bring in some good dance music…and have my own little dance party in the dark.
The next meteor shower is the Perseids on the nights of August 11 and 12 –
The just-past-full Moon will overpower most of the fireworks however.
World-wide tropical cyclone activity:
Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
1.) Shower activity has changed little in association with a broad area
of low pressure located a couple hundred miles southwest of the Cape
Verde Islands. Some gradual development of this system is still
possible in a few days after it encounters a more conducive
environment while it moves westward at about 15 mph.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...medium...30 percent.
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones
Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones
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: There are no active tropical cyclones
1.) A large area of cloudiness and showers centered a few hundred miles south-southeast of Acapulco, Mexico, is associated with a tropical wave. Strong upper-level winds are expected to limit significant development of the wave during the next couple of days. After that time, however, environmental conditions are expected to become more conducive, and a tropical depression is likely to form later this week while the system moves generally west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...10 percent * Formation chance through 5 days...high...70 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: Hurricane 10E (Julio) remains active at the category 1 level, here in the central Pacific Ocean, located about 420 miles northeast of Lihue, Kauai. Here’s the CPHC graphical track map…along with a satellite image
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
Northwest Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm 07E (Genevieve) remains active in the western Pacific…here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with a satellite 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: What happens immediately after an oil spill? – The fate of oil during the first day after an accidental oil spill is still poorly understood, with researchers often arriving on the scene only after several days. New findings from a field experiment carried out in the North Sea provide valuable insight.
It is well known that oil and water don’t mix. Less well known is the fact that when petroleum is spilt onto a water surface, a fraction of the oil immediately begins to evaporate into the air or dissolve into the seawater. These dissolved toxic hydrocarbons can threaten aquatic species, while evaporated compounds may pose a risk to rescue workers or populations downwind of an accident site. Publishing in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, a team of European and American researchers report on a unique study focused on the fate of hydrocarbons during the 24 hours that follow an oil spill.
Following a spill, oil suddenly finds itself in a radically new environment — exposed to light, air, and the water surface after millions of years underground. “In its new environment, the oil immediately begins to change its composition, and much of that change happens on the first day,” explains Samuel Arey, a researcher at EPFL and Eawag in Switzerland and corresponding author of the study. Oil is a complex mixture of many hydrocarbon compounds. Certain volatile compounds evaporate within hours, contaminating the overlying atmosphere. Others, such as toxic naphthalene, simultaneously dissolve into the seawater, posing a threat to aquatic life.
Especially since the Exxon Valdez catastrophe in 1990, which released over 40,000 cubic meters of oil into the ocean, researchers have sought to evaluate to what extent marine species in the vicinity of an oil spill are exposed to toxic hydrocarbons. But this question has largely remained debated, because many of the hydrocarbons are dispersed into the water or the overlying air well before scientists arrive at the site.
In order to collect data on the immediate aftermath of an oil spill, the researchers collaborated with emergency response specialists of the Dutch Rijkswaterstaat to recreate a four cubic meter oil spill in the North Sea, in a shipping zone already burdened by pollutants, 200 kilometers off the coast of the Netherlands. By studying this relatively small oil release, they were able to gain a better understanding of what goes on in much larger spills, with findings that could be useful to assess the risks to underwater life, as well as to emergency response team workers at the sea surface.
No two oil spills are alike. Aside from the sheer volume of oil released onto the sea surface, the environmental impact of an oil spill depends on external factors, such as the wind, waves, and the temperature of the air and the water. The North Sea experiment, for instance, was carried out on a summer day with two-meter high waves. Within just over a day, the surface oil slick had almost dissipated. On a cooler day with less wind and smaller waves, the slick would have likely persisted longer.
Thanks to a computer model that was tested against the data collected in the North Sea, the researchers are now able to extrapolate their findings to larger spills and other environmental conditions. Results from the study will provide the researchers with tools to better assess the immediate impact of future disasters on humans and on the environment, as well as to plan the emergency response, even in settings that differ strongly from those encountered in the North Sea.
convict surfer Says:
the waves on the north shore were bigger than we thought it would be,solid 6ft hawaiian scale late this afternoon,a nice gift from Julio, blocking the tradewinds also to make for good surfing conditions in August on the north shore~~~Hi Convict, those hurricane force winds pumped out some solid winter-like waves for our surfing community…right in the middle of summmer no less, with even relatively light winds. Not too big, not too small, quite an unusual occurrence for August! Thanks for the report, Aloha, Glenn
jeff mcconnel Says:
Aloha Glenn,
Thanks for all the updates and links during our latest weather episodes, especially useful this time around. Would love to hear more science regarding the potential interruption of the hurricane’s path when faced with a couple of 14,000 ft. boulders in the stream. To a lay person it appears to be a no brainer that there was a collision of forces, but I would love to know if it is “just” upper level sheer or is it a combination? Folks here on the Big Island stick to their “knowledge” that the mountains discourage the winds. On the other hand the earthquakes are directly related to the shaken mountain! Memorable weekend….Mahalo for all….~~~Hello Jeff, nice comment thanks. I wasn’t aware of all that much upper level wind shear at the time of this hurricane/tropical storm’s collapse. Therefore, it looked to me more about those boulders in the stream concept you present, than anything else. It was interesting that there was a 4.8, or was it 4.6 earthquake, at just about the same time as Iselle struck the Big Island! If I see something scientific about this inquiry of yours, I will pass it along. Aloha, Glenn
Helen Says:
Mahalo nui loa Glenn for keeping us safe and informed with up to date announcements and links.I am glad I hope you get some rest today now that we are in the clear! Phew!~~~Hi Helen, I know exactly what you mean, we are finally safe and sound, and moving into a long period of trouble free weather! Aloha, Glenn
Steve Says:
Hi Glenn – any thoughts on good locations on Maui to see the supermoon rise this evening?~~~Hi Steve, I’d say anywhere, as long as there are no clouds blocking its view…and you are away from city lights. It was spectacular last night, really nice rising over the Haleakala Crater! Aloha, Glenn