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

84  Lihue, Kauai
87  Honolulu, Oahu
86  Molokai
89  Kahului, Maui 
88  Kailua Kona
85  Hilo, Hawaii

Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands, as of Friday evening:

0.78  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.78  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.08  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.12  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.23  Waiakea Uka, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Friday evening:

27  Port Allen, Kauai
35  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
28  Molokai
38  Lanai
30  Kahoolawe
28  Kapalua, Maui
37  Pali 2, 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




http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/tpac/vis-l.jpg


Satellite image showing hurricane Karina to the east-southeast, and
tropical storm Lowell further east, as well as hurricane storm Marie
closer to Mexico…along with a tropical disturbance to the southeast
of our islands – none threaten our islands

Here’s a real time wind profiler showing hurricane Karina to the
east-southeast, along with tropical storm Lowell further east, and
hurricane Marie even further east… the area to the southeast of
our islands…has a low chance of developing

Moderately strong trade winds…a few windward showers locally



~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~




Ongoing trade winds continuing through the weekend….into 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. We have a moderately strong, near 1030 millibar high pressure system located far to the northeast of the state. At the same time, there’s a tropical disturbance to the southeast of Hawaii…along with a tropical storm, and two hurricanes in the eastern Pacific. Our trade winds will remain moderately strong…with some higher gusts. These long lasting trades will continue into the new week ahead.
Satellite imagery shows scattered clouds over and around the islands...being carried along in the moderately strong trade wind flow. Looking at this larger looping satellite image, it shows partly cloudy conditions over most of the state, with some cloudy areas as well…while there are active thunderstorms far to the southwest, south, and southeast. We see the counterclockwise rotating hurricane Karina in the picture as well…far to the east-southeast. There’s low clouds being carried our way, which will drop showers locally…mostly along our windward sides during the night and early morning hours. Here’s the looping radar, showing some showers moving across our island chain, which will continue in an off and on manner through the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, the tropical ocean far to our east and east-southeast remains very active…in relation to tropical cyclones. At the moment, we have an area of disturbed weather, with a low chance of developing into a tropical depression, located to the southeast of our islands. That being said, the models are keeping tropical systems well away from the Hawaiian Islands through the next week. In contrast to our rather quiet reality here in the central Pacific, the eastern Pacific has three active tropical cyclones churning the waters now. I’ll be back with many more updates on all of the above and below, I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Friday Evening Film: There’s several films in Kahului that I’d be willing to see, including The Expendables 3, Sin City: A Dame to Kill, among a couple of others. However, tonight I’ve chosen Guardians of the Galaxy, starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, David Bautista, Lee Pace, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker and Vin Diesel…among many others. The synopsis: from Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team-the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits-Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand-with the galaxy’s fate in the balance. ~~~ Critics and viewers alike are praising this film, with ratings well up into the 90’s (out of 100). I’ll of course let you know what I think Saturday morning, although until then, here’s the trailer if you’re interested in seeing a snippet of this action film.


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:


Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

1.)  Updated…Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft and satellite imagery indicate that the disturbance located near Hispaniola continues to lack a well-defined surface circulation. As a result, advisories are not being initiated at this time. However, environmental conditions are favorable for the development of a tropical depression or tropical storm later today or Sunday. Another Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system this afternoon.

 

This disturbance is forecast to move west-northwestward over or near
the southeastern Bahamas today, and over or near the central Bahamas
Sunday and Sunday night. Heavy rains and gusty winds are expected to
continue over Puerto Rico and Hispaniola today. Winds to tropical
storm force and heavy rains are expected to spread over the
southeastern Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the central
Bahamas through Sunday night. These rains could cause life-
threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in mountainous
areas of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. Interests in the Turks and
Caicos and all of the Bahamas should monitor the progress of this
disturbance, since tropical storm watches and warnings could be
required with little advance notice.


Here’s what the computer models are showing, with a satellite image of this area.


* Formation chance through 48 hours...high...80 percent 
* Formation chance through 5 day...high...90 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: Hurricane 11E (Karina) remains active in the northeast Pacific, located about 1385 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii – wind speeds 80 mph. Here’s the NHC graphical track map…along with a satellite image – here’s what the computer models are showing about this storm.


Tropical storm 12E (Lowell) remains active in the northeast Pacific, located about 1055 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California – wind speeds 40 mph. Here’s the NHC graphical track map…along with a satellite image – here’s what the computer models are showing about this hurricane.


Hurricane 13E (Marie) is now active in the northeast Pacific, located about 330 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico – wind speeds 85 mph. Here’s the NHC graphical track map…along with a satellite image


Here’s a wide satellite image that covers the entire area between Mexico, out through the central Pacific…to the International Dateline.


Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones


1.)  Low pressure centered about 730 miles southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, has moved northeast near 10 mph over the past six hours. The low is generating isolated thunderstorms that have been showing little signs of organization. Conditions remain conducive for only limited development over the next two days.


* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent


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


Northwest 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: University of Illinois studying bee venom as cancer treatment – Another reason to love bees: they might be able to help us fight cancer.


While venom isn’t usually known as a friendly thing, new research shows that venom from bees, snakes and scorpions could potentially be used to fight certain forms of cancer. While you wouldn’t go and inject someone with a dose of venom, which could have lethal effects, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that if they isolated specific proteins in the venom, these could be used in a safe way to block tumor growth.


“We have safely used venom toxins in tiny nanometer-sized particles to treat breast cancer and melanoma cells in the laboratory,” study author Dipanjan Pan of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said in a statement. “These particles, which are camouflaged from the immune system, take the toxin directly to the cancer cells, sparing normal tissue.”


Previous studies have shown the potential power of venom, but because of the potentially very dangerous side effects of venom injection – damage to nerve cells, for example – hat power couldn’t be properly harnessed. That’s what makes this new research so exciting.


The toxins in question are peptide toxins. The researchers made a synthetic version in the lab, then injected it into the tiny nanoparticles. “The peptide toxins we made are so tightly packed within the nanoparticle that they don’t leach out when exposed to the bloodstream and cause side effects,” Pan said.