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

87  Lihue, Kauai
87  Honolulu, Oahu
86  Molokai
91 Kahului, Maui – record highest temperature for Wednesday 92…back in 1986 and 1996
88  Kailua Kona
87  Hilo, Hawaii

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

1.41  N Wailua ditch, Kauai
2.78 Mililani, Oahu
0.01  Kamalo, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.06  Kaupo Gap, Maui
0.24  Pahala, Big Island

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

16  Mana, Kauai
22  Honolulu AP, Oahu
18  Molokai
08  Lanai
27 Kahoolawe
14  Hana, Maui
21  Upolu AP, 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/ir4-animated.gif


http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg

We find a cold front approaching the state to the northwest…with
high cirrus clouds clipping the southern part of the state

Light trade winds through Friday…followed by light southeasterly
breezes this weekend, accompanied by volcanic haze (vog)…and
sultry conditions

High Surf Advisory…south facing shores – until 6pm this evening



~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~




Our winds will remain on the light side of the wind spectrum, through the rest of the week…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 profiler of the central Pacific. We find a moderately strong near 1027 millibar high pressure system far to the northeast…with a ridge running southwest to the north of the state. There are low pressure systems to the north and northwest, which are pushing an associated cold front a little closer…although it won’t reach our islands. Our winds will remain light well into the future. An approaching cold front will veer our light trade winds to the southeast during the upcoming weekend into early next week. This frontal boundary won’t likely make it into the state, although will bring volcanic haze and muggy conditions our way.
Satellite imagery shows generally clear to partly cloudy skies, with cirrus being carried over the southern part of the state…coming up from the deeper tropics on the winds aloft. Looking at this larger looping satellite image, it shows clear to partly cloudy skies. Otherwise, the high cirrus near the Big Island is staying in place, although may reach up towards Maui County at times. Here’s the looping radar, showing just a few generally light to moderate showers falling…mostly over the nearby ocean at the time of this writing. The light winds over our area of the central Pacific, in conjunction with the daytime heating of the islands, will prompt afternoon interior clouds again Thursday and Friday…with a few showers here and there. If the light trades come back as expected, we may see a few windward biased showers falling during the nights too. I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above and below, I hope you have a great Wednesday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

 

>>> Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones


1.)  A non-tropical low pressure system located about 330 miles
south-southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, is producing gale force
winds and disorganized showers and thunderstorms.  This low is
merging with a frontal system and is not expected to acquire
tropical cyclone characteristics.  Little motion of this system is
expected during the next few days as it interacts with and becomes
absorbed by an upper-level low approaching from the northeast coast
of the United States.   

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent 
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...near 0 percent

 

2.) A small area of low pressure located about 840 miles northeast
of Bermuda is moving rapidly toward the north-northeast and
is producing disorganized showers. Tropical cyclone formation is not
anticipated due to strong upper-level winds and decreasing sea
surface temperatures.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent 
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...near 0 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:  Tropical Storm 19E (Simon) remains active, located approximately 190 miles west-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico…with sustained winds of near 40 mph. Here’s a 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


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


>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: Typhoon 18W (Phanfone) remains active, located approximately 332 NM southwest of Iwo To…with sustained winds of near 127 mph. Here’s a 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:  Yellowstone Aspen recovering thanks to the Wolves – Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park is undergoing dramatic shifts with consequences that are beginning to return the landscape to conditions not seen in nearly a century, according to a series of new studies.


In the park’s northeast section, elk have decreased in number in their historic winter range in the Lamar Valley and are now more numerous outside the park. This change in elk numbers and distribution can be traced back to the reintroduction of wolves in 1995-96. Scientists have hypothesized that wolves affect both the numbers and the behavior of elk, thereby reducing the impact of browsing on vegetation, a concept known as a “trophic cascade.”


Rising grizzly bear numbers are also taking their toll on elk. As a result, lush vegetation is growing back in many but not all areas.


“Without wolves, this would not have happened,” said Luke Painter, an instructor at Oregon State University and lead author of three recent papers that describe the results of his fieldwork monitoring vegetation growth patterns in the park. “Wolves caused a fundamental change, but certainly they are interacting with other factors such as bears, climate, fire and human activity.”


Bison have also played an important role in the changes in vegetation in northern Yellowstone. Their numbers have increased four-fold as elk have decreased. In places where bison congregate, they browse on aspen, cottonwood and willow, compensating in part for the decline in elk. However, bison cannot reach as high as elk to browse, allowing more trees to escape and grow to maturity.