Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday…along with the minimum temperatures Friday:
81 – 70 Lihue, Kauai
81 – 74 Honolulu, Oahu
76 – 70 Molokai AP
79 – 71 Kahului, Maui
92 – 71 Kailua Kona
81 – 69 Hilo, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands, as of Friday evening:
0.70 Mount Waiaeale, Kauai
0.36 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.82 Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
1.56 Puu Kukui, Maui
3.65 Kawainui Stream, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Friday evening:
33 Port Allen, Kauai
33 Waianae Valley, Oahu
30 Molokai
42 Lanai
31 Kahoolawe
35 Kapalua, Maui
42 Waikoloa, 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
Our northeasterly winds will be strong and gusty into the weekend,
bringing generally fair weather conditions to our leeward sides, with
lots of windward showers…at least locally
Small Craft Wind Advisory…all coastal and channel waters
High Surf Advisory…north and east shores of all the main
Hawaiian Islands except Lanai and Kahoolawe
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
The trade winds will continue to be strong and gusty…although finally relaxing some as we move into the new week ahead. 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 1032 millibar high pressure system…which is now in the area north of our islands. At the same time, we have gale low pressure systems far to the northeast, with associated cold fronts located over the waters near our islands. Gusty northeast winds will continue to move over the islands into the weekend. Small craft wind warnings remain active over most marine zones around the state…likely continuing into the weekend. These blustery winds will finally ease up some as we move into the new work week ahead.
Considerable stratocumulus clouds are banked-up against our windward sides locally, along with frequent showers…generally fine weather conditions prevailing elsewhere. There’s an area of high cirrus clouds that are moving over the central islands, which will dim our Hawaiian sunshine at times…as well as give good sunset and sunset colors. Here’s the looping radar image showing showers are falling, mostly over the ocean, although over our windward sides too. The leeward sides of the islands will continue to have generally fair weather, with minimum shower activity. The computer models continue to depict a possible change in our weather around next Wednesday, which may increase showers then. I’ll be back with updates on all of the above, I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Friday Evening Film: This time around my neighbors and I will go see an interesting looking film, among several others that will be definite candidates for next Friday. It’s called The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, David Thewlis, Emily Watson, Charlie Cox, and Simon McBurney…among many others. The synopsis: This is the extraordinary story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who falls deeply in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde. Once a healthy, active young man, Hawking received an earth-shattering diagnosis at 21 years of age. With Jane fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of – time. Together, they defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science, and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed. The film is based on the memoir Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, and is directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh.
It will be interesting to see this film with my neighbors, both of whom are astrophysicists…as of course Steven Hawking is! The critics are giving this film a pretty high 83% favorable rating. Apparently, this film is part biopic, part love story, The Theory of Everything rises on James Marsh’s polished direction…and the strength of its two leads. The trailer looks very good, quite touching and full of a deep love between these two stars, I’ll be sure to let you know what we thought tomorrow morning.
World-wide tropical cyclone activity:
>>> Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
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.
>>> Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a wide satellite image that covers the entire area between Mexico, out through the central Pacific…to the International Dateline.
Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)
>>> Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm 21W (Sinlaku) remains active, as it moves across the South China Sea…towards the east coast of Vietnam. Here’s a JTWC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image.
>>> South Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
>>> North and South Indian Oceans: Tropical Storm 02S is now active, as it moves across the South Indian Ocean. Here’s a JTWC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image.
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: Europe’s Plastic Bag Agreement Contested by Industry – As lawmakers reached agreement this week to limit the use of plastic bags across Europe, industry voices warned that such rules will have a negative impact on trade in Europe’s internal market.
The ban could also lead to different standards in legislation in member states and ultimately, to a ban on other types of packaging, according to PlasticsEurope, the association of plastics manufacturers.
The European Parliament and the Council agreed on Friday (21 November) on EU-wide legislation obliging member states to reduce the use of plastic bags. The law will apply only to bags with a thickness below 0.05mm, because they are less reusable, and turn into waste more quickly.
‘Historic moment’
“This is a historic moment for all of Europe. For the first time ever, we have agreed on ambitious measures to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the environment,” said Margrete Auken, a Danish MEP from the Greens/EFA group, who negotiated the law on behalf of the European Parliament.
The new agreement, which is obligatory in all EU countries, gives national governments two ways to implement it. Either reduce consumption by 90 lightweight bags per citizen by 2019, and 40 bags by 2025, or have a mandatory charge by 2018.
These reduction targets will “limit the negative impacts of plastics carrier bag littering on the environment and encourage waste prevention”, according to a statement posted on the Council’s website. Most of the plastics bags end up as waste in the EU waters, and it takes “hundreds of years before they are fully degradable”, the statement said.
Average consumption of single-use plastic bags was found to be at 176 bags per person per year in 2010.
Under the new law, member states can also introduce a complete ban on plastic bags at their own discretion. Such a decision, if implemented, is against the principle of free movement of goods, said PlasticsEurope.
A full prohibition will disrupt the trade flow between the member states, as it will limit the export-import possibilities of such goods, it warned.
“It opens the door for member states to ban not only plastic bags but other types of packaging,” said PlasticsEurope. “Such an inconsistent political framework […] would hinder investments and innovation and would create barriers to trade in packaged goods in Europe.”
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