Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday…along with the minimum temperatures Tuesday:
82 – 65 Lihue, Kauai
80 – 66 Honolulu, Oahu
80 – 57 Molokai AP
83 – 60 Kahului, Maui
81 – 69 Kailua Kona
83 – 64 Hilo, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands, as of Tuesday evening:
0.01 Anahola, Kauai
0.01 Honolulu AP, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.00 Maui
0.00 Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Tuesday evening:
22 Mana, Kauai – SE
17 Makua Range, Oahu – SW
10 Molokai – W
13 Lanai – SE
15 Kahoolawe – SE
14 Hana, Maui – ESE
24 Hilo AP, Big Island – SE
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
Large area of clouds over the ocean to the north…with
an approaching cold front to the northwest
Clear to partly cloudy skies…clouds over
and around some of the mountains
There are just a few lights showers over the ocean…most
island remain dry
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Light southeasterly breezes, although locally stronger through mid-week…with areas of vog locally. 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 high pressure system well offshore to the northeast of Hawaii moving northeastward, with an associated ridge extending southwest from its center…over the northern islands. At the same time, we have lots of low pressure systems to the northwest through the northeast…with a cold front over the ocean to the northwest. The air coming into the state remains dry and stable, which is making for somewhat cool early mornings. Our winds will be quite light, generally from the southeast through mid-week, with voggy conditions locally. The winds will veer back towards the south and southwest, strengthening Thursday and Friday…ahead of another cold front. Winds will likely shift out of the northeast to east Saturday, then veer to the southeast again Sunday, the turn around to the south and southwest ahead of another cold front early next week.
Generally dry conditions expected into Thursday…with the next cold front arriving early Friday. Here’s the looping radar image showing very few showers falling. Our weather will be uneventful through the next few days, with limited rainfall at best. Days will be clear to partly cloudy, with some afternoon clouds, and a few minor showers over and around the mountains in places. The forecast still points out a cold front arriving early Friday, which will usher in another round of precipitation. It looks like the leeward sides of the islands will have improving weather during the weekend, while the windward sides, and especially the Big Island may stay a bit showery. As noted above, we have yet another cold front pushing in our direction early next week, although its still too early to know what impacts it may have here in the islands…stay tuned. I’ll be back with more information on all of the above, I hope you have a great Tuesday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Here in Kula, Maui: There’s lots of stars shining above on this early Tuesday morning, which suggests that much of Maui is clear, although its still too dark to know for sure. The winds are calm, with a low temperature of 50 degrees here at my weather tower at 550am. It was 62 degrees down at the Kahului airport near the ocean…with 45 degrees atop the Haleakala Crater at the same time. The summit of the Big Island was a colder 32 degrees atop Mauna Kea. The warmest temperature around the state at the same time was 70 degrees at the Kona AP on the Big Island. / It’s another beautiful morning! There’s light vog down in the central valley, although I can see through it to the West Maui Mountains from here.
~~~ It’s late afternoon here in Kula, and with the light winds today, clouds have banked-up over the slopes of the Haleakala Crater. Looking down towards the central valley, I see moderate to thick volcanic haze again.
~~~ It’s now 550pm in the early evening hours, under cloudy skies, and calm winds. If this evening is anything like last evening, these low clouds will clear rapidly right after sunset. I wish the vog would clear as quickly, although I’m afraid that won’t be happening anytime soon. The air temperature is 66 degrees, while down at the Kahului airport at the same time, it was a warmer 79 degrees. It was still 80 degrees down at the Kona airport on the Big Island.
World-wide tropical cyclone activity:
>>> Atlantic Ocean: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2015. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued as conditions warrant.
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
>>> Caribbean Sea: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2015. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued as conditions warrant.
>>> Gulf of Mexico: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2015. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued as conditions warrant.
Here’s a satellite image of the Caribbean Sea…and the Gulf of Mexico.
>>> Eastern Pacific: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2014 North Pacific hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on May 15, 2015. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued as conditions warrant.
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: The central north Pacific hurricane season has officially ended. Routine issuance of the tropical weather outlook will resume on June 1, 2015. During the off-season, special tropical weather outlooks will be issued as conditions warrant.
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
>>> South Pacific Ocean: Tropical Cyclone 12P (Lam) remains active near the Gulf of Carpenteria, Australia, here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image.
Tropical Cyclone 13P (Marcia) remains active in the Coral Sea, offshore from western Australia, here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image.
>>> North and South Indian Oceans: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: New ozone-destroying gases on the rise – Scientists report that chemicals that are not controlled by a United Nations treaty designed to protect the Ozone Layer are contributing to ozone depletion.
In the new study, published today in Nature Geoscience, the scientists also report the atmospheric abundance of one of these ‘very short-lived substances’ (VSLS) is growing rapidly.
Study lead author Dr Ryan Hossaini, from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, said: “VSLS can have both natural and industrial sources. Industrial production of VSLS is not controlled by the United Nations Montreal Protocol because historically these chemicals have contributed little to ozone depletion.
“But we have identified now that one of these chemicals is increasing rapidly and, if this increase is allowed to continue, it could offset some of the benefits to the Ozone Layer provided by the Montreal Protocol.”
In the study, the researchers used a 3D computer model of the atmosphere to determine the impact of VSLS on ozone and climate.
Measurements of VSLS in the atmosphere over the past two decades, provided by collaborators from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States, were also analysed. These measurements revealed a rapid increase in atmospheric concentrations of dichloromethane, a man-made VSLS used in a range of industrial processes.
Study co-author Professor Martyn Chipperfield, from Leeds’ School of Earth and Environment, said: “We need to continue monitoring the atmospheric abundance of these gases and determine their sources. At present, the long-term recovery of the Ozone Layer from the effects of CFCs is still on track, but the presence of increasing dichloromethane will lead to uncertainty in our future predictions of ozone and climate.”
The researchers found that while the amount of ozone depletion arising from VSLS in the atmosphere today is small compared to that caused by longer-lived gases, such as CFCs, VSLS-driven ozone depletion was found to be almost four times more efficient at influencing climate.
Dr Hossaini explained: “Due to their short atmospheric lifetimes, VSLS break down and destroy ozone in the lowermost part of the stratosphere. This is important, as a molecule of ozone lost in this region has a far larger impact on climate than a molecule destroyed at higher altitudes by longer-lived gases.”
The researchers also separated out natural sources of VSLS – such as seaweed in the ocean – and those released due to human activity – such as industrial processes – in order to determine the relative importance of each.
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