Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / March 6-7, 2015

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

77 – 65  Lihue, Kauai
76 – 63  Honolulu, Oahu
74 – 62  Molokai AP
73 – 66  Kahului, Maui
81 – 68  Kailua Kona
74 – 64  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.66  Kilohana, Kauai
1.10  Tunnel RG, Oahu
6.24  Puu Alii, Molokai!
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
3.39  Kahakuloa, Maui
4.60  Honokaa, Big Island

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

36  Barking Sands, Kauai – N
38  Waianae Valley – NNE
29  Molokai – NNE
42  Lanai – NE
42  Kahoolawe – NNW
28  Maalaea Bay, Maui – N
42  Kohala Ranch, Big Island – NNE

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

High and middle level clouds remain over us locally…still
lots of lower level clouds in many areas of the state as well


Partly to mostly cloudy conditions statewide…
much of which consists of the high cirrus

Lots of windward biased showers across Hawaii…
especially Oahu, Maui County and the Big Island –
drizzle and misty in many areas

Here’s the looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands.

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

>The Mauna Kea Summit…on the Big Island of Hawaii<

Small Craft Advisory…strong north to northeast
winds across windiest coasts and channel waters

High Wind Watch…Big Island summits

Cool north to northeasterly winds prevail, gusty at times locally through the weekend…although easing up some. 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 high pressure systems far to the northwest and northeast of the islands. At the same time, we have surface gale low pressure system to the north-northeast of the islands, with the tail-end of a front to the northeast, and a trough of low pressure to the southeast. The placement of this gale is helping to keep cool north to northeast breezes blowing across our area of the central Pacific, rather blustery at times locally. The extended outlook calls for more chilly northerly breezes perhaps continuing for most of the next week. This is certainly a long lasting bout of cooler than normal weather…as we head steadily towards the Spring season.

The windward sides continue to be rather wet, while the leeward sides will be less showery in contrast. There continues to be a steady train of passing showers impacting the windward sides, making for rather wet conditions…particularly during the night and mornings. We may see some breaks in this passing shower activity during the afternoons, although the high clouds will continue to dim and filter our Hawaiian sunshine. We may finally see a backing off of the wet conditions along our windward sides of Maui and the Big Island Saturday. The cooler than normal winds will let us know that we’re still not done with winter, at least tropically speaking.  The next possible increase of showers may be destined to arrive over the Big Island and perhaps Maui, later this coming weekend into early next week…stay tuned. I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above, I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui: The skies are still cloudy here on Maui before sunrise, with rain falling generously in places along our windward sides…and over the West Maui Mountains too. The winds are rather breezy early this morning, with a small craft wind advisory flag still flying. The low temperature was 56.1 degrees here at my weather tower in Kula. It was 66 degrees down at the Kahului airport with light rain falling, with 63 degrees at the Hana airport…and 34 degrees atop the Haleakala Crater at the same time. The warmest low temperature around the state was 72 degrees in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. BTW, look for a possible colorful sunrise this morning…like we had yesterday at sunset.

~~~ We’re into the early afternoon now, at 1215pm, under mostly cloudy skies, with windy conditions…and off and on mist and drizzle. There are 40+ mph wind gusts on both Lanai and Kahoolawe, here in Maui County, and the Big Island. The strongest was 46 mph at Honokanaia on Kahoolawe. This is such interesting weather we’re having, all windy and cloudy and locally wet! The drizzle and mist here in upcountry Kula, here at my weather tower, seems to be pulling back some now, after a wet morning. I know for sure that the windward sides are way wetter than here, no doubt. / Now a little later at 3pm, it’s a bit sunnier, although its still windy, and drizzle or mist is very close…although it’s stopped for the last hour or two. It’s only a cool 63.9 degrees, even with the warm sunshine beaming down through the high overcast.

~~~ It’s now early evening, with still lots of low clouds and higher level cirrus clouds around too. This strongly suggests that there may be a good colorful sunset, and that more showers will keep our windward sides wet tonight.  

Friday Evening Film: My friend Jeff, his girlfriend Svetlana and I will drive down to see a new film, which is the second in this series of films. It’s a comedy called The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel, Big Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Tamsin Greig, and Richard Gere…among many others. The synopsis: Now that The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is full up with its long-term residents, co-managers Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) and Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) have a dream of expansion, and they’ve found just the place. With plans underway, Evelyn and Douglas (Judi Dench and Bill Nighy) venture into the Jaipur, India workforce, wondering where their regular breakfast dates will lead. Meanwhile, Norman and Carol (Ronald Pickup and Diana Hardcastle) navigate the swirling waters of an exclusive relationship, as Madge (Celia Imrie) juggles two very eligible suitors, and recent arrival Guy Chambers (Richard Gere) finds a muse in Sonny’s mother, Mrs. Kapoor (Lillete Dubey) for his next novel. As his marriage to Sunaina (Tina Desai), the love of his life, quickly approaches, Sonny finds his plans for the new hotel making more claims on his time than he has available. Perhaps the only one who may know the answers is Muriel, the keeper of everyone’s secrets. As the big day nears, family and guests alike find themselves swept up in the irresistible intoxication of an Indian wedding. ~~~ I’ll of course let you know what the three of us thought early Saturday morning. Until then, here’s the trailer if you’d like to take a peek.

>>> 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: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> North and South Indian Oceans: Tropical cyclone 15S is dissipating in the Mozambique Channel, here’s the graphical track map…along with a satellite image – Final Warning

Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)

Interesting: What’s a fish native to Japan doing in the ocean off the coast of Oregon? – A team of scientists from Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is studying an unusual fish captured alive in a crab pot near Port Orford this week called a striped knifejaw that is native to Japan, as well as China and Korea.

The appearance in Oregon waters of the fish (Oplegnathus fasciatus), which is sometimes called a barred knifejaw or striped beakfish, may or may not be related to the Japanese tsunami of 2011, the researchers say, and it is premature to conclude that this non-native species may be established in Oregon waters.

But its appearance and survival certainly raises questions, according to OSU’s John Chapman, an aquatic invasive species specialist at the university’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

“Some association with Japanese tsunami debris is a strong possibility, but we cannot rule out other options, such as the fish being carried over in ballast water of a ship or an aquarium fish being released locally,” Chapman said. “But finding a second knifejaw nearly two years after the discovery of fish in a drifting Japanese boat certainly gets my attention.”

In March 2013, five striped knifejaws were found alive in a boat near Long Beach, Washington, that had drifted over from Japan. Four of the fish were euthanized, but one was taken to the Seaside Aquarium, where it is still alive and well.

OSU marine ecologist Jessica Miller examined the four euthanized knifejaws from Washington in 2013, analyzing their otoliths, or ear bones, for clues to their origin.

“The young fish of these species are known to associate with drift and may be attracted to floating marine debris,” Miller said. “Japanese tsunami marine debris continues to arrive on beaches in Oregon and Washington – and some debris from Japan washed up on the southern Oregon coast this month – so it is not inconceivable that the Port Orford fish was associated with Japanese marine debris.

“The species is also found in other parts of Asia and the northwest Hawaiian islands, so it is native to a broader range than just Japan,” she added. “At this time, there is no evidence that they are successfully reproducing in Oregon.”