Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / March 7-8, 2015

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

75 – 65  Lihue, Kauai
76 – 65  Honolulu, Oahu
73 – 64  Molokai AP
77 – 66  Kahului, Maui
80 – 69  Kailua Kona
73 – 66  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.17  Kilohana, Kauai
0.06  Waianae Valley, Oahu
0.70  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.75  Mahinahina, Maui
0.89  Kawainui Stream, Big Island

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

21  Poipu, Kauai – NNE
23  Waianae Valley – NE
21  Molokai – NNE
27  Lanai – NE
27  Kahoolawe – NNW
18  Maalaea Bay, Maui – NNE
37  Kealakomo, Big Island – NNW

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 the state…
fewer low level clouds in some areas of the state


Partly to mostly cloudy conditions statewide…
much of which consists of the high cirrus,
although there are rainy clouds just south

Fewer showers…although rain is evident to the
southwest, south and southeast of the Big Island

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

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 The Mauna Kea Summit…on the Big Island of Hawaii
High Wind Warning…Big Island summits

Cool and gusty north to northeasterly winds prevail…gradually becoming lighter 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 high pressure systems far to the northwest and northeast of the islands. At the same time, we have gale low pressure systems to the north and north-northeast of the islands, with the tail-end of cold fronts to the northeast through southeast, and a trough of low pressure to the south. The placement of these gales are 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 north to northeast winds continuing into the new work week. 

Shower activity has finally backed-off…although the considerable cloud cover continues. We’re finally seeing some easing-up in the passing shower activity along our windward sides, although the high clouds will continue to dim and filter our Hawaiian sunshine. The windward sides will continue to be the focus for whatever fewer showers pass through. The next possible increase of showers may arrive over the Big Island and perhaps Maui Sunday into early in the new week…although it will be more modest than the recent rainfall we’ve seen. An even longer outlook suggests that more rain may arrive around next Wednesday into Thursda, stay tuned. I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above, I hope you have a great Saturday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui: The skies are still cloudy here on Maui just after sunrise, although the rains have stopped in many areas…the windward sides still aren’t completely dry however. The winds are rather breezy early this morning, with a small craft wind advisory flag still flying. The low temperature was 54.7 degrees here at my weather tower in Kula. It was 68 degrees down at the Kahului airport, with 64 degrees at the Hana airport…and 41 degrees atop the Haleakala Crater at the same time. The warmest low temperature around the state was 71 degrees in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.

~~~ It’s now early afternoon at around 1240pm here in Kula, under partly cloudy skies, light winds, and an air temperature of 67.5 degrees. I just got back from my weekly drive down to Paia, and on the way down, and then back up, I had just a few very light sprinkles on my windshield…not nearly enough to put my wipers on for. The high cirrus is the primary cloud cover, with much of the recent lower level stratocumulus clouds now having parted way with our islands. I a little suspicious of the showers that are starting to show up to the south and southeast of the Big Islands, although they may take their time traveling northwest towards the Big Island and perhaps Maui.

~~~ We’re now into the early evening hours, at 525pm, under mostly cloudy skies, and gradually relaxing cooler than normal north to northeast winds. There hasn’t been any showers today here in Kula, and most areas around Maui County have remained much drier than over the last week or so. I’m still closely eye balling that area of rainfall to the south of the Big Island, as shown on the radar image above. It appears that it may be drawn up over the Big Island Sunday, and may brush parts of Maui later in the day as well. This new round of showers should likely stick around into Monday, although won’t be as intense or long lasting as the last period of wet weather that we’ve seen. The main thing today, and lately in fact, has been the chilly weather, brought our way on the north and northeasterly wind flow. The air temperature here at my weather tower here in Kula was 59.7 degrees at 605pm.

Friday Evening Film: My friend Jeff, his girlfriend Svetlana and another lady friend of ours saw a new film, which was the second in this series of films. It was 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.  

It turned out to be a good film, not one that had us jumping out of our seats, but good nonetheless. I personally enjoyed most of the acting, and the well seasoned actors too. Each of them had their individual stories going on, which gave some depth to an otherwise rather slow film. This is a film for older folks, and all of our group is in our 50’s and 60’s…so we fit right into that category. Quite honestly, there didn’t seem to be the need for a sequel to the first film, which stood on its own quite well. One of the uplifting things was the colorful Bollywood scenery, and seeing life in that part of the world. There was a certain sweetness to the whole affair, which gave a good effort in overpowering the melancholy of all that maturity. It was the polar opposite of the recent film 50 Shades of Grey…in no uncertain terms! One critic wrote: “A bit like a second linty mint delivered from the depths of your grandmom’s cardigan pocket: sweet but, really, no need.”  And finally, as for the grading, straight B ratings from our gang. 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: There are no active tropical cyclones

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.”