Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / April 1-23, 2015

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


84 – 71  Lihue, Kauai
84 – 69  Honolulu, Oahu
86 – 63  Molokai AP
88 –  65    Kahului, Maui 
85 –   74   Kona Intl AP, Hawaii
83 – 69   Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.42  Omao, Kauai
4.76  Punaluu Stream, Oahu
0.04  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.04  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.29  Kaupo Gap, Maui
4.04  Waikoloa, Big Island

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

25  Puu Lua , Kauai – NE
25  Kii, Oahu – SE
16  Molokai – SE
09  Lanai – NE
36  Kahoolawe – NE
18  Kaupo Gap, Maui – NE
27  South Point, Big Island – NE 

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



A low pressure system northwest 

Clear to partly cloudy skies, locally cloudy…cirrus clouds over
the eastern islands – deep clouds to the northwest

 

Showers are falling over the nearby ocean…
a few spreading onto the islands locally

Here’s the looping radar image for the
Hawaiian Islands

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~


Small Craft Wind Advisory…coasts and channels around Maui
County and the Big Island to Oahu waters

 

Lighter winds from the southeast…still gusty trades winds over parts of Maui County and the Big Island. 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 large high pressure system located to the northeast of the state, with an associated ridge of high pressure extending southeast and southwest from its center. As a result of these high pressure features, and a low pressure center located to our northwest, with its associated cold front, our winds will come in from the southeast and south. Southeasterly winds typically bring volcanic haze to many parts of the state. It appears that trade winds will resume early next week, as the cold front, that’s forecast to enter the state this weekend…dissipates.

Showers will be carried towards the islands at times…increasing during the weekend. The forecast has some showers falling here and there through Friday. The winds will shift from the current southeast to southerly through the next several days. This in turn will bring volcanic haze (vog) over some parts of the state. We’ll likely turn wetter through the weekend, as a cold front moves across the state. There’s the good possibility that some of this frontal precipitation may become locally quite generous. As the trade winds rebound early next week, the windward sides will see shower activity continuing. I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above, I hope you have a great Thursday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn. 

~~~ I flew to San Francisco, staying at my friend Linda’s house in Marin County, California for the first part of this spring vacation. The second part of this vacation was spent down at my Mom’s house in Southern California. I’ve since flown back up north, and will spend this final week in Marin and Sonoma Counties. I will be able to continue my daily weather updates most days, throughout this period of being away from the islands. I’ll be able to keep occasional travelogue updates of some of my adventures too, while I’m traveling as well. I’ll add those just below.

April 1 – The flight from Kahului to San Francisco was a short 4 1/2 hours, and was quite a smooth one too. I had my usual window seat towards the front of the airplane, as I enjoy looking out at the weather along the way. There was one problem, I had bought a beautiful sharwil avocado at the health food store this past weekend, and had watched it ripen perfectly.  I cut this beauty in half, and had expected to eat it, with a a few other things I brought onboard for my lunch. Somehow when I was looking for the spoon in my pack, I dropped the avocado on the floor beneath my seat. I was unwilling to eat it at that point, so it left me not only hungry…but a bit disappointed in myself for being so clumsy. At any rate, Linda had made a wonderful tofu with vegetables dish, with rice and salad for my dinner when I arrived around 1030pm. So it all turned out fine, and she had a small glass of nice New Zealand white wine for me too.

April 2 – Hi again, what fun! Linda and I had a nice breakfast, and then went to the San Rafael farmers market…which had everything we needed. The weather here in northern California is great, pure warm sunshine, and a cool breeze. It’s been a perfectly lovely day, with not a cloud in the sky! We have some rainy weather on the horizon, although which is expected to hold off until Saturday afternoon. As Linda and I sat out on her deck at sunset, sharing a nice glass of French red wine, I spotted the first sign of this upcoming change in weather, which was a few streaks of high cirrus, which lit up a nice pink…associated with this approaching wet weather situation.

April 3 – Wow, the time is flying, as usual when on my vacation. I’m still in Marin County at Linda’s house. I’m happy to report that my friend Bob (who I went to college with) is driving over here from his place near Sacramento. The weather remains near perfect, although I’m also excited to say that that rain is still expected to arrive this Sunday morning, with a second cold front expected next Tuesday. I don’t know what the three of us will do this afternoon, although I do know that Linda and I bought some great King Salmon for dinner, that we’ll have with broccolini and sweet potatoes…and of course a fine glass of red wine. We ended up working around Linda’s place after sitting around catching up with each other’s lives.

April 4 – It’s Saturday, with a definite change in the weather here in the north SF Bay area. It had been perfectly clear over these past several days, which is now giving way to increasingly thick high cirrus clouds. The forecast calls for showers to arrive late tonight, and last through Easter Day.  ~~~ Linda went to do a weeding project at the Audubon Marsh, so Bob and I went to the local REI store…and then across the 101 freeway to The North Face store. I was looking for a new down jacket, while Bob was hunting for a new tent for he and his girlfriend. This evening the three of us will be having a big dinner together, and drinking a bit of good red wine in the process. It’s one of the few nights of the year when we can have a party together!

April 5th – Happy Easter everyone! I hope everyone got some good chocolate in their Easter baskets this morning. Here at Linda’s, Bob, she and I took a nice walk this morning, while it was lightly drizzling. This slight moisture was unusual these days, and hopefully the next more significant storm will bring much more rain…and snow to the mountains. At any rate, Bob left this morning to be back with his family, while Linda and I just hung out for the most on this holiday. The weather was a little wet early, although has dried out and turned partly cloudy this afternoon. Linda and I are putting on an Easter dinner this evening, with five other of our mutual friends joining us here. I’ve been having the best meals since I got here to Linda’s, which is par for the course!

April 8th – I’ve had a great last couple of days here in Marin with Linda. We hiked around Phoenix Lake yesterday, and made it between a few showers. Linda left this morning to lead a hike in a place called Lagunitas. She’ll be talking about and pointing out things in nature, and particularly native birds to a class of students. I’ll be getting packed up soon, before having a couple of eggs, sourdough toast, fresh squeezed orange juice (I’ll squeeze it), and a fruit salad for breakfast. Then of course I’ll grind some dark roast coffee beans, and make myself a nice cup of java. I fly down to Long Beach early this afternoon to be with my Mom, which I’m very much looking forward to! I’ll spend a week down at her house, and then fly back up north for my final week of vacation before heading back to Maui. I’ll check in with you when I get down south, be well, Aloha…Glenn

April 10th – I’m still down here in Southern California at my Mom’s house in Long Beach. We’re having a good time visiting, and doing a few minor repairs and projects each day. We enjoy taking walks in the morning, then sitting down and having breakfast and coffee together. We’ve been having a small glass of wine around sunset out in the patio, with her two cats (Missy and Mr.) by our sides. We have our lunch and dinners together too, and then settle into some TV watching before we retire around 930pm. Last evening we watched a show called Doc Martin that’s my Mom’s favorite program of the week…I like it too. I’ve still got lots of time left down here, so we’ll continue to spend more good quality time together.

April 13th – I’ve still got a couple of good days left here at my Mom’s in Long Beach. We’ve been shopping, walking, working, and all kinds of other things so far, with more of that coming up into mid-week. We watched the heck out of the Masters Golfing Tournament on TV! My Dad was an avid golfer, and we set his urn of ashes in full view of the TV set…so he could be with us while we watched. My sister Judy is coming over this afternoon, and her husband will join us this evening for dinner. My other sister Janet will come over tomorrow, and we’ll have the day to hang out together as well. As you may know, my brother Steve is in Texas, where he’s lived for many years. The weather here in Southern California continues to be near perfect, that is if you enjoy clear blue skies, with warm sunny days.

April 17th – Hi again, I had a great time down in Southern California with my family! It was so good to reconnect with my Mom, and two Sisters. I’ve since flown back up to Northern California, staying with my friend Linda here in Marin County. We’ve been hanging out together, having walks and sharing meals, and enjoying each others company. The weather has been fabulous, supporting all of our outdoor activities. My friend Bob will drive over here from the Sacramento area today, and he’ll join us for whatever adventures that we can think up. Linda and I bought a beautiful slab of King Salmon at the farmers market yesterday, so we’ll plate that with potatoes, artichokes and a nice salad when he arrives. I have a tasty bottle of red wine that I’ll pull out of Linda’s cellar as well. I’ll catch up with you later, be well, Aloha…Glenn.

April 19th – Ok, I’m just getting ready to leave Linda’s here in Marin County, actually Bob and I are about to drive off. We went into San Francisco yesterday, and spent the day walking all over the place. The first hike was up one of the tallest hills in the city, called Grand View Park, which provided a terrific view of almost all of San Francisco. We then drove down to Ocean Beach, for a walk right down along the big surf that was breaking. It was chilly, under cloudy skies, and a brisk breeze coming in off the Pacific. It was lunch time then, so we drove over to a Whole Foods store in the Haight Ashbury District. It was so much fun to sit there in the warm sun and cool air…and watch all the interesting people walking in and out. Then we headed over to the Embaradero for a long walk along the marina. We stopped for a cup of Peets coffee, sitting outside for more great peopler watching. It was getting towards dinner time, and we decided to get what turned out to be a delicious takeout, and head back to Linda’s for one last evening of being together. We ended up sitting in front of the fireplace, with a nice fire going, and ate together. Bob and I are now heading out to the coast on Highway 1, for a drive up north to Sebastopol, Sonoma County. We’ll end up at our friend Greg’s house in Sebastopol, where we have plans to go out to dinner this evening. I’ll catch up with you in a day or two, Aloha…Glenn.

April 21st – Hi again, I’m here at Greg’s in west Sebastopol, and very much enjoying my short stay. It’s been cool and cloudy ever since I arrived, which is fine with me. Bob and I arrived at Greg’s two days ago, and took him out to a restaurant called Peter Lowell’s that evening…which we all like quite a bit. We came back afterwards and watched a bit of television, before getting to bed. Bob left early the next morning, to rejoin his girlfriend in the Sacramento area. I walked over to my friend Jeff’s, who lives about a mile up the road from Greg’s. Jeff has just gone through a bout of cancer, and it looks very much like he won that intense battle! We had breakfast together, once his wife left for her work day, and enjoyed sitting in front of his warm fireplace, and eased into a long intimate conversation. We then had a late breakfast, before driving into Santa Rosa for a doctors appointment he had. As we were driving back, we decided to see a film at the theater in Sebastopol. This film was very good, and was called True Story, starring James Franco, Johan Hill, Felicity Jones…among many others. The Synopsis: when disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel meets accused killer Christian Longo-who has taken on Finkel’s identity-his investigation morphs into an unforgettable game of cat and mouse. Based on actual events, Finkel’s relentless pursuit of Longo’s true story encompasses murder, love, deceit, and redemption. It was a dark and very heavy film, although Jeff and I liked it very much. Here’s the trailer, if you’d like to take a quick peek.

April 23rd – Ok, here it is, my last day in California, as I fly back to Maui later this afternoon. I’ve been in Sebastopol the last several days, and had a great time! I’ve been playing lots of baseball catch with Greg’s son Julian, along with tennis and ping pong. I saw Julian’s Mother Gillian the last couple of days, and my friend Susan came over for a big dinner last night. It has been a chilly time during the last week, although it turned sunnier yesterday. Greg and Julian are attending the San Francisco Giants vs. the LA Dodgers game this afternoon. They dropped me off here at Linda’s in Marin, so I can take the bus down to the San Francisco airport. It’s been another great vacation here on the mainland, and I’m looking forward to getting back home to Kula, Maui. I expect to find lots of high cirrus clouds and some volcanic haze when I land in Maui around 720pm. My neighbor David will pick me up at the Kahului airport, and I’ll head upcountry for a late dinner / I made it home, and will resume my regular schedule starting early Friday morning, Aloha…Glenn

>>> 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:  New oil repellant materials could help clean up oil spills – University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have announced a significant step forward in the development of materials that can ward off oil — a discovery that could lead to new protective coatings and better approaches to cleaning up oil spills.

In a new paper in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, professor of chemical and biological engineering David Lynn and assistant scientist Uttam Manna describe new coatings that are extremely oil-repellant (or “superoleophobic”) in underwater environments.

Lynn and Manna didn’t initially set out to develop highly oil-repelling materials, but their work on fine-tuning the nano- and micro-scale structure of materials led to the unexpected finding.

Manna says a unique, layer-by-layer approach to fabricating thin, multi-layer polymer films allowed the researchers to manipulate both the chemistry and the topography of the material, yielding three-dimensional structures that are porous at the micrometer and nanometer scale.

Even when damaged or subjected to physical abrasion, these porous materials remain superoleophobic. They also held up in simulated seawater, lake water and in the presence of proteins and other surface-active contaminants, making them good candidates for a range of practical applications.

“(These features) address some of the problems with other types of ‘superphobic’ surfaces,” says Lynn. “Once you put them out in the real world, they stop working.”

In one test, the researchers coated a glass slide with the superoleophobic film and abraded a section of the coating with sandpaper. The damaged areas continued to repel droplets of oil, which remained suspended above the surface in an ellipsoid shape, just as effectively as the untouched areas. The researchers also placed the film in boiling water, scratched it, froze it, stuck tape to it and ripped the tape off. Even when they succeeded in damaging the material, the researchers found they didn’t break down the porous structure that makes it oleophobic.

The materials can also be used to easily separate oil and water. In one test, researchers coated wire mesh with the material, then poured a mixture of water and motor oil through it. The water passed through and nearly all of the oil accumulated on top of the mesh, allowing it to be easily collected and recovered. The effectiveness of this simple process, and the ability to tune the properties of these materials, points to potential applications in all manner of situations where one chemical needs to be separated from another.

“We’re not just talking about the potential to develop new tools to help clean up oil spills,” Lynn says. “It could also be fragrances and pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals or other organic liquids.”