Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / April 29-30, 2015

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

82 – 72  Lihue, Kauai
80 – 69  Honolulu, Oahu
80 – 71  Molokai AP
84 – 71  Kahului, Maui
85 – 72  Kona Intl AP, Hawaii
81 – 68  Hilo, Hawaii

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

2.36  Kilohana, Kauai
1.68  Schofield East, Oahu
0.60  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.89  Kaupo Gap, Maui
0.77  Saddle Quarry, Big Island

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

27  Lihue, Kauai – NE
42  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
42  Molokai – ENE
40  Lanai – NE
36  Kahoolawe – NE
36  Maalaea Bay, Maui – NNE
40  Puu Mali, Big Island – E

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 cirrus over the islands…scattered low clouds east

Clear to partly cloudy…cirrus clouds over many
parts of the state – some color at sunset locally

Showers are falling over the islands locally…mostly over
the windward sides

Here’s the looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands

High Surf Advisory…rough surf conditions along north and
east shores

Small Craft Advisory…rough surf and strong trade winds
over most coastal and channel waters

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

Trade winds prevail, strong and gusty into Thursday…easing up some later Friday into the weekend. 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 and robust high pressure system located to the north of the state, with associated ridges extending east and west from its center. As a result of these high pressure features, and low pressure well to the south, our winds will come in from the east. These springtime trade winds will be strong and gusty, while likely peaking in strength today. The outlook shows no definite end to this trade wind episode, although they are expected to ease up some later Friday into the weekend…then strengthen again some early next week.

Showers will continue along the windward sides at times locally…increasing some Thursday night into Friday morning. We’ll continue to see off and on showers as moisture gets carried our way on the blustery trade wind flow. The windward sides will see the most notable shower activity…although somewhat drier air is beginning to filter into the state from the east. The leeward sides will be less showery, with more favorably inclined weather conditions, although with a few showers here and there. As we push into the upcoming weekend, our weather picture will take on a more pleasant look, with somewhat lighter winds and fewer passing showers. I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above, I hope you have a great Wednesday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…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: Tropical Cyclone 24S (Quang) is active in the South Indian Ocean, here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with a satellite image.

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

Interesting:  A Global perspective on hazardous chemicals in the workplace – Hazardous chemicals are a vital part of many industries, but lax and inconsistent safety standards put workers’ health and lives at risk all over the world, writes Christian Friis Bach.

Christian Friis Bach is Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Millions of workers are exposed every day to hazardous chemicals around the globe, in developing and developed countries. These chemicals are purchased and shipped from all over the world and differences in language and labeling could make them even more dangerous. However, thanks to a true success story of international cooperation, the danger is abating every day. This is worth celebrating on the World Day for Safety and Health at Work

In the European Union alone, up to 15 % of workers handle hazardous chemicals on a daily basis. And an astonishing 19 % of workers report being exposed to toxic vapors for a quarter or more of their working time! Exposure to dangerous chemicals in the work place can cause cancer, reproductive, mutagenic and respiratory disorders, permanent or transient damage to organs or skin diseases. Harm can occur either from a single short exposure, multiple exposures or by the long-term accumulation of chemicals in the body.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that more than two million people die each year from occupational and work-related diseases and that most occupational diseases are caused by chemical agents. Globally, the annual number of cases of non-fatal work-related diseases is estimated to be 160 million. Aside from the human and personal consequences of this, the associated economic costs are estimated to be some 4% of the world gross domestic product!

While this shows the danger of this type of work, we must also recognize the many benefits these chemicals bring us. They are present in our soap and other hygiene products, our medicines, our clothes and even our food. They are also part of many industrial processes used to develop products that we use every day to make our lives easier, safer and more comfortable.

The international community recognized in the early 1990s that if chemicals were going to be shipped and used worldwide it was important create a sound global management system. This became the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) – also called “The Purple Book” – and the secretariat was placed in UNECE. This system, adopted in 2002, has been gradually implemented by individual countries ever since. It is currently implemented, or is being implemented, in 68 countries around the world, from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and the US, to the European Union, Switzerland, Gambia, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Australia, China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Once a chemical is identified as carcinogenic, toxic or flammable in one country, it is identified as such in all countries using the system. The economic impact for manufacturers is huge since they do not have to conform to different classification and labeling criteria. But most importantly, workers in all these countries will enjoy the same level of protection thanks to universally agreed pictograms that identify the level of danger, from that of a skin irritant to a deadly substance. They are able to identify the hazards posed by a chemical immediately and apply the appropriate protection measures.

In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimated in 2012 that the implementation of the GHS in the workplace would increase the safety of some 43 million workers! It estimated the economic benefits associated with the reduction in safety and health risks at some $266 million a year, with an additional $585 million a year coming from cost reductions and productivity gains.

Last year, the Canadian government announced plans to adopt the system and estimated that it would bring health benefits of 30.5 million Canadian dollars per year

The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization are currently implementing the GHS in the field of pesticides, which will benefit hundreds of millions or farmers all over the world.

With 68 countries implementing the system, we have already achieved major progress, but with 193 member states in the UN, we are left with 125 to go. I urge every country which has not yet joined this success story to begin the process now. Together we can make a difference in the protection of millions of men and women by significantly reducing the risks of dealing with hazardous chemicals.