Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / June 10-11, 2015

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

84 – 71  Lihue, Kauai
87 – 73  Honolulu, Oahu
82 – 71  Molokai AP
85 – 72  Kahului, Maui
86 – 72  Kailua Kona
82 – 68  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.49  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.21  Tunnel RG, Oahu
0.10  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.03  Kahoolawe
0.03  Kahakuloa, Maui
0.95  Kealakekua, Big Island

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

21  Lihue, Kauai – NE
30  Kuaokala, Oahu – N
25  Molokai – NE
30  Lanai – NE
27  Kahoolawe – NE
23  Kapalua, Maui – NE
25  Pali 2, 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

Lots of high cirrus clouds in the deeper tropics to our south…
upper level low pressure system to our northeast – and a cold
front far to our north and northwest

Clear to partly cloudy…some cloudy areas – high
cirrus south / looping version of the picture above

Showers falling locally…mostly along the windward sides,
although not exclusively – some locally heavy

Here’s the looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

The trade winds will continue…although will diminish during the second half of this week. 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 well to the north-northeast, and east of the state. The forecast has the trade winds continuing, although having a reduction in speed Thursday through next Monday or so. This is yet another example of the unusual nature of our island weather conditions this spring. Climatology would suggest the trade winds remaining steady here in the tropics…with rarely an interruption as we approach the beginning of the summer season.

Trade wind weather pattern continues…although taking on a more convective nature during the second half of this week. The windward sides will see the most showers for the time being…which will get carried our way on the trade wind flow. The atmosphere will remain quite dry and stable however, limiting the amount of these showers in most areas for the time being. The atmosphere appears to be somewhat unstable over the eastern islands however, suggesting that we will see some enhancement to any showers that fall for the time being. As the winds back-off soon, we’ll see afternoon clouds with a few showers developing over our leeward slopes going forward. 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.

Here on Maui...early Wednesday morning near sunrise, skies are mostly clear, with just a few clouds over the nearby ocean, and as usual…capping the West Maui Mountains. The air temperature here in upcountry Kula at 550am was 50.7 degrees, 74 down at the Kahului airport, 68 in Hana…and 41 degrees atop the Haleakala Crater.

– We’re into the middle afternoon hours now, with clear to partly cloudy conditions in most directions that I can see. The trade winds are still with us, and there have been several strong gusts in Kula.

– We’ve pushed into the early evening hours now, partly cloudy conditions in general. There were some heavy showers over the Kona slopes on the Big Island, and perhaps a few over the leeward slopes here in east Maui as well.

El Nino – There’s been lots of news pointing towards El Nino conditions here in the Pacific Ocean lately. As a matter of fact, the El Nino developing in the Pacific this year keeps sending signs reminiscent of the most severe event in 1997-98. The 2015 El Nino, the first since 2010, continues to develop, and models suggest further warming of the tropical Pacific is likely. Sea surface temperatures are forecast to remain above El Nino thresholds for the remainder of the year.

El Nino related weather patterns can make Asia extremely hot as temperatures rise, hurting crops from rice to coffee and palm oil, while greatly limiting the hurricane season in the Atlantic, and bringing cooler, wetter summers to the United States. A sea surface temperature map for the week through June 10th clearly shows the pattern in the Pacific, with a warm tongue extending from the South American coastline, well south of Hawaii…and on across the International Dateline.

Here in the Central Pacific, El Nino typically influences Hawaii in the following ways:

1.) More Active Hurricane Seasons
2.) Four Most Active Seasons have been 1982, 1992, 1994, and 1997 – which have all been El Nino years
3.) Greater Chance of Late Season Hurricane Activity
4.) Drought Conditions during the Winter Months
5.) Numerous High Surf Events during the fall, winter…and early spring months

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) forecasters predict an above normal hurricane season in the Central Pacific Basin this year, and are expecting 5 to 8 tropical cyclones to affect the region. An average season has 4-5 tropical cyclones. That number includes tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes.

>>> Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

>>> Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s a satellite image of the Caribbean Sea…and the Gulf of Mexico

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days over the areas above

>>> Eastern Pacific:

Tropical Storm 03E (Carlos) remains active about 230 miles south of Acapulco, Mexic0, sustained winds are 40 mph, moving in the the northwest direction. Here’s a NHC graphical track map, a looping satellite image…and what the hurricane models are showing for what will become tropical storm soon, and then hurricane Carlos with time.

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: There are no active tropical cyclones

No tropical cyclones are expected through the next two days

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 01A (Ashobaa) remains active in the Arabian Sea, here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image – and what the hurricane models are showing

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

Interesting: Why are some states reducing EV incentives? – First of all we have to say that the vast majority of US state authorities are continuing with their current electric vehicle financial incentives, with many actually increasing the amount of funds available, but some states are struggling. Connecticut, Georgia, and Illinois are just three states in the US where electric vehicle financial incentives are being tapered down. Whether or not they are reintroduced in the future remains to be seen but budgets need to be balanced.

Is this a reflection of the technology?

It would be easy to say that we are yet again looking at a false dawn for the electric vehicle sector but this would be wrong. There has been enormous government and corporate investment in the industry and it is inconceivable to even suggest it will fade away into the background as it has done before. The simple fact is that many states across the US, and governments around the world, are struggling to balance their books during the current tight economic environment and schemes such as financial incentives to switch to electric vehicles are feeling the brunt.

Is this the end of incentives?

As we suggested above, while there are signs that some states are struggling to maintain these incentives going forward there are also many states offering further incentive packages. These incentives on the whole are likely to continue for some time to come but the fact remains that the industry will at some point need to be self-financing and self-serving. There is no way that governments and state authorities around the world can afford to fund the industry forever although in reality great progress has been made.

It is also worth noting that at some stage governments around the world will recoup more than their initial investment when taxes and other charges come into play. These financial charges are unlikely to emerge until the industry is on its feet and moving forward. This could be 10 years away or it could happen slightly quicker but at some point governments will want their fair share of revenue going forward.

Is this a blow for the industry?

The reduction in some financial incentives cannot be seen as a positive for the industry going forward but in some ways the hard work has already been done. There are now more and more electric vehicles on the road, sales figures have reached record highs although there is still some way to go. The sector is now more recognised and more accepted by the general public than at any stage in its history and with extremely encouraging battery technology advances the issue of journey anxiety should soon become a thing of the past.

Conclusion

It was inevitable that some governments and some state authorities around the world would sooner or later run out of funding for their electric vehicles schemes. However, it is also worth noting that while some states have reduced the financial incentives, others have increased theirs. The industry is moving forward, technology is certainly advancing and while there is still some way to go, the electric car industry is stronger today than it ever has been. Mass-market entry may not happen immediately but many experts believe it is inevitable after the significant investment of recent years.