Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / June 15-16, 2015

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

84 – 70  Lihue, Kauai
87 – 74  Honolulu, Oahu
87 – 70  Molokai AP
88 – 68  Kahului, Maui
85 – 74  Kailua Kona
82 – 70  Hilo, Hawaii

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

4.51  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
1.76  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.31  Molokai AP, Molokai
0.39  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.48  Kula 1, Maui
0.31  Honokaa, Big Island

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

17  Poipu, Kauai – NE
21  Kahuku Trng, Oahu – SE
25  Molokai – ENE
23  Lanai – NE
32  Kahoolawe – NE
29  Maalaea Bay, Maui – NW
27  Puu Mali, 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

Upper level cirrus clouds to the south of the state – with
Hurricane Carlos near the Mexican coast…and
Tropical Storm Bill moving into Texas

Clear to partly cloudy…with bright white, high cirrus clouds
south of the islands – Looping version of this image

A few showers falling offshore…and across the islands locally

Here’s the looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands

Small Craft Advisory…windiest coasts and channels around
Maui County and the Big Island

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

The trade winds will be light to moderately strong today…picking up Tuesday onwards. 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 to the west, north and far northeast of the state.  The forecast calls for stronger trade winds moving over the state Tuesday, continuing through these last few days of spring…into the upcoming summer season.

Trade wind weather conditions will prevail through the next week. The windward sides will see a few showers, mostly at night…which will get carried our way on the increasingly strong trade wind flow. The atmosphere will remain somewhat unstable, which will enhance some of the showers that fall, although that influence should be fading soon. I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above, I hope you have a great Monday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui...early Monday morning near sunrise, skies are mostly clear to partly cloudy, with some thin high cirrus clouds moving over the island from the south. The air temperature here in upcountry Kula at 545am was 53.4 degrees, 69 down at the Kahului airport, 72 at the Hana airport…and 41 degrees atop the Haleakala Crater. It’s another beautiful morning, with the thin streaks of cirrus lighting up a nice pink! I see that the cumulus clouds stacked-up over the West Maui Mountains still have more than the normal amount of vertical development…indicating that our air mass remains somewhat unstable and shower prone.

– It’s now 1230pm, and after dark clouds gathered the last hour or so, we’re having our first rain shower of the day. It’s the kind of shower that you hear the plops on the roof, and can see large drops on the deck. It smells like rain, and yet…the shower is over after a quick five minutes. It may start up again, although there is a break at the moment. It’s 1245pm and the next shower has begun…lighter than the first. By the way, it looks totally sunny down on the north and south shore beaches…with no clouds at all! / Here it is at 415pm, and we’re starting to get a few big drops falling…the kind where there are 3-6 inches between these round wet spots.

– We’re into the early evening hours, and the afternoon clouds seem to be evaporating, as they should continue doing…as we move past the sunset hour. We should see some color at sunset, as some thin cirrus clouds are moving over the eastern islands this evening.

>>> 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

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days over the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean

>>> Gulf of Mexico: 

Tropical Storm Bill is now active about 15 miles south of Port Oconnor, Texas, sustained winds are 60 mph, moving northwest at 10 mph. Here’s a NHC graphical track map, a looping satellite image…and what the hurricane models are showing

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

RAINFALL: Bill is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 4 to 8 inches over eastern Texas and eastern Oklahoma and 2 to 4 inches over western Arkansas and southern Missouri, with possible isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches in eastern Texas.

WIND:  Tropical storm conditions are occurring within the warning area and will likely continue into the evening.

STORM SURGE:  The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters. The water could reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide.

The water could reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide…

Upper Texas coast…2 to 4 feet Western Louisiana coast…1 to 2 feet

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the landfall location. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.

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

 

>>> Eastern Pacific:

Hurricane 03E (Carlos) remains active about 105 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico, sustained winds are 75 mph, moving west-northwest at 5 mph. Here’s a NHC graphical track map, a looping satellite image…and what the hurricane models are showing

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

WIND:  Tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area through Wednesday. Hurricane conditions are possible within the hurricane watch area through this evening.

RAINFALL:  Carlos is expected to produce heavy rains in the Mexican states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Durango, and Sinaloa with rainfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches possible through Thursday morning. Isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches are also possible. These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides, especially in areas of higher terrain.

SURF:  Swells associated with Carlos will continue to affect the coast of southwestern Mexico during the next few days.

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: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

Interesting:  Human Health Risks associated with Climate Change – From heat waves to damaged crops to asthma in children, climate change is a major public health concern, argues a Michigan State University researcher in a new study.

Climate change is about more than melting ice caps and images of the Earth on fire, said Sean Valles, assistant professor in Lyman Briggs College and the Department of Philosophy, who believes bioethicists could help reframe current climate change discourse.

“When we talk about climate change, we can’t just be talking about money and jobs and polar bears,” he said. “Why do we focus on polar bears? Why not kids? Climate change isn’t just people hurting polar bears. It’s people hurting people.”

The public has become fairly apathetic to climate change, he said. But moving away from “save the environment” messaging could help people focus on the serious health risks of climate change, even if they’re skeptical.

A prime example: antibiotic resistance.

People understand “superbugs” are dangerous, thanks in part to bioethicists’ efforts, Valles said. Working in interdisciplinary teams and contributing to policy discussions, bioethicists have helped to successfully communicate the dangers of “superbugs,” which have evolved to resist penicillin and other antibiotics.

The same thing could happen with climate change if bioethicists have a seat at the table. They could aid communication efforts by doing what bioethicists do best: public advocacy and interdisciplinary collaboration, he said. And they’re experts in the analysis and communication of medical risk.

In addition, ethics will increasingly come into play as the climate change debate continues. Bioethicists could help mitigate tensions between skeptics and experts when dealing with complex socioeconomic issues, as they relate to climate change.

“It would be a major victory if slightly more often people would talk about the health effects, or at least try to imagine, the health-related risks involved with climate change,” Valles said. “There are some important justice issues at stake because the most vulnerable populations will feel the effects of climate change first.”

The study is published in the June edition of the journal Bioethics.