Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday…along with the minimums Wednesday:
84 – 74 Lihue, Kauai
85 – 76 Honolulu, Oahu
84 – 73 Molokai AP
85 – 72 Kahului, Maui
87 – 74 Kailua Kona
82 – 71 Hilo, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands, as of Wednesday evening:
0.75 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
2.05 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.50 Puu Alii, Molokai
0.04 Lanai
0.34 Kahoolawe
0.87 Ulupalakua, Maui
1.17 Kawainui Stream, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Wednesday evening:
21 Poipu, Kauai – NE
37 Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
31 Molokai – NE
36 Lanai – NE
31 Kahoolawe – NE
28 Maalaea Bay, Maui – NNE
33 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
Low pressure systems with cold fronts north of the islands…
thunderstorms in the deeper tropics to our south
Low clouds being carried our way on the trade wind flow,
northern fringe of cirrus to our south – Looping version
Showers…mostly along the windward sides and over
the nearby ocean, although elsewhere too –
Here’s the looping radar image
Small Craft Wind Advisory…Alenuihaha Channel
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Moderately strong trade winds will continue…losing strength this 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 moderately strong high pressure systems to the northwest through northeast of the state. We should see moderately strong trade winds continuing through Friday. As we push into the weekend, our trades will falter, with onshore daytime sea breezes, and offshore flowing land breezes during the nights. This rather unusual weather situation, caused by a cold front pushing by to the north of the islands, should be short-lived however. Climatology would strongly suggest rebounding trade winds thereafter…well into the future.
Trade wind weather conditions will prevail…with occasional increases and decreases in showers. The windward sides will see the most frequent showers, especially around Oahu and Kauai tonight. A few of these windward showers will extend over into the leeward sides on the smaller islands too. There will continue to be some interior showers during the afternoon hours…on the larger islands locally. Looking ahead, if the trades falter this weekend as expected, we’ll see convective weather pattern taking over later Friday into the weekend. This would show up as afternoon upcountry clouds leading to localized showers, clearing back during the nights for the most part. As the trade winds rebound early next week, we’ll see returning off and on passing showers along our windward sides. I’ll return 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…it’s 555am Wednesday morning, with mostly clear to partly cloudy conditions over Maui, except there are low clouds banked-up against the windward sides…dropping showers locally. The air temperature here in Kula, at my upcountry weather tower, was 54.5 degrees, while it was 75 down at the Kahului airport, 72 out in Hana…and 45 up at the summit of the Haleakala Crater at near the same time. / Now at 1045am in Kula, it has started to drizzle. Looking down towards Pukalani, Kahului and the windward sides…I see moisture falling there too. Just a few minutes later, this misty drizzle has increased into a shower, with drips off the roof and the whole works. / The latest light shower just arrived on a cool trade wind breeze at 1155am.
– Now that we’re into the early afternoon, these little light passing showers have accompanied us…here in Kula. I can see that Kihei and Wailea partly to mostly cloudy, as are likely Lahaina, while there are showers falling in other areas…on this rather unusual later June afternoon. Meanwhile, I’ve been reading about this massive heat wave that’s about to overtake the Pacific NW and northern California’s interior sections. It sounds like record breaking heat, high evaporation…and potential wild fires over the next week or perhaps longer. / It’s now 205pm here in Kula, and it’s raining…this is not drizzle or mist! I can see that lower on the mountain, and down closer to the beaches, there are big patches of blue sky and sunshine in contrast. / It’s now almost 3pm, under cloudy skies and continued off and on wet conditions. The air temperature here in Kula is a relatively cool 71.9 degrees, while it was 82 down in Kahului, 81 in Kapalua, 77 in Hana, and 52 up at the Haleakala Crater. / Now at 435pm here in Kula, it’s a reality of pea soup fog, with off and on light showers. The air temperature is a cool 69.3 degrees…with near calm winds.
– We’re into the early evening hours now, and it seems the clouds are finally beginning to clear some, after an unusually cloudy day…as a area of clouds pushed through. These clouds are now moving across Oahu and Kauai, and in their wake, Thursday should be a sunnier and drier day in general.
~~~ Here’s a weather product that I produced for the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) this morning…covering the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico
~~~ Here’s a second weather product that I produced for the PDC this morning…covering the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the Arabian Sea
A beautiful nature video…with lovely Erik Satie classical music accompaniment – I watched it in full screen
>>> 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
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days over the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea or Atlantic Ocean
Here’s a satellite image of the Caribbean Sea…and the Gulf of Mexico
>>> Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones
No tropical cyclones are expected through the next five 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: Why do Americans waste so much food? – Americans throw away nearly half of their food every year, waste worth roughly $165 billion annually, according to a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The report estimates that the average American family of four ends up throwing away an equivalent of up to $2,275 annually in food. Even worse, there is evidence that there has been a 50 percent jump in U.S. food waste since the 1970s.
It’s especially troubling that at the same time, one in seven Americans, more than 46 million people, including 12 million children, don’t know where their next meal is coming from, according to a study by Feeding America.
Meanwhile, the rest of America continues to throw away unspoiled nutritious food. If we cut our food waste even by a third, there would be enough food for all those people who must rely on food banks and hand-outs to be fully fed.
Why Do We Waste So Much Food?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a typical American household discards 40 percent of fresh fish, 23 percent of eggs, and 20 percent of milk, in addition to plenty of fruits and veggies. We do this because we buy more than we can eat, so the food goes bad, or our meals are just too big to eat. We also swear too much by “sell-by” and “use-by” dates; these are not federally regulated and do not indicate safety, except on certain baby foods. Most foods can be safely consumed well after their use-by dates.
As NPR reports, farming practices also account for some food waste. Peter Lehner, from the NRDC, explains that if food isn’t sold to the best buyer, it can end up in a landfill. “anywhere from 1 percent to 30 percent of farmers’ crops don’t make it to market,” says Lehner. “The prices for fresh fruits and vegetables can go up and down quite a bit, and farmers may plant thinking they will get one price, but, by the time harvest comes around, there’s another price, and it’s not even worth it for them to get to the market.”
It may also be that the food looks strange: a misshapen tomato or a funky-looking carrot. Apparently Americans like uniformity in their produce.
What We Can Do To Prevent Food Waste
We may not be able to change the way farmers grow and deliver their produce, but there are some new ideas in the works: last year a supermarket in France launched “Les Fruits et Lés Legumes Moches,” (Ugly Fruits and Vegetables), and it was a huge success. Following that model, this year will see the arrival of “Imperfect Produce,” a company that will deliver a box of ugly produce to your door at a 30% discount. The idea of taking excess produce to a food bank is also gaining ground.
As consumers, here are five things we can do today to reduce food waste:
1. Avoid Throwing Food Away
You know, that bag of lettuce you forgot about at the back of the fridge, the leftovers from dinner last week that have started to grow blue mold, the half-onion you never used up. It all adds up. If you can compost your rotten produce, that’s great. But if not, then you are causing a problem. Food waste in landfills is the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste; once there, it decomposes and releases a large portion of U.S. emissions of methane, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
2. Shop Wisely
Plan your meals out, make a list before you go shopping and stick to it once you get to the store. Resist impulse buys and buy from bulk bins. Be alert for marketing tricks that make you buy more food than you need. Food items may seem like a bargain, but they are no bargain if you end up discarding them.
3. Prepare Smaller Meals
Get in the habit of fixing smaller portions. This will not only reduce food waste, but also shrink your grocery bills and slim down everyone’s waistline! If you are eating out, and there’s just too much food on your plate, ask your restaurant to pack up your extras so you can eat them later. Don’t forget about them, or you can freeze them if you don’t want to eat them immediately.
4. Buy Strange-Looking Fruit
Really, does it matter if a tomato looks a little odd, as long as it tastes good? Many fruits and veggies that don’t look “normal” get thrown out. Go ahead and buy the slightly odd, but perfectly good, produce, at the farmer’s market or at the store, so it doesn’t go to waste.
5. Use Your Freezer
Freeze produce and leftovers if you know you won’t get around to eating them before they go bad.
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