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

85 – 76  Lihue, Kauai
90 – 78  Honolulu, Oahu – record high for Saturday was 91…back in 1985
86 – 74  Molokai
88 – 76  Kahului, Maui 
89 – 76  Kailua Kona
86 – 73  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.59  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.27  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.08  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.03  Mahinahina, Maui
0.64  Pahoa, Big Island

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

20  Poipu, Kauai – NE
29  Kuaokala, Oahu – N
24  Molokai – NE
27  Lanai – NE
22  Kahoolawe – NE
27  Kapalua, Maui – NE
27  Kealakomo, 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

http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_ir_enh_west_loop-12.gif
We see what’s left of former tropical depression Enrique
well to our east, along with former tropical storm Dolores
close to Mexico…both in the eastern Pacific
more information below

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/vis.jpg
We see the swirl of clouds associated with former
 tropical depression Enrique well to the east of us
Looping version


http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg
Scattered showers moving across the state at times locally
   Looping version


http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
A few showers over the ocean…passing or forming
over the islands locally  – looping radar image


~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~



The trade winds will continue to blow through the next week…becoming lighter at times. 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 strong, near 1036 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of the state…moving southwest. Meanwhile, there are tropical systems/troughs west, southwest and east of the state…moving more or less westward. The trade winds are expected to continue through this weekend into the new week ahead. The latest forecast suggests that our winds will become somewhat lighter at times, resulting in a mixture of light to moderately strong trades…and daytime sea breezes.

Off and on showers at times…especially during the night and early morning hours. The bulk of these showers will fall along our windward coasts and slopes, with some popping-up over the interior sections during the afternoons too. There’s always the chance that a few of these showers will be enhanced enough, that some of them could be quite generous. I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above and below, I hope you have a great Saturday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui…it’s 6am Saturday morning, skies are partly cloudy over the the island…with showers falling locally. The air temperature here in Kula, at my upcountry weather tower was 59.6 degrees, while it was 77 down at the Kahului airport, and 73 out in Hana…with a 45 degree reading up at the summit of the Haleakala Crater at near the same time.

– It’s early afternoon now, with a mix of sunny weather, partly cloudy conditions…and then some mostly cloudy skies around too. This is all normal of course, in terms of climatology would say about this summer period. I was down shopping in Paia this morning, where it was sunny and very warm. As I got back home here to Kula, it was partly to mostly cloudy and cooler of course. The air temperature here at my weather tower was 79.9 degrees at 1pm, while at about the same time, it was 85 degrees at the Kahului AP, 84 over in Kapalua, and 82 and sunny out in Hana town. Meanwhile, it was a cooler 55 degrees up at the summit of the Haleakala Crater. 

– We’re into the early evening time period now, and it continues to be a really nice day. There are blue skies mixed with partly cloudy areas too. In sum, it’s such a pleasure to live here on Maui, out in the middle of this huge Pacific Ocean! Have a great night, I’ll catch up with you soon.

Friday Evening Film – There are a whole host of new films out this week, several of which I’ve been looking forward to seeing. My friend Jeff and I saw one of these called Mr. Holmes, starring Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, Milo Parker, and Hattie Morahan…among others. The synopsis: Mr. Holmes is a new twist on the world’s most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it’s too late.

I wasn’t too sure of what to expect from this film, although I had a feeling it might be very good…and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. As a matter of fact, both Jeff and I gave it an A grade, which neither one of us dispenses lightly. It was unavoidable to experience the sadness of aging by seeing this film, although the smart script kept it afloat very well. It was a period drama, which was anchored in very large part…by the stellar performance of 75 year old Ian Mckellen. As a matter of fact, each of the actors gave noteworthy performances, with not a bad apple in the bunch. There were deep emotions being displayed on the screen, which were easily felt by sitting in the audience, and at times they were very touching. I’m so glad that I decided to see this film, as I considered it a splendid piece of work, one of the best in a while. There was a certain sensitivity that ran throughout this film, that I appreciated very much. If you’d care to take a quick peek…here’s the trailer.


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

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

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

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

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

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 Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea or Atlantic Ocean

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

>>> Eastern Pacific:

Post-tropical cyclone 05E (Dolores)…is dissipating in the eastern Pacific Ocean, located 285 miles west-southwest of Punta Eugenia, Mexico. Here’s a graphical track map of this system. Here’s a satellite image – Final Advisory

1.)   SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED ABOUT 700 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ACAPULCO, MEXICO, HAVE CHANGED LITTLE IN ORGANIZATION OVERNIGHT. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS REMAIN CONDUCIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT, AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION IS LIKELY TO FORM DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO WHILE THE SYSTEM MOVES NORTHWESTWARD AT ABOUT 10 MPH WELL OFFSHORE OF THE COAST OF MEXICO.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…70 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…90 percent

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

Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Depression 1C (Halola) remains active…located about 584 NM east-southeast of Iwo To.
Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this gradually strengthening tropical cyclone. Here’s what the computer models are showing.

>>> 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: Acidic Arctic Ocean Threatens Food Web – One byproduct of rising carbon-dioxide levels is increasing ocean acidity — a phenomenon that scientists have termed an existential threat to marine life. The waters of the Arctic and the far-north Pacific are particularly prone to acidification as a result of several natural factors, so scientists regard the region as the proverbial canary in the coal mine for the rest of the world’s oceans. A new study shows that within just fifteen years these waters may be too acidic for a range of marine animals to build and maintain their shells year round.
 
Ocean acidification works like this: The top layer of the ocean comes into contact with atmospheric gases, gradually dissolving them. Carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid when dissolved in water, increasing the ocean’s acidity. As ocean water acidifies, it eventually loses its ability to maintain levels of calcium carbonate minerals that many marine organisms, from tiny plankton at the bottom of the food chain to clams and crabs, require to build their shells.


The new study, published in the journal Oceanography, notes that already, “[t]he rapid accumulation of carbon dioxide in the upper thousand meters of the ocean has fundamentally altered the chemistry of seawater, making the ocean on average ~30% more acidic.”

To identify how long it would take for Pacific-Arctic waters to reach critical thresholds beyond which shelled animals would not be able to reproduce or survive, researchers from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution spent a month on the US Coast Guard cutter Healy in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas off Alaska. From cutter Healy, they evaluated the water chemistry in the region, measuring things like temperature, salinity, and dissolved carbon. With their measurements they were able to validate the predictions of a computer model designed to predict changes in ocean acidity in the region. They then used the model to project future acidification levels in the Pacific-Arctic region.

The model predicted that levels of aragonite — a calcium-carbonate mineral critical for shell building — will fall mostly below natural thresholds for most of the year in 2025 in the Beaufort Sea, in 2027 in the Chukchi Sea, and in 2044 in the Bering Sea.

“Our research shows that within 15 years, the chemistry of these waters may no longer be saturated with enough calcium carbonate for a number of animals from tiny sea snails to Alaska King crabs to construct and maintain their shells at certain times of the year,” Jeremy Mathis, an oceanographer with NOAA and lead author of the study, said in a press release.

The ripple effects of these large-scale ecosystem disturbances are likely to be felt higher up the marine food chain. Eventually, they may have enormous economic and nutritional ramifications for human populations that rely on fish. According to the release, nearly 60 percent of the US’s commercial fisheries landings by weight are harvested in Alaska. That’s 5.8 billion pounds of seafood worth $1.9 billion annually.

“The Pacific-Arctic region, because of its vulnerability to ocean acidification, gives us an early glimpse of how the global ocean will respond to increased human-caused carbon dioxide emissions, which are being absorbed by our ocean,” Mathis said in the press release. “Increasing our observations in this area will help us develop the environmental information needed by policy makers and industry to address the growing challenges of ocean acidification.”