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

86 – 77  Lihue, Kauai
90 – 78  Honolulu, Oahu – 92 was the record for Thursday…set back in 1986
88 – 75  Molokai
90 – 75  Kahului, Maui – the record for Thursday was 97…set back in 1951
89 – 74  Kailua Kona
86 – 69  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.97  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.17  Poamoho, Oahu
0.01  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.14  Kahoolawe
0.02  Mahinahina, Maui
0.29  Mountain View, Big Island

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

18  Poipu, Kauai – NE
25  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
24  Molokai – E
31  Lanai – NE
33  Kahoolawe – NE
30  Maalaea Bay, Maui – N 
35  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
to our east-northeast…and tropical depression Felicia
well offshore from the Mexican coast
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 to the east-northeast
of us…with lots of thunderstorms south of Hawaii
Looping version


http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg
Low clouds approaching from the east of the state…
taking aim on the Big Island and Maui
Looping version


http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
Showers mostly offshore of the islands…drier
air moving over the state now, although some
showers are impacting the windward sides
locally – looping radar image

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


~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~



The trade winds will remain active Friday…then easing up this weekend into early next 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 a near 1034 millibar high pressure system to the north of the state. Meanwhile, there’s a trough of low pressure (former Enrique) east-northeast of the state. The trade winds are expected to continue into Friday, faltering again during the weekend into the first several days of the new week ahead…leading to increased mugginess. The trades should return to more normal levels around next Wednesday onwards.

There will be showers falling locally at times…although not many for the time being. A typical trade wind weather will prevail for a little while longer, with a few windward showers…mostly over the Big Island side of the chain. The remnant moisture associated with former tropical cyclone Enrique, should get carried into the state on the trade wind flow Friday into the weekend. As the winds relax, we’ll slide into a convective weather pattern, with afternoon clouds collecting over and around the mountains…with localized showers. Finally, a large south swell is expected to arrive Friday, and will be large enough to bring advisory level surf along south facing shores this weekend. I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above and below, I hope you have a great Thursday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui…It’s 550am Thursday morning, skies are clear to partly cloudy over the island. There are high cirrus clouds northwest and north…which lit up a pretty pink near sunrise. The air temperature here in Kula, at my upcountry weather tower was 55.6 degrees, while it was 76 down at the Kahului airport, and 72 out in Hana, and 63 at the Kaupo Gap…all about the same time.

– It’s early evening now, with mostly sunny to partly cloudy conditions in general, with the most notable cloudiness along the windward sides. The trade winds are still active, and will remain so through most of Friday. As we get into the weekend however, get your fans ready, as it’s going to be feeling uncomfortably humid.


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:  

Tropical Depression 07E (Felicia)

Here’s the NHC graphical track map for TD 07W…which is located about 520 miles west of the southern tip of Baja, California. Here’s a satellite image, along with the animated version…and what the hurricane models are showing

1.)  An area of low pressure could form well to the west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula by early next week. Some slow development of this system is possible thereafter while it moves westward to west-northwestward.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…30 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

1.)  A broad area of showers and isolated thunderstorms associated with a weak surface low is more than 1250 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. Environmental conditions, especially in the mid and upper atmosphere, are not expected to be conducive for significant development of this slow-moving system over the next two days. Here’s a satellite image of this area

* Formation chance through 48 hours, low…10 percent

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Typhoon 1C (Halola) remains active…located about 195 NM east-southeast of Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan. 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.
Tropical Storm 12W remains active…located about 270 NM northeast of Manila, Philippines. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this 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:  Mangroves help protect against sea level rise – Mangrove forests could play a crucial role in protecting coastal areas from sea level rise caused by climate change, according to new research involving the University of Southampton.

A joint study between researchers at the University of Southampton along with colleagues from the Universities of Auckland and Waikato in New Zealand used cutting-edge mathematical simulations to study how mangrove forests respond to elevated sea levels.

Taking New Zealand mangrove data as the basis of a new modelling system, the team were able to predict what will happen to different types of estuaries and river deltas when sea levels rise.

They found areas without mangroves are likely to widen from erosion and more water will encroach inwards, whereas mangrove regions prevent this effect – which is likely due to soil building up around their mesh-like roots and acting to reduce energy from waves and tidal currents.

Coastal estuaries and recesses in coastlines that form bays receive the run-off from erosion on steep catchments, which give them the tendency to fill in over time. As they infill, the movement of the tidal currents over the shallow areas create networks of sandbanks and channels. The sand banks grow upward to keep pace with water level changes, while the channels get deeper to efficiently drain the excess water out to sea.

The researchers’ latest work shows that mangroves can facilitate this process, by adding leaf and root structures into the accumulating sediment, which increase the elevation while enhancing the trapping of new sediment arriving from the catchment.

Dr Barend van Maanen from the University of Southampton explains: “As a mangrove forest begins to develop, the creation of a network of channels is relatively fast. Tidal currents, sediment transport and mangroves significantly modify the estuarine environment, creating a dense channel network.

“Within the mangrove forest, these channels become shallower through organic matter from the trees, reduced sediment re-suspensions (caused by the mangroves) and sediment trapping (also caused by the mangroves) and the sea bed begins to rise, with bed elevation increasing a few millimeters per year until the area is no longer inundated by the tide.”

In modelling of sea level rise in the study, the ability of mangrove forest to gradually create a buffer between sea and land occurs even when the area is subjected to potential sea level rises of up to 0.5mm per year. Even after sea level rise, the mangroves showed an enhanced ability to maintain an elevation in the upper intertidal zone.

Associate Professor Karin Bryan, from the University of Waikato, says the spread of mangroves is changing the New Zealand coastal landscape. “In New Zealand, mangroves have been traditionally viewed as undesirable as they take over areas where there were once sandy beaches. In other countries, this is not the case as they are seen as a buffer for climate change in low level areas.”

“Now we know that they also could play a critical role in buffering our coastal land from the effects of sea level rise. Although the study is on Avicennia marina (the only species of mangrove that occurs in New Zealand), Avicennia occurs in every major mangrove habitat in the world.”

Overseas studies have shown mangroves have the ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere and protect people from hazards such as tsunami. The research team hopes that this work will enhance the case for protecting global fringing wetlands from the threats of drainage and clearance caused by development and aquaculture pressures.

“These findings show that mangrove forests play a central role in estuarine and salt marsh environments,” Associate Professor Giovanni Coco from the University of Auckland says. “As we anticipate changes caused by climate change, it’s important to know the effect sea level rise might have, particularly around our coasts.

“Mangroves appear to be resilient to sea level rise and are likely to be able to sustain such climatic change. The implications for the New Zealand coastline are considerable and will require new thinking in terms of sediment budgets and response to climatic changes.”