Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / August 12-13, 2015

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

87 – 78  Lihue, Kauai
92 – 79  Honolulu, Oahu – tied the record high temperature Wednesday…set back in 1994
91 – 75  Molokai
93 – 74  Kahului, Maui  – tied the record high temperature Wednesday…set back in 1949
90 – 79  Kailua Kona
87 – 75  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.84  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.23  Punaluu Stream, Oahu
0.08  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.14  Ulupalakua, Maui
1.02  Glenwood, Big Island

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

20  Poipu, Kauai – NE
27  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
27  Molokai – ENE
27  Lanai – NE
29  Kahoolawe – NE
31  Kahului AP, Maui – NE
29  Kealakomo, Big Island – N

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

Tropical Storm Hilda remains active in our area of the
central Pacific…and has quickened her pace westward

Here’s a real time wind profile of Hilda and our islands

Hilda will move by well south of the Big Island

TS Hilda will drop down into the tropical depression
category soon – meanwhile high cirrus clouds have
moved over the state in places


Tropical Storm Hilda is located about 210 miles south-southeast of
Hilo, Hawaii, the clouds to the north of Hilda, will bring
showers to parts of the state…especially windward areas

Tropical Storm Hilda continues being attacked by wind shear
aloft…and is now definitely being decoupled, with the lower
level separated from the upper level…to the right of the center

Showers are impacting the islands locally
looping radar image

High Surf Advisory…east shores of Maui and the Big Island

Tropical Storm Warning…far southeast offshore waters

Tropical Storm Watch…leeward waters around the Big Island

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

Flash Flood Watch…for the Big Island – starting this
morning…through 6am Saturday

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

The trade winds will continue…as Hilda moves by to our south. 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 moderately strong high pressure system to the north-northeast of the state. At the same time we see the approach of tropical storm Hilda not far to the southeast of the Hawaiian Islands. Our trades will range between gentle to moderately strong over the next several days. We may find our trade wind speeds becoming rather blustery, especially around the Big Island and Maui…as Hilda spins by safely to our south over the next couple of days. Looking beyond Hilda, we should shift back into a fairly normal trade wind weather pattern this weekend into next week. However, these trade winds will carry more than the ordinary amount of moist air our way, although weather conditions won’t be too much different…than what climatology would call for this time of year.

We’ll see occasional passing showers…along our windward coasts and slopes for the most part. The leeward sides will have fewer showers, with hot summer weather prevailing during the days…remaining warm at night. Tropical depression Hilda will be moving by south of the the Big Island, which will bring an increase in clouds and showers, to that island…and possibly for other parts of the state locally. This weather event isn’t going to be a threat, at least in terms of dangerously strong winds, although there’s a good chance that it will bring rainfall to some parts of the state. This precipitation may be heavy, enough to cause localized dangerous flooding here and there on the Big Island end of the chain. As Hilda passes, we’ll find sultry weather following in her wake, with off and on passing showers…focused most intently along our windward sides.

Tropical Storm 10E (Hilda) will move by south of the Big Island…as a less dangerous tropical depression. Tropical depressions have sustained winds that are less than 39 mph. Hilda currently has sustained winds of 40 mph…with gusts to near 52 mph. The forward progress, moving westward, has picked up to 9 mph. Here’s a satellite image, and what the computer models are showing. It appears that this tropical cyclone will influence our local weather conditions the most…today into Friday. At the time of this writing, Hilda still has an impressively large area of deep convection, located just off to the right of the low level circulation center.

According to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center:

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

SURF…SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM HILDA WILL PRODUCE LARGE SURF ALONG EAST AND SOUTHEAST FACING SHORES OF PORTIONS OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

RAINFALL…HILDA MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG AND NORTH OF ITS PATH. THESE RAINS COULD RESULT IN LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS INTO SATURDAY.

I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above and below, I hope you have a great Wednesday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui…It’s 540am Wednesday morning, skies are mostly clear, although with the usual clouds banked-up against the windward sides. The leeward beaches around Kihei and Lahaina, are totally clear. The air temperature here in Kula, at my upcountry weather tower was 59.2 degrees, while it was 76 down at the Kahului airport, 77 out in Hana, 70 over in Kaupa Gap…with a cooler 50 up at the summit of the Haleakala Crater at about the same time.

– We’re into the afternoon hours now, under a mix of clouds and sunshine. The trade wind breezes have accelerated a little, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them get stronger over the next couple of days. Here in Kula, at my place, we had a very short little shower, which lasted about 2 minutes…with big drops, and bringing a little cool air down from above. / Now at 420pm, skies are mostly cloudy, and it appears we have some volcanic haze in our atmosphere here on Maui now.

– It’s now early evening, and looking down into the central valley, from up here in Kula, I can still see volcanic haze. At the same time, we have lots of higher level cirrus clouds overhead, in addition to lots of lower level clouds as well. The cirrus may light up a nice pink or orange tonight, keep an eye out. Unfortunately, the Perseid Meteor Shower tonight will be masked by all the clouds around the state now, I’m disappointed…as this is being billed as one of the best of the year!

World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

>>> 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 Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea or Atlantic Ocean

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

>>> Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

1.)  A large but disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms centered several hundred miles south of Acapulco, Mexico, is associated with a tropical wave. Environmental conditions are favorable for a tropical cyclone to form from this system over the weekend or early next week while it moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph well offshore the coast of Mexico.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…50 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…90 percent

Here’s the NHC 5-day outlook

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:

Tropical Storm 10E (Hilda) remains active, with sustained winds of 40 mph, and is located about 210 miles south-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. Here’s the CPHC graphical track map, a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing.

Here’s a satellite image, of Hilda described above

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