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

85 – 73  Lihue, Kauai
88 – 75  Honolulu, Oahu
89 – 72  Molokai
91 – 73  Kahului AP, Maui – the record Monday was 93…set back in 1953
90 – 81  Kailua Kona
90 – 75  Hilo, Hawaii – a new record, the old was 89…set back in 1976

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

0.48  Omao, Kauai
1.48  Luluku, Oahu
0.99  Makapulapai, Molokai
0.67  Lanai
0.10  Kahoolawe
2.98  Kaupo Gap, Maui
3.71  Kawainui Stream, Big Island

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

18  Mana, Kauai – SE
23  Kuaokala, Oahu – NNE
18  Molokai – SW
20  Lanai – NE
18  Kahoolawe – SW
14  Maalaea Bay, Maui – NW
17  Kohala Ranch, Big Island – W

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
 The are several counter-clockwise rotating areas of low
pressure north and well east of Hawaii, while the tropics
to our south and southeast are full of active thunderstorms

 

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/vis.jpg
There are areas of thunderstorms well offshore
to the west, southwest, south and southeast –
I’m particularly watching the southeast stuff


http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg
There are towering cumulus and even a couple of
thunderstorms around at the time of this writing


http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
There are showers over and around the islands, some of
which are heavy…especially around Maui, Oahu and the
Big Island – looping radar image


~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~



Our local winds are variable in direction, although generally south to southeast…making for very sultry conditions. 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 very large, strong high pressure system to the north-northeast of the state. At the same time we see a trough of low pressure over the western islands. This trough of low pressure is causing the winds to weaken and blow from the south and southeast now…keeping very sultry weather in place. We need to remember as well, that southeast breezes can carry volcanic haze (vog) over some of the smaller islands, from the vents on the Big Island. It will likely take until later Wednesday or Thursday…before a more normal trade wind weather pattern resumes for at least a couple of days. The upcoming wind speeds and directions for the weekend…are up in the air now.

We’ll see our showers focused over the interior sections in the afternoon hours…although with a few elsewhere at times too. The atmosphere remains moist and unstable, which will keep the chance of heavy afternoon downpours in the forecast into Tuesday. A surface low pressure trough is near Kauai now, with an upper level low pressure system moving close to Kauai soon as well. These low pressure features will team up to keep the chance of showers over the state…with even a few more afternoon thunderstorms firing-off here and there. There’s a chance that some of this rainfall may trigger localized flooding over the next couple of days. As the trade winds return after the middle of the week, shower activity will shift back over to our windward sides by Thursday or Friday.

Tropical Cyclones: The reliable GFS weather model is currently projecting a tropical cyclone moving by to our south, then curving north and northeast, and potentially making a landfall over the central islands…late this week. On the other hand, the Navy’s NAVGEM weather model also shows a storm moving by to our south, although has it turning into the area offshore to the southwest of Kauai. I’ll continue to watch this outlook through the next several days, and we’ll either see a tropical cyclone forming to the southeast of the Big Island…or not. This tropical disturbance is currently being referred to as Invest 93C…here’s a satellite image of this area – along with some other computer models are showing. As we can see, there continues to be quite a spread in their forecast solutions, so nothing is certain at this point.

For the record, this is simply a snapshot of now, and as we all know…these outlooks change frequently. I’ll continue to watch this potential situation for more ground truth. Let’s just call it a long shot for the time being. Stay tuned for more over the next several days, as the models either drop this threat, or begin to work it up more fully. At this point, we can use this satellite image, with the general area marked with an orange X…which has a 50% chance of developing into something over the next 2-days.

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

Here on Maui…It’s 545am Monday morning, skies are mostly clear, and I don’t see any vog. The air temperature here in Kula, at my upcountry weather tower was 62.2 degrees, while it was a warmer 75 down in Kahului, 77 out in Hana, 66 in Kaupo, and a cooler 46 up at the summit of the Haleakala Crater at about the same time. / It’s now 1020am, and the clouds are gathering force over and around the Haleakala Crater, and elsewhere locally. I’m now beginning to see a bit of volcanic haze (vog) in our atmosphere too. / BTW, the Kahului airport has airplanes taking off in the opposite direction than normal, as the winds are more southerly than our typical trade winds. This is what I would call a rarity during the summer month of August. / It’s now 1110am, and it just started to lightly rain here in Kula, although I can still see vog and sunshine down in the central valley.

– We’re into the early afternoon now, and here in Kula at my place, it’s raining, foggy, cool, and breezy…I have to say I love it! It’s like a winter rainy day, only at least 10 degrees warmer. Now I’m hearing big claps of thunder, which means that lightning isn’t far off…and its pouring rain at 1pm! / Now at 210pm, the rains have stopped, the sun is trying to come out, although I doubt whether we’ve seen the last of this afternoon’s downpours. / Now at 430pm, the sun has been out for the last hour or two, although there are some towering cumulus clouds within sight. I have some friends down at the beach on the north shore, and they just told me it was pouring down there.

– It’s partly to mostly cloudy over most of Maui, with some clear skies along the north coast at 625pm. There are numerous towering cumulus clouds, which is indicative of an unstable atmosphere. I’m sure there are showers, some heavy, falling from these clouds in places. Here in Kula, we just had that one good rain early in the day, although it wouldn’t surprise me to see some more showers arriving with time this evening.


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

>>> Atlantic Ocean: 

Tropical Depression 4L is now active, with sustained winds of 35 mph, and is located about 1665 miles east of the Windward Islands. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, and a satellite image. Here’s what the computer models are showing. This depression is expected to become tropical storm Danny soon.

1.) A non-tropical area of low pressure is expected to form within a couple of hundred miles of Bermuda over the western Atlantic Ocean in a few days. Environmental conditions could support some tropical or subtropical development of the system by the weekend while it moves slowly northward.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…20 percent

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

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

>>> Eastern Pacific:

Post-Tropical Cyclone 11E is dissipating, with sustained winds of 30 mph, and is located about 1000 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, and a satellite image. This depression is now a remnant low…and has been given its Final Advisory.

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 widespread area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms associated with a nearly stationary area of low pressure is located about 870 miles south-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. Environmental conditions appear to support some slow development in this area during the next couple of days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours, medium…50 percent

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:


Typhoon 16W (Goni) remains active with sustained winds of 100 knots, and is located about 546 NM souith-southeast of Kadena AB, Okinawa. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map…and a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing.

Typhoon 17W (Atsani)…expected to become a Super Typhoon within 24 hours, remains active with sustained winds of 120 knots, and is located about 606 NM east-northeast of Andersen AFB, Guam. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map…and a satellite image…and what 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: US EPA proposes regulations to reduce methane emissions from landfills – As part of the Administration’s Climate Action Plan – Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued two proposals to further reduce emissions of methane-rich gas from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. Under today’s proposals, new, modified and existing landfills would begin collecting and controlling landfill gas at emission levels nearly a third lower than current requirements.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential more than 25 times that of carbon dioxide. Climate change threatens the health and welfare of current and future generations. Children, older adults, people with heart or lung disease and people living in poverty may be most at risk from the health impacts of climate change. In addition to methane, landfills also emit other pollutants, including the air toxics benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and vinyl chloride.

Municipal solid waste landfills receive non-hazardous wastes from homes, businesses and institutions. As landfill waste decomposes, it produces a number of air toxics, carbon dioxide, and methane. MSW landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the U.S., accounting for 18 percent of methane emissions in 2013 – the equivalent of approximately 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution.

Combined, the proposed rules are expected to reduce methane emissions by an estimated 487,000 tons a year beginning in 2025 – equivalent to reducing 12.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, or the carbon pollution emissions from more than 1.1 million homes. EPA estimates the climate benefits of the combined proposals at nearly $750 million in 2025 or nearly $14 for every dollar spent to comply. Combined costs of the proposed rules are estimated at $55 million in 2025.