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

86 – 76  Lihue, Kauai
90 – 78  Honolulu, Oahu – the record for Saturday was 92…set back in 1979
87 74  Molokai
91 – 74  Kahului AP, Maui
the record for Saturday was 92…set back in 1953
91 – 77  Kailua Kona
89 – 71  Hilo, Hawaii

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

1.94  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.17  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.03  Molokai 1, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.12  Kahoolawe
0.02  Hana AP, Maui
0.48  Kiholo RG, Big Island

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

15  Poipu, Kauai – NE
18  Kii,
Oahu – NE
21  Molokai – NE
20  Lanai – NE

18  Kahoolawe – NE
21  Maalaea Bay, Maui – ENE

18  Pali 2, Big Island – NNE

Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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
Hurricane 12E (Ignacio) remains active over the ocean to the
east-southeast of Hawaii, with Hurricane Jimena following
behind to the east…and Hurricane Kilo located to the
west-southwest of Hawaii – please note that all three of
these hurricanes are major category 4…very rare!

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/tpac/ft-l.jpg

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/tc_graphics/2015/graphics/EP122015W.gif
Hurricane 12E (Ignacio)
…is forecast
to move by
offshore northeast of Hawaii – as a hurricane (H)

 

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/floaters/12E/imagery/vis0-lalo.gif
Hurricane Ignacio’s central eye…and classic symmetrical shape
of the hurricane’s cloud signature – this dangerous hurricane will
encounter stronger wind shear as it approaches our islands…thus
a rather pronounced weakening may occur

 

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/tc_graphics/2015/probwinds/EP122015_PROB34_F120.gif

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/vis.jpg
Impressive storms to our lower right and left…both
with distinct central eyes!

Here’s a wind profile…so we can keep an eye on
these major category 4 hurricanes!


http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg
Clear to partly cloudy skies, with most of the clouds in our vicinity
over the ocean…hurricane Ignacio is to the lower right – with a pretty
substantial band of showers impacting the Big Island, being carried
our way on the trade wind flow – which may be our first little taste of
Ignacio’s presence…beyond pictures


http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif

There are showers increasing on our windward sides
looping radar image

High Surf Warning…east shores of the Big Island

High Surf Advisory…east shores of Maui

Tropical Storm Warning…Big Island windward
waters, southeast waters

Tropical Storm Watch…Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe<
Maui and the Big Island

According to the NWS office in Honolulu:

HAZARDS AFFECTING THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS:

WIND…TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE ON THE
BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII STARTING LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY
MONDAY…AND STARTING MONDAY ON MAUI

RAINFALL…STORM TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF2 TO 4 INCHES..
WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS NEAR 6 INCHES MAINLY IN
AREAS OF HIGHER TERRAIN…ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA

SURF…LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY IGNACIO WILL ARRIVE ALONG
EAST AND SOUTHEAST FACING SHORES OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. RESULTANT SURF WILL BE LARGE AND
POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING…ESPECIALLY ON THE BIG ISLAND
LATER TODAY AND EARLY NEXT WEEK

 

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Please remember to refresh your browser each time you come to this Narrative Page, as I’m updating the information above and below constantly…and refreshing/reloading will allow you to see the very latest data and pictures

Light trades this weekend, followed by whatever winds…that hurricane Ignacio has in store for us. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean, along with a wind profiler of the central Pacific. We find a large moderately strong high pressure system far to the north-northwest of the state. At the same time we see hurricanes to our west, east-southeast and further to the east-southeast. Our winds will be light trades this weekend..not enough to eliminate the sultry conditions however. Hurricane Ignacio is forecast to move by offshore to the northeast of the islands, during the first half of the new week, our local winds will be greatly influenced by its passage, with the choices still ranging between quite light, and stronger than that in some places…stay tuned. The later part of the new week will be characterized by light winds, keeping very muggy conditions in place.

We’re experiencing a normal trade wind weather pattern this weekend, then as hurricane Ignacio moves by….we’ll see different conditions. As the trade winds remain active over our area through the next couple of days, we’ll see a few windward showers starting to return, with favorably inclined weather over our lovely beaches. As we push into the new week ahead…conditions could down grade into a possible wet reality into the middle of the week, first on the Big Island. It will all depend upon how close the center of hurricane Ignacio comes to our islands. At the moment, the Big Island and Maui County would be closest to the center of hurricane Ignacio, and would likely have the highest chance of rains, with the other islands still a question. If Ignacio stays far enough offshore, the heaviest rains would stay away, although we could have afternoon showers caused by the moisture laden atmosphere…triggered by daytime heating of the islands.

Hurricane 12E (Ignacio) continues to spin in our direction, and will approach our area Monday…first on the Big Island side of the state. As of the latest CPHC advisory, the closest point of approach, from the center of Ignacio to Hilo will be 152 miles…with 146 miles from Haleakala here on Maui. This system is one we’ll definitely need to continue watching very closely, even though it will be 2 more days before Ignacio moves into closer range of the islands. As it looks from here, we may turn wetter Monday through Wednesday…with still the chance of localized blustery wind conditions in some areas. It’s too early to know the exact details, in terms of winds and rain, although they should be coming into better focus soon. Here’s a satellite image, and the CPHC graphical track map, and what the computer models are showing.

Based on the most recent advisory, Hurricane Ignacio is at category 4 strength (142 mph sustained winds with gusts to 173 mph). Going forward from here, it looks like we’ll find a gradually weakening hurricane throughout the remainder of its life. Nonetheless, we could be dealing with a relatively close call by hurricane Ignacio. The exact distance offshore of this hurricane, will have a large bearing on how strong or light our local winds become in different parts of the state. We’d like to see the hurricane’s center remain well offshore, or even diminish into a tropical storm, which would limit our exposure to winds directly associated with Ignacio…and this latest advisory seems to be moving in that direction.

A high surf advisory is in effect for the east facing shores of the Big Island…from a swell generated by hurricane Ignacio. The advisory has now been extended to the east facing shores of Maui. Timing for the other islands will be delayed due to shadowing and blocking from the Big Island and Maui. Warning level surf is likely for the Big Island in the days ahead. The surf forecast thereafter rests on the track and strength of Ignacio. Swells generated by Ignacio will begin to arrive along east and southeast facing shores of the Big Island later today and increase to 15 to 20 feet today through Monday. Resultant surf will be large and potentially life-threatening, especially on the Big Island later this weekend and early next week. Some coastal inundation of low lying areas, including but not limited to the Kapoho area, is expected especially at high tide.

Meanwhile, Hurricane 13E (Jimena) remains active in the eastern Pacific. Jimena continues to be a major category 4 hurricane at the moment, and is likely peaking now. This hurricane will come into our central Pacific, and as it stands at the moment, as a category 2 tropical cyclone (96-110 mph)…by Tuesday night. Here’s a satellite image, and the NHC graphical track map, and what the computer models are showing. This is a very strong hurricane in the eastern Pacific, although it will have reached its peak before coming over into our central Pacific, which is happening now…and will be losing power as it heads west-northwestward thereafter. We aren’t worrying yet [why?] because we still have dangerous Hurricane Ignacio…soon to be on our doorstep!

Here on MauiIt’s 615am Saturday morning, and it’s mostly clear to partly cloudy at the time of this writing.

We’re into the early afternoon now, with all kinds of bright and very warm sunshine beaming down on our beaches!

Ok, we’re heading into the night time hours, and my understanding is that we’ll be accompanied through this Saturday night…by a big full or near full August Moon!

Here’s the numbers…during the last month there have been 461,169 visits to this website as of yesterday (Saturday). There had been 1,097,467 page impressions on this website during that same period. In terms of the number of clicks on the google ads on this site, there had been 2,697 as of yesterday. Thank you very much for visiting Hawaii Weather Today online!

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

Friday Evening Film: I really needed to get away from the computer, get away from hurricane coverage, and go downtown, hang out with some friends, have dinner, and see an action film…really needed to! This film is called The Man From U.N.C.L.E. starring Henry Cavill, Alicia Vikander, Armie Hammer, Hugh Grant, Elizabeth Debicki, and Jared Harris…among many others. The synopsis: “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

This was such a delicious distraction from hurricane monitoring, believe me! As I’m short of time, what else is new these days, I’m going to make this review short and sweet. The film was a great blend of comedy and pretty heavy duty violence, although not terribly violent by any means. It was very entertaining, with lots of style…delivering humor, action, handsome men, and beautiful women all mixing it up in a smart way. My friend Svetlana gave it a full-on A grade, top of the line, while Jeff and I turned over a slightly less impressive -A rating. I was so happy to see this elegant James Bond type thriller! In case any of this catches your interest…here’s the trailer.


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

>>> Atlantic Ocean: 

Tropical Storm 06L (Fred) remains active over the Atlantic Ocean, with sustained winds of 50 mph…and is located about 260 miles east-southeast of Praia in the Cape Verde Islands. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, and a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

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

1.)   A trough of low pressure associated with the remnants of Erika is producing areas of heavy rain over portions of south Florida, the Florida Keys, and Cuba. Although there are no signs of redevelopment at this time, upper-level winds could become marginally favorable for tropical cyclone formation over the next day or so. Regardless of this system’s prospects for regeneration, locally heavy rains and gusty winds are expected to spread northwestward and then northward across Florida and the eastern Gulf of Mexico later today and Monday. 

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…20 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…30 percent

>>> 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:

Hurricane 13E (Jimena) remains active in the northeast Pacific, with sustained winds of 130 mph…and is located about 1725 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, and a satellite image. Here’s what the computer models are showing

1.)  Showers and thunderstorms associated with an area of low pressure located several hundred miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, continue to become better organized. Environmental conditions are conducive for slow development, and this system is likely to become a tropical depression in a few days while it moves toward the west-northwest at about 10 mph.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…30 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…80 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
:

Hurricane 12E (Ignacio) remains active in the central Pacific, with sustained winds of 140 mph…and is located about 450 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, and a satellite image. Here’s what the computer models are showing

Hurricane 03C (Kilo) remains active in the central Pacific, with sustained winds of 135 mph, which keeps it at a major category 4 system, and is located about 640 miles south of Midway Island. Here’s the CPHC graphical track map, and a satellite image. Here’s what the computer models are showing. This hurricane is forecast to begin weakening now…and continues to pose no threat to the Hawaiian Islands.

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:
Walrus’s hit the beaches again – 
On both sides of the Bering Strait, summer sea ice has once more dropped to a level that is driving thousands of walruses onto coastal beaches.

Photos taken in Ryrkaypiy in Chukotka, Russia show an estimated 5,000 walruses hauled out in that spot, while across the strait in the United States, thousands more are hauled out near the village of Point Lay, Alaska. Villagers in both places are working to protect resting walrus herds from curious onlookers, as walruses hauled out in such large numbers on beaches are prone to being stampeded, killing smaller animals in the crush.
 
During the late summer and early fall, the Pacific walruses of the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska and of Russia’s Chukotka prefer to rest on sea ice over the shallow waters of the continental shelf.  In those areas they can readily access food on the seabed. However, in most years since 2007 when Arctic sea ice extent plummeted to a record low, walruses have been forced ashore because there has been no sea ice over their preferred shallow feeding areas. 
 
“This past July was the second warmest on record for Alaska,” said Pete Ewins, WWF Arctic species specialist.  “So it’s not surprising that we’re seeing these animals on the beaches quite early. While haulouts can be potentially dangerous to the animals gathered on shore, we’re concerned about what events such as these mean for the health of the entire Arctic marine system.”

The haulouts are also happening just days before US President Barack Obama, foreign ministers and other senior representatives visit the region to attend a US government hosted Arctic meeting known as GLACIER. During their visit, they will discuss the changing climate of the region and the need to come together and support a strong climate deal during the global climate negotiations in Paris.