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

86 – 75  Lihue, Kauai
88 – 77  Honolulu, Oahu
82 – 70  Molokai
88 – 73  Kahului AP, Maui
91 – 77  Kailua Kona AP
87 – 74  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.05  Kilohana, Kauai
1.53  Punaluu Stream, Oahu
1.73  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.04  Kahoolawe
0.93  Puu Kukui, Maui
6.98  Honokaa, Big Island

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

16  Poipu, Kauai – NNE
31  Kuaokala, Oahu – NNE
22  Molokai – ENE
32  Lanai – NE
27  Kahoolawe – NE
24  Maalaea Bay, Maui – NNW
27  South Point, Big Island – SW

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
Tropical Storm 07C (Oho) to our south…with a low pressure system
far to the north-northeast of the state – and tropical disturbances
well to the southeast and southwest 

Here’s a wind profile…of the area around the islands –
with a closer view of Hawaii

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/tc_graphics/2015/graphics/CP072015W.gif
Tropical Storm Oho will be taking a turn towards the northeast…
remaining offshore to the southeast, east and northeast of the
Big Island of Hawaii

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/floaters/07C/imagery/ir0-lalo.gif
Close-up view of Tropical Storm Oho, which will be
strengthening some over the next couple of days…
although isn’t expected to reach hurricane strength

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/vis.jpg
Tropical Storm Oho to our south – along with
Post-tropical Cyclone 08C southwest…and a
tropical disturbance with a medium chance
of developing to our southeast

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg
Partly to mostly cloudy, with Tropical Storm Oho to our
south – there are lots of clouds over the state…although
parts of the Big Island are mostly clear


http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
There are showers…mostly Oahu, Maui County
and parts of the Big Island – looping radar image

Tropical Storm Warning…offshore waters beyond 40 miles

 

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~



Trade winds will remain active over the islands…moderately strong and gusty at times. 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 high pressure systems well to the northwest and northeast of the state. At the same time, we find tropical systems to our southwest, south and southeast. Finally, there’s a gale low pressure system to our north…with an associated cold front in our general area. Our winds are arriving from the trade wind direction, and will continue to do so…although as Tropical Storm Oho moves by to our east and northeast…our local winds may be influenced to some degree.

We’ll find showers falling locally…some will be quite generous. The forecast continues to show tropical moisture, which is the northern fringe of rain loosely associated with this tropical storm, continuing to ride up over the Aloha State. The Big Island may get into an area of thunderstorms on Monday, which could lead to localized flooding. This will be the beginning of what looks like a prolonged period of off and on rain showers for Hawaii. As Tropical Storm Oho gets into the area east and northeast of the islands, the trade winds will pick up and carry showers into the windward sides of the other islands as well. Looking into the second half of the new week ahead…generally fine trade wind weather pattern is expected. However, it should be pointed out that we won’t likely be done with tropical moisture, with another potential increase in showers early next week.

Here on Maui…It’s 6am Sunday morning with clear to partly cloudy skies, along with windward clouds and showers…that stretch over the West Maui Mountains. / It’s later in the morning now, and I watched the low clouds come traveling over across the island from the windward side. At 11am the light rain began falling, and continues to do so as we head towards the noon hour.

– We’re into the early afternoon, and it’s pea soup fog here in upcountry Kula, with an ongoing light rain falling. I can’t see the rest of the island, although before this fog overtook my view out, it looked like most of the island of Maui was cloudy, with showers falling locally. The air has turned muggy again, with lots of tropical moisture now surrounding the state. / Rainy afternoon upcountry, moderate to heavy…and it just keeps coming down.

– We’ve just pushed into the early evening, and the afternoon foggy conditions have lifted, and even the rainfall has pulled back finally too. It was a wet afternoon up here in Kula, in no uncertain terms. It wasn’t a rainy everywhere though, as both Kona and Hilo on the Big Island, were reporting mostly sunny conditions for several hours. / Oops, just a few minutes later than that last update, we now have light drizzle and mist falling here again, although I can just sneak a peek of blue skies over along the north shore of east Maui…at least for the moment. / Now at 735pm, it’s dark and foggy, with a very light mist still falling.

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

Friday Evening Film: As is often the case, there were several good looking films playing, and a couple of new ones were starting up too. The one that my friend Jeff and I picked to see this time is called Pawn Sacrifice, starring Tobey Maguire, Peter Sarsgaard, Lily Rabe, Liv Schreiber, Michael Stuhlbarg, Evelyne Brochu, and Sophie Nelisse…among many others. The synopsis: In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. Also starring Liev Schreiber and Peter Sarsgaard, PAWN SACRIFICE chronicles Fischer’s terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world.

At the end of this film, Jeff immediately said “stunning”, and I couldn’t have agreed more. This film was both exciting and tense, which is saying a lot…when talking about the game of chess. The star, Tobey Maquire, playing the chess genius Bobby Fischer, was a perfect match, at least from what I could see. The actual playing of chess had a fairly minor role, with the bigger part of the film concentrating on the minds of the players. It was interesting, the chess players were mostly crazy guys, which somehow just went with the territory so to speak. Tobey played a person who wasn’t very likeable, in fact, he would fly into these rages at the drop of a hat. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this film, it was so good! As for a grade, Jeff and I both threw A’s on the table afterwards…in no uncertain terms. If you’re interested, here’s a trailer for this film – full screen viewing is best


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

>>> Atlantic Ocean:

Hurricane 11L (Joaquin) remains active, located 185 miles north of Bermuda with sustained winds of 85 mph (category 1 hurricane). Here’s the NHC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this system…and what the computer models are showing

1.)   Disorganized cloudiness and thunderstorms located a little more than 1000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles are associated with a broad low pressure area. Upper-level winds are expected to be unfavorable for tropical cyclone formation, and development of this system is becoming less likely as the low moves west-northwestward at about 15 mph.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 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: There are no active tropical cyclones

1.)   A broad and elongated area of low pressure located about 900 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula is producing limited shower activity. Environmental conditions are expected to become less favorable during the next couple of days, and development of this system is not expected while it moves north- northeastward and then northward at 5 to 10 mph.

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

Tropical Storm 07C (Oho) remains active, located 390 miles south of Hilo, Hawaii, with sustained winds of 50 mph. Here’s the CPHC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this system…and what the computer models are showing

1.)  A remnant low, formerly tropical depression Eight-C, was centered about 1325 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, and moving west near 10 mph. Thunderstorms have recently been occurring west and northwest of the low, but atmospheric conditions will likely inhibit redevelopment of the system over the next couple of days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours, low…20 percent

2.)  Showers and thunderstorms associated with an area of low pressure about 815 miles southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, have decreased over the past six hours. Environmental conditions are becoming less conducive for significant development over the next two days as it moves slowly north.

* Formation chance through 48 hours, low…20 percent

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:
 
Tropical Storm 23W (Choi-wan) remains active, located 669 NM northeast of Andersen AFB, Guam, with sustained winds of 69 mph. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this system…and 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:  Antibacterial vs. Plain Soap – A survey by the American Cleaning Institute and the industry-run Personal Care Products Council revealed that 74 percent of Americans use antibacterial soap.

Fifty-six percent of them use it regularly, and, reportedly, 75 percent of moms with children in the household said they would be “angry” if antibacterial soap was no longer on the market.

This “anger,” however, would be misplaced, since antibacterial soap manufacturers have been suggesting the products are necessary to fight germs, and insinuating they’re superior to plain soap and water in keeping away illness, for years.

Such soaps may have their place, such as in an operating room prior to surgery, but they’re being vastly overused in homes, schools, restaurants, and other settings with potentially devastating consequences.

Despite the reality, 84 percent of US adults surveyed said they have no health or environmental concerns about antibacterial soap.

The actual health and environmental risks of antibacterial soap have only relatively recently been uncovered, and they’re still not widely known, at least among consumers. Hopefully, the tide is beginning to turn, however, as yet another study has shown no significant benefit to using antibacterial soap.

‘No Significant Difference’ Between Plain Soap and Antibacterial Soap

In December 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule stating that manufacturers must provide data to demonstrate that antibacterial soap is more effective than plain soap and water.

The current study examined this question by exposing 20 FDA-proposed bacterial strains to plain or antibacterial soaps.

The bacterial strains included Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enteritidis, among others, and the antibacterial soap used the same formulation as plain soap, but containing 0.3 percent triclosan (the most widely used antiseptic agent in soap, as the maximum concentration allowed by law).

The bacteria were exposed to the soaps in petri dishes for 20 seconds at 22°C (room temperature) and 40°C (warm temperature) in order to simulate hand-washing conditions typically used by adults.

The bacteria were also spread onto the hands of study volunteers, who then washed their hands for 30 seconds using either type of soap and warm temperature water. The researchers found:

“Antibacterial soap containing triclosan (0.3 percent) was no more effective than plain soap at reducing bacterial contamination when used under ‘real-life’ conditions.”