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

83 – 71  Lihue, Kauai
87 – 71  Honolulu, Oahu
83 – 67  Molokai
86 – 71  Kahului AP, Maui
91 – 74  Kailua Kona AP
84 – 66  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.43  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.33  Waianae Valley, Oahu
0.26  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.11  Kaupo Gap, Maui
0.80  Pahala, Big Island

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

27  Mana, Kauai – NNW
25  Kuaokala, Oahu – NNE
21  Molokai – NE
22  Lanai – NE
31  Kahoolawe – NNE
10  Hana AP, Maui – NW
29  Kohala Ranch, Big Island – NNE

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
Post-tropical cyclone Oho is now far to our northeast…moving
away very quickly over the 0pen ocean

Here’s a wind profile…of the well offshore
from the islands – with a closer view of the
Hawaiian Islands

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/tc_graphics/2015/graphics/CP072015W.gif
Oho will move far offshore to the northeast of Hawaii…and remain
well offshore of the California/Oregon/Washington coasts – when
is the last time we saw a Tropical Storm heading into the Gulf of
Alaska – while offshore of the BC, Canadian coast…like NEVER!!!

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/floaters/07C/imagery/ir0-lalo.gif
Close-up view of whats left of Oho, which will cross 140W longitude,
leaving the CPHC’s area of responsibility…and entering the NHC’s
area of responsibility today 

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/vis.jpg
Generally clear to partly cloudy…east and northeast

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg
Clear to partly cloudy…some cloudy areas


http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
Scattered showers – looping radar image

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~



Relatively cool north to northeast winds are active…picking up in strength a little and veering back to the trade wind direction Thursday into the weekend. 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 Hurricane Oho to our northeast, moving northeast quickly. Finally, there’s several low pressure systems at varying distances to our north through northeast. Our winds are arriving from the north to northeast, and will gradually veer back towards the more normal northeast to easterly directions through the rest of the week.

We’ll find a few showers, although we’re now back into a somewhat drier weather pattern for the time being. Looking into the second half of this week…generally fine trade wind weather conditions are expected. A drier and more stable air mass is flooding in over the state now, with just scattered windward biased showers expected into the early weekend time frame. As we get into later Saturday and Sunday, we may find an increase in showers arriving from the east to east-southeast. The long range outlook continues to show a possible cold front sliding down into our area later next Tuesday into Wednesday…bringing rain to the state.

Here on Maui…It’s 550am Wednesday morning with clear to partly cloudy skies…it remains breezy. Now that it’s just light enough to see, there are clouds banked up along the windward sides locally, which stretch over the West Maui Mountains and the central valley. The leeward sides look clear at the moment, although these clouds are trying to stretch over into the Kihei area…carried on the gusty northerly breezes. Here in Kula, it was breezy all night, with my wind chimes still sounding off as I write. / Now at 820am, the clouds have thickened along the windward sides, and have extended over here into the Kula area, along with some light misty drizzle too. It looks nice and sunny down in Kihei and Wailea at the same time.

– Mid-afternoon, and what a day it’s turned out to be! Mostly clear and sunny skies prevail, with just a few white puffy clouds here and there. It’s definitely one of our more beautiful days of late, with nice breezes, and very comfortable temperatures! I can’t see how anyone could ask for more…it’s just lovely.

– We’re into the early evening now, with mostly clear to partly cloudy skies. The north to northeasterly breezes still have cool edge to them, which feels really good after such a long hot summer! It will feel like autumn again tonight into early Thursday morning, perhaps even necessitating pulling that blanket up a little higher again tonight. BTW, have you noticed how early it’s starting to get dark these days?

I’ll be back with many 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.


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

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

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

1.)  Shower and thunderstorm activity has changed little in association with a tropical wave located about 1350 miles southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. However, environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for development, and a tropical depression is likely to form by early next week while the system moves west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…40 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…70 percent

2.)  An area of low pressure is likely to form several hundred miles south of southeastern Mexico late this weekend. Any development of this system is expected to be slow to occur while it moves westward at 5 to 10 mph.

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

Post-tropical cyclone 07C (Oho) located 1380 miles northeast of Hilo, Hawaii, with sustained winds of 70 mph. Here’s the CPHC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this system – Final Advisory with the CPHC in Honolulu

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical storm 23W (Choi-wan) is dissipating, located 460 NM east-southeast of Misawa, Japan, with sustained winds of 69 mph. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this system – Final Warning

>>> 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: Researchers trace how birds, fish go with the flow – Fish and birds, when moving in groups, could use two “gears”—one slow and another fast—in ways that conserve energy, a team of New York University researchers has concluded. Its findings offer new insights into the contours of air and water flows–knowledge that could be used to develop more energy-efficient modes of transportation.

“Some beautiful physics is at work in schools and flocks, with each individual creating a wave in the fluid while also ‘surfing’ on the wave left by its upstream neighbor,” says Leif Ristroph, an assistant professor in NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences who led the study.

The study, which appears in the journal Nature Communications, employs an innovative methodology—one that mimics infinitely large schools or flocks within the confines of a New York City laboratory.

The research team created a robotic ‘school’ in which the swimmers are 3D-printed plastic wings that flap and swim around a water tank. The trick, they note, was to have the wings swim in circular orbits, similar to the whirling blades of a fan or helicopter, so that each moves within the flow generated by all in their previous orbits. By moving in a circular motion, thus establishing and responding to its own wake, a small set of wings can mimic an infinitely long array.

In gauging the movements of this school, the researchers found that while a lone swimmer moves at a well-defined swimming speed, larger groups take one of two speeds. In “first gear,” each swimmer traces out the same path through the fluid and goes with the flow created by its upstream neighbor, and the school as a whole swims slowly. “Second gear” is a fast mode in which each individual flaps counter to its neighbor and against the flow it encounters.

The researchers then conducted computer simulations in an attempt to understand more about these distinct speeds. Their results showed that the slower first mode saves on the energy required to swim—and therefore would be ideal for cruising or migrating—while the faster second gear burns more energy, but would be advantageous for fast escapes from predators.

The team sees its findings as applicable to the aerodynamics of bird flocks, with air replacing water as the flows to be navigated.

Moreover, they note the results yield a greater understanding of the principles of water and air flow—knowledge that could be harnessed by boats and planes to more efficiently capture energy from ocean waves or atmospheric turbulence.