Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / December 30-31, 2015

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

80 – 72  Lihue, Kauai
82 – 68  Honolulu, Oahu
78 – 68  Molokai
81 – 67  Kahului AP, Maui
82 – 66  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.42  Kilohana, Kauai
0.36  Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
1.35  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.24  Waikapu Country Club, Maui
1.35  Kapapala Ranch, Big Island

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

23  Port Allen, Kauai – NE
29  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
18  Molokai – NE
30  Lanai – NE
31  Kahoolawe – NNE
23  Kapalua, Maui – NNE
24  Kealakomo, 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

We see a ragged cold front…now dissipating over Maui County

Here’s a wind profile…of the offshore waters
around the islands – with a closer view

High clouds offshore southwest through south…
along with that weak front falling apart over Maui

Clear to partly cloudy…cloudy areas



The cold front’s few showers falling locally from Oahu to Maui
looping radar image

High Surf Advisory…north and west shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai
and north shore of Maui

Small Craft Advisory…most windward coasts, and all of the major
channels between the islands

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

Our local winds will be calming back down…ahead of the next cold front Friday. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. We find a moderately strong high pressure system far to our northeast, with a weaker high pressure cell to our north-northwest…moving quickly eastward. At the same time, we find several storm and gale and storm low pressure systems far to our north. The winds, have recently come out of the north then northeast…bringing some cool air our way. As we move through Thursday into early Friday, our winds will remain on the light side. It appears that we’ll see cool north to northeasterly winds arriving later New Year’s Day into the weekend…behind another cold front then. Generally light winds will prevail during the first half of next week.

A few showers locally, associated with a weak cold front…will decline as we move through Friday. The north and northeast sides of the islands will see a few passing showers, brought our way by the recent dissipating front. Windward clouds and a few showers will continue, as moderately strong trade winds stick around into Thursday morning. Lighter winds will return later Thursday into Friday ahead of the next cold front, arriving over Kauai and Oahu later Friday, then pushing across Maui County and the Big Island during the night into Saturday. This front won’t be a big deal in terms of rainfall either, having limited moisture to work with. It looks like dry to very dry weather will prevail in the wake of this Friday-Saturday frontal passage into Sunday. Looking further ahead, yet another weak cold front will arrive next later Monday into Tuesday…with little rainfall expected again then.

Here in Maui County…It’s mostly clear to partly cloudy across the island this morning before sunrise, and despite it still being dark out, I can see that yesterday’s volcanic haze is now gone. Here in upcountry Kula, it’s calm and clear…with an air temperature of 49.8F degrees at 555am. The temperature in contrast was 68 degrees down near sea level in Kahului, with 72 at Maalaea Bay, 64 out in Hana…and 43 atop the Haleakala Crater at the same time. Meanwhile, Kahoolawe’s highest elevation was 66 degrees, and 67 at Lanai City. / Now at 730am, the weak cold front’s clouds have reached Maui, with clouds along the windward sides…stretching into the central valley…with a few showers. There’s a chilly north to northeast breeze riding in with this frontal boundary as well.

– It’s mid-afternoon, with clear to partly cloudy skies in many areas…although cloudy with showers falling along the windward sides in contrast. I just got a call from my friend Brian Perry, the editor of the Maui News, and he said that he had gotten wet earlier in Wailuku town. He also mentioned that there was a cool breeze blowing as well. The reason of course was this cold front, or what’s left of it, that has stretched down here to Maui today. / Now at 415pm, it’s partly cloudy with a light shower, and a cool breeze here in Kula. I can see lots of clouds along the windward sides, with rainbows telling me its wet over in that direction.

– We’re into the early evening now, and clouds and generally light showers are evident along the windward sides…and even stretching into the central valley. Here in Kula, at my weather tower, we’re on the edge of these clouds, although we did have a brief light shower during the later afternoon. As the sunset, there continues to be a slightly chilly northerly breeze blowing, which is stronger down near sea level locally.

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: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant.

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

>>> Caribbean Sea: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant.

>>> Gulf of Mexico: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant.

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: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 North Pacific hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on May 15, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant.

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: The central north Pacific hurricane season has officially ended. Routine issuance of the tropical weather outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, special tropical weather outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant.

Tropical Depression 09C is now active far southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. Here’s the CPHC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this strengthening system…and finally what the computer models are showing.

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