Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday…along with the minimums Tuesday:
81 – 66 Lihue, Kauai
84 – 69 Honolulu, Oahu
82 – 61 Molokai AP
83 – 59 Kahului AP, Maui
82 – 70 Kona AP
83 – 68 Hilo, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands, as of Tuesday evening:
0.20 Lihue, Kauai
0.56 Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
0.01 Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.18 Kahoolawe
0.05 Hana AP, Maui
0.49 Hilo AP, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Tuesday evening:
22 Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
30 Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
23 Molokai – NNE
25 Lanai – NE
25 Kahoolawe – NE
27 Maalaea Bay, Maui – N
29 Kealakomo, Big Island – ENE
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
Deep storm low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska
Fragmenting cold front north of Hawaii…with
thunderstorms in the deeper tropics to our south
Generally clear to partly cloudy…a few cloudy areas
A few showers…mostly over the offshore waters
looping radar image
Small Craft Advisory…windiest coasts and channels around
the state
High Surf Warning…north and west shores of Kauai
High Surf Advisory…north and west shores of Oahu,
Molokai, and north shore of Maui
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Tuesday showed a brief return of gusty trades, which will turn lighter again later Wednesday into Thursday…with possible gusty south to southwest Kona winds later Friday into Saturday. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. We find a high pressure system not far to our north, moving eastward quickly..with a ridge of high pressure extending southwestward from its center. There’s a second high pressure cell well to the east-northeast, with its trailer ridge to the northeast of the state. At the same time, there’s the tail-end of a cold front quite close to our north, extending south from a very deep storm far north of Hawaii…in the Gulf of Alaska. A short period of volcanic haze temporarily returned yesterday and today, at least over parts of the island chain…which may stick around over the next couple of days. The trade winds have made a brief appearance, although more light winds will return through Friday morning. We should expect south to southwest kona winds ahead of a robust cold front later Friday into Saturday. As we push through the weekend, we’ll encounter a short period of gusty and cold northerly winds, tropically speaking, in the wake of this strong cold front passing down through the state later Saturday into Sunday.
Here’s a wind profile…of the offshore waters around the islands – with a closer view
The next weak cold front is moving by to the north of the state now. As it will remain north of the islands, the distance should keep its showers away from us. However, a low pressure system aloft will be in our area briefly now, which will enhance any showers that are falling around the islands. This enhancement showed up over Oahu best, and to a lesser extent the other islands, where just a few showers fell locally. Otherwise, the models portray more generally quiet weather to persist over the next 2-3 days, at least until we get to Saturday and Sunday…when we’ll see a rather dramatic change in weather conditions. A strong cold front will influence the state during the weekend, bringing a period of cool winter weather. Unfortunately, it appears that this frontal passage (fropa) won’t bring us many showers, as most of the precipitation will remain to the north and northwest of Hawaii. Looking into the early part of next week, I still don’t see any significant rain makers taking aim on our islands. El Nino = dry winters for Hawaii…leading to a serious drought later this year!
Here in Maui County…It’s mostly clear early Tuesday morning, although with some windward clouds and a few showers. Here in upcountry Kula we have an air temperature of 47.8F degrees. The temperature at near the same time was 62 degrees down in Kahului, 70 out in Hana…and 45 atop the Haleakala Crater. Meanwhile, Kahoolawe was 70 degrees, with 68 at the Molokai airport. / 820am, I’m seeing some light haze down in the central valley, and over towards Kahului and Wailuku.
– Early afternoon, clear to partly cloudy…and moderately thick volcanic haze.
– Early evening, clear to partly cloudy…with moderately thick volcanic haze.
I’ll be back with many more updates on all of the above and below, I hope you have a great Tuesday 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 the 2015 hurricane season summary
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 the 2015 hurricane season summary
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. Here’s the 2015 hurricane season summary
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
>>> South Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: How Modular Construction is Keeping Waste Out of U.S. Landfills – When we think about the overflow of our nation’s landfills, we probably picture limiting our food waste; recycling plastics, glass and paper; and keeping out potentially harmful hazardous waste. What we probably don’t consider is one of the largest sources of waste generation, construction and demolition (C&D) waste. It is estimated that anywhere from 25 to 40 percent of the national solid waste stream is building-related waste, with only 20 percent of C&D waste being recycled.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated, in 2003, that 164 million tons of building-related waste was generated in the United States annually. Those are pretty staggering numbers. But, how can we scale these down to understand the amount of construction and demolition waste generated in a typical building project?
A standard new building project produces an average of 3.9 pounds of waste per square foot. To put this in perspective, a mid-sized 50,000 sq. ft. office building will produce 195,000 pounds of waste. That’s almost 100 tons! If that project first includes building demolition, then these figures increase dramatically. This same 50,000 sq. ft. building will now be responsible for creating 4,000 tons of waste, or a staggering 155 pounds per square foot.
The modular environmental advantage
With the rise of modular construction as an affordable and efficient alternative to traditional construction, there is now a sustainable option for keeping tons of waste out of our nation’s landfills with each new build.
Modular buildings are designed and constructed as individual sections, called “modules.” The individual modules are fabricated off-site in a manufacturing plant using traditional assembly-line methods. Once the modules are built they are individually transported over the road to your construction site, and fitted together in a pre-planned order creating a finished building of any size.
The unique advantage of modular construction is that site preparation occurs simultaneous with building production at the factory. Conventional site-built construction is often constrained by having to wait for site preparation before erection of the building can begin. This allows for a significant reduction in time to completion and occupancy.
Less material waste
In contrast to the excessive amounts of waste produced using traditional construction methods, the basic concepts behind modular construction promote efficient use of building materials. Recent reporting from the Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP) shows that a 90-percent waste reduction can be achieved by increasing the use of off-site construction.
With off-site construction, module units are assembled in a controlled manufacturing environment. This reduces material waste associated with poor weather conditions and construction site theft. Furthermore, excess materials from one project can be re-purposed or used on other buildings coming through the manufacturing plant, instead of being discarded at the end of a project, as they may be on a conventional construction site.
Following the off-site manufacturing process, the modular units are delivered to the construction site up to 90 percent complete. Reducing the work performed on-site significantly limits construction waste that may be generated on the project site where it often is difficult to gather, retain, protect and re-purpose building materials.
Built for deconstruction, not demolition
Prefabricated buildings all but eliminate waste generated from demolition. Modular building systems are a prime example of recycle, re-purpose and reuse. They are flexible, adaptable and essentially built to be un-built.
While a growing segment of modular construction is geared toward permanent construction (modular constructed structures not intended for relocation, just like a conventional building), many businesses still rely on temporary use of modular buildings. Relocatable buildings are brought on-site when expansion space is needed quickly, or as swing space to house students, patients or employees during a remodel or emergency situation. When extra space is no longer needed, the modular building is removed from the grounds and re-purposed for reuse.
Unlike traditional construction tactics, the modules are not demolished and materials are not tossed into local landfills following a single use. Instead the used modules are refreshed, so they can be reworked and used in future projects, further decreasing the need for additional raw materials and energy to create something new from scratch.
When greener, sustainable building practices are a priority for a company, they are turning to modular construction over conventional construction for their expansion or new building.
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