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

75 – 66  Lihue, Kauai
78 – 70  Honolulu, Oahu

8263  Molokai AP
8564  Kahului AP, Maui
85 – 71  Kailua Kona
84 – 70  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

10.08  N Wailua Ditch, Kauai
0.60 
Lualualei, Oahu
0.82  Molokai
0.34  Lanai
0.13  Kahoolawe
1.16  Kahului AP, Maui
1.75  Kaupulehu, Big Island

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

17  Mana, Kauai – NW
13  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
12  Molokai – W
17  Lanai – SW

22  Kahaloowe – SW
17  Maalaea Bay, Maui – NNE

27  Kona AP, Big Island – NE

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
The early spring storm track remains well north of Hawaii

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/ir4.jpg
An area of low pressure is evident…with its eastern
portion bringing heavy rains to parts of Hawaii

 

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/ir4.jpg
Heavy clouds over Maui County…with localized flooding
stretching over the Big Island tonight

 

http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
Showers falling over the eastern islands…some locally
heavy with thunderstorms –
looping radar image


Flash Flood Watch
…Oahu, Maui County and the Big Island

Wind Advisory…Big Island summits / 35-45 with 55 mph gusts


~~~
Hawaii Weather Narrative
~~~



Light and variable to southeast breezes prevail…keeping volcanic haze in our area. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. We find high pressure systems to the north and far northeast of Hawaii.
At the same time, we see a trough of low pressure over the ocean to the west-northwest through north of the islands. Our local winds are generally light and variable, trending southeast…keeping the thick volcanic haze over many parts of the state. The latest forecast has light winds continuing through the weekend, and then turning southwest ahead of a cold front Monday into Tuesday. We’ll likely see relatively cool north to northeasterly breezes arriving…in the wake of the cold front. It looks as though we may return to light to moderately strong trade winds during the later part of next week.

There will be locally heavy rains with thunderstorms…which will pass over the islands into Saturday. This is due to a nearby area of low pressure just to our north, which is keeping our local atmosphere extremely shower prone. This low pressure trough will be moving eastward…bringing unsettled weather as it moves across the state into Saturday. We’ll see locally heavy showers and rain, and potentially severe thunderstorms (hail and strong winds) into Saturday. There’s a good chance that later Saturday into Sunday will begin to have drier and more favorably inclined weather, first on Kauai and Oahu…then the eastern islands Sunday. As we move into early next week, we’ll find the next cold front approaching. This frontal boundary will bring a period of showers to the island chain later Monday into early Wednesday morning. The longer range outlook shows relatively drier weather returning during the middle to later part of next week, with mostly windward showers at times.

 

              http://www.onlyinhawaii.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/hawaii-rainbow.jpg


Marine environment details
An upper trough and ample moisture will help sustain the active weather pattern over the central and eastern islands tonight, continuing the likelihood of thunderstorms over the coastal waters. Thunderstorms will bring a chance for heavy rains, reduced visibilities, strong gusty winds, lightning, and hail. 

Otherwise, winds and seas around Hawaii are expected to remain quiet. A small northwest swell will peak Sunday and subside through Monday. Surf will remain below advisory levels through Monday.

A very large northwest swell is forecast to arrive beginning Tuesday and peak late Tuesday before subsiding through the week, with warning level surf expected across north and west facing shores. A small bump in south swell is expected Tuesday into Wednesday.

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

Here’s the Hawaiian Islands Sulfate Aerosol…animated graphic showing vog forecast

Here in Maui County…We’re seeing variable clouds over Maui County, although they will be increasing as we move through the day. Showers so far this morning have focused their efforts best over Kauai and Oahu, where heavy flooding rain has occurred…or is occurring now. Local radar shows no heavy rain over Lanai or Maui, although it appears that Molokai is beginning to get wet at the time of this writing (1050am).

Now early afternoon, with muted sunshine down in the central valley, and along most of our beaches. This muting is being down by some clouds, and of course on our ongoing voggy atmosphere too. Here in upcountry Kula, the clouds are gathering forces quickly, and I just noticed the first light sprinkles falling of the day out on my weather deck. / Now at 230pm, and despite the fact that it’s pouring over on the windward side of east Maui, here in upcountry Kula…it’s lightly showering at best. I just got a text from a friend down near the Kahului AP, and she said they just had a lightning strike very close to them…scared them greatly! / Another person just emailed me, telling me they had a lightning strike between here house and the barn…in Haiku. / Now at 315pm, the fog is creeping up the mountain into my area of Kula, the temperature has dropped suddenly several degrees, and a breeze has begun…although the rain is still holding off. This sure isn’t the case elsewhere around Maui County…where flooding rainfall is certainly occurring! / 335pm, the rains have finally arrive here at my weather tower in Kula…even as I can still see lots of sunshine down in the central valley

505pm, rain is still falling over most of Maui County, and looking at the looping radar above…it appears like we have another big load of heavy rains moving in our direction from the southwest! / We’re having a thunderstorm right over my house here in Kula at the moment. We just had a lightning and thunder bolt episode that scared the heck out of me…I’m still shaking inside! The bolt of light and the clap of thunder occurred instantaneously, and I was standing up in my weather tower…I almost fell on my knees! I just stood there for several minutes, expecting to be hit or something. It’s still at it now, although nothing like that first incident, thank goodness. / Now at 625pm, the thunderstorms continue to flare over Maui, and I can see that they are firing-off over parts of the Big Island too.

* I could go offline at any moment, so if my reports stop, you’ll know I lost connectivity.


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)

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: No active tropical cyclones

>>>
South Pacific Ocean:
No active tropical cyclones


>>>
North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea:
No active tropical cyclones

Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)


Interesting:
New research on the Rio Grande and impacts of long drought
New research can help water managers along the Rio Grande make wise decisions about how to best use the flow of a river vital for drinking water, agriculture and aquatic habitat. These studies also show how conditions from the prolonged drought in the West have affected the Rio Grande watershed.

The Rio Grande forms the world’s longest river border between two countries as it flows between Texas and Mexico, where it is known as the Rio Bravo. The river runs through three states in the U.S., beginning in southern Colorado and flowing through New Mexico and Texas before it forms the border with Mexico.

Parts of the Rio Grande are designated as wild and scenic, but most of the river is controlled and passes through several dam and reservoir systems during its 1,896 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. The river is managed through a complex system of compacts, treaties, and agreements that determine when and how much water is released along the river’s length.

The amount and timing of water releases have varied in recent years due to drought. Recent USGS research on the middle Rio Grande looked at the effects of those changes on the amount of salts that build up in the Rincon and Mesilla Valleys in Texas and New Mexico. Results showed a decline in the amount of salt carried by the river due to a decrease of releases during the drought. The two valleys responded differently to the decreased releases. Salt levels in the Rincon Valley declined, whereas salt levels in the Mesilla Valley increased. Salt buildup in the soil and water can affect agriculture, which is an important industry in those valleys.

Successfully managing water use along the river is important to the sustainability of agricultural and communities along the river. To help with that goal, USGS has measured water gains and losses to the Rio Grande from between the Leasburg Dam near Leasburg, New Mexico, and the American Dam near El Paso, Texas. American Dam is near where the Rio Grande becomes the border with Mexico. For the past several years, drought conditions contributed to decreasing flows along this 64-mile stretch, and sections of the river were dry during parts of the year.

Flow in the Rio Grande is affected by how water is used throughout the basin. For instance, the Albuquerque area of New Mexico has two principal sources of water: groundwater from the underlying aquifer system and withdrawals and diversions from the Rio Grande. From 1960 to 2002, pumping from the aquifer system caused groundwater levels to decline from about 40 feet along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque to more than 120 feet in the valley away from the river. As a result, the USGS, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, conducted a study to understand the exchange of water between the Rio Grande and the aquifer system.

By characterizing the interaction between surface water from the Rio Grande and groundwater from the aquifer system, scientists provide valuable information to help managers make informed decisions about water use.