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

80 – 71  Lihue, Kauai
85 – 74  Honolulu, Oahu

7869  Molokai AP
8371  Kahului AP, Maui
85 72  Kailua Kona
78 – 70  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

1.05  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.87  Manoa Lyon Arboretum,
Oahu
0.82  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
1.79  Puu Kukui, Maui
4.66  Saddle Quarry, Big Island

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

28  Port Allen, Kauai
34  Kuaokala, Oahu
35
 
Molokai
27  Lanai

42  Kahoolawe
31  Kahului AP, Maui

32  Upolu AP, Big Island

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
Low pressure systems over the ocean far to the north…
along with their trailing cold fronts

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/ir4.jpg
Scattered clouds…thunderstorms far south

 

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/ir4.jpg
Clear to partly cloudy…cloudy areas windward

 

http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
Showers falling locally…some moderately heavy
looping radar image



Small Craft Advisory
…all Hawaiian waters

High Surf Advisory…east shores of all islands

 

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~



Moderate to locally strong and gusty trades…then turning lighter Friday into the weekend. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. We find near 1030 millibar high pressure systems offshore to the north and northeast of the islands…with their associated ridges of high pressure well north of the islands.
At the same time, we see storm low pressure systems well offshore northwest and northeast of the islands, along with their associated cold fronts. The trade winds will continue, blowing generally in the moderately strong realms…although locally stronger and gusty at times. Friday into the weekend should see the trades down shifting a gear or two, becoming light to moderately strong.

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

Showers falling over the windward sides…although not exclusively. The trade winds will keep active showers focused along the windward sides for the most part, although stretching over into the leeward sides at times…carried by the gusty trades. This off and on wet trade wind weather pattern, will continue for the time being. The computer models continue to suggest that we’ll see an upper level trough of low pressure edging over us Friday into the weekend. If this forecast holds up, we would see showers becoming locally heavy for several days, at least locally. The models go on to show the tail-end of a cold front slipping down over the state Sunday…keeping our shower activity going into next Monday.

Marine environment details: Strong to near gale force trade winds will produce surf above the advisory level along east facing shores through Thursday evening. New northwest swells may require high surf advisories for north and west facing shores on Friday and again next Wednesday.

A small craft advisory, SCA, will remain up for all coastal waters through tonight for the strong trade winds. The SCA may be extended beyond that for the windier areas around the Big Island. A new high may boost winds over the SCA level on Sunday…with another high, producing SCA strength winds by the middle of next week.

 

  http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/373986775_94f6e00608.jpg
Gusty trade winds…active surf east shores

 

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:

Tropical Cyclone 19S (Fantala) remains active in the South Indian Ocean…here’s the JTWC graphical track map, a satellite image, and what the computer forecast models are showing

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


Interesting: 
Moths in cities have learned to avoid man-made light
The globally increasing light pollution has negative effects on organisms and entire ecosystems. The consequences are especially hard on nocturnal insects, since their attraction to artificial light sources generally ends fatal. A new study by Swiss zoologists from the Universities of Basel and Zurich now shows that urban moths have learned to avoid light. The journal Biology Letters has published their results.

Some insects are attracted by light while others shy away from it. Proverbial is the attraction light has on moths. Street lamps and other artificial light sources often become death traps for nocturnal insects such as moths. Either they die through direct burning or through increased exposure to predators. Mortality of urban insects can thus be 40- to 100- fold higher than in rural populations.

Artificial light affects the ecosystem of insects by interfering with their natural day-night cycle and influencing behavior patterns such as feeding and reproduction. Swiss Zoologists have now studied whether moths in the Basel region have already evolutionary adapted to the changed light conditions.

City moths are less attracted to light

Under the assumption that natural selection would favor moths with less propensity to fly to light in urban areas, the researchers examined the small ermine moth Yponomeuta cagnagella. For the experiment they collected larvae in the Basel region in areas with low light pollution such as the village Kleinlützel and in areas which have been exposed to heavy light pollution, such as Allschwil or Basel City.

The researchers then analyzed the flight-to-light behavior of almost 1050 adult moths in the lab. The results show: moths from populations that have been exposed to heavy light pollution over generations have a significantly lower propensity to move towards light sources than individuals from areas with low light pollution. Furthermore the study shows that in both types of populations the female moths were attracted to light significantly less then their male counterparts.

Darwinian adaption to urbanization

The study results suggest that natural selection has changed the animals’ behavior. Flight-to-light propensity is disadvantageous for moths in light polluted areas. Adapted moths avoid the light and thus have a survival advantage. Even though this evolutionary change reduces the high mortality by artificial light, it could also have negative implications for the community. A consequential reduced overall mobility of the insects could for example lead to reduced pollination of plants.