Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Saturday…along with the low temperatures Saturday:
82 – 72 Lihue, Kauai
85 – 72 Honolulu, Oahu
83 – 71 Molokai AP
86 – 71 Kahului AP, Maui
85 – 75 Kailua Kona
83 – 69 Hilo AP, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands…as of Saturday evening:
0.26 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.56 Kamananui Stream, Oahu
0.37 Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.84 West Wailuaiki, Maui
1.25 Kawainui Stream, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Saturday evening:
31 Port Allen, Kauai
29 Kuaokala, Oahu
28 Molokai
35 Lanai
35 Kahoolawe
32 Maalaea Bay, Maui
30 Pali 2, Big Island
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
High cirrus clouds riding along in the upper level winds
High cirrus clouds extend out of the deeper tropics to our west…with
an area of thunderstorm far to the south
Clear with scattered low clouds…higher clouds west
Just a few showers over the islands locally – Looping radar image
Small Craft Advisory…the windiest waters around Maui County and the Big Island
Celebrating Father’s Day, while honoring my own Dad…Edward Eugene James
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Gusty trade winds remaining active through the next week. Here’s the latest weather map, showing a near 1030 millibar high pressure system, remaining in the area north of Hawaii. This high pressure system is forecast to maintain both its presence to our north, and its general strength well for the time being. This will keep a steady flow of air moving across our area of the north central Pacific. Weather models suggest that during the second half of the upcoming week, trade wind speeds will increase.
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
As usual, with the trade winds blowing…they’ll carry an occasional shower our way. As the trade winds remain elevated in strength…some showers may spread over into the leeward sides on the smaller islands. The models were suggesting an increase in windward showers during the upcoming week, however they have recently backed off in that regard. Nonetheless, there will be periods of incoming showers, interspersed with dry periods. Sunday is the last full day of spring, with the summer solstice occurring on Monday.
Marine environment details: A small craft advisory (SCA) remains posted for the typically windy waters around the Big Island and Maui County. Little change is expected through mid week…followed by a likely increase in trade winds Wednesday or Thursday.
Surf is expected to remain below advisory levels through the week. The buoys show trade wind driven seas holding steady, with little change due through midweek. As trade winds rebuild around Thursday, an increase in seas will result…though east shore surf does not look to rise to advisory levels at this time.
A series of swells from the south will produce surf near seasonal average along south facing shores through much of the week…with the largest surf expected on Monday and again on Wednesday and Thursday.
Last day of spring trade wind weather pattern…Molokai
Here on Maui – Early Saturday morning is dawning clear to partly cloudy, with the usual windward clouds dropping some showers. Looking out the windows of my weather tower before sunrise, these low clouds are stretching from the windward sides over the West Maui Mountains. At the same time, the high cirrus clouds are still around this morning, which lit up a wonderful pink and orange color at sunrise! The air temperature was a cool 48.7F degrees at 536am. Meanwhile, at about the same time, the Kahului airport was reporting mostly cloudy skies, with a temperature of 71 degrees, while Hana was at 75, Maalaea Bay was 72 to…with the summit of the Haleakala Crater registering 46 degree.
– Early evening, and the sunshine continues to pour down across the island, it might as well be July 18th or August 18th, or even September 18th…it feels so summery! On second thought, this evening is way less cloudy than an ordinary summer day, with the trade winds blowing. / Wow, that moon is getting close to being rounded out!
Friday Evening Film, as it turns out I’ve seen most of the films that I’ve been wanting to see at our local theaters. However, there was one that I’ve kind of been wanting to see, although not terribly. It’s called X-man: Apocalypse, starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, and Olivia Munn...among many others. The synopsis: following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-Men: Apocalypse. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it, and recruits a team of powerful mutants to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, they try and save mankind from complete destruction.
This is one of those films that’s pure action, no if’s, and’s or but’s about it! My movie viewing friend Jeff was rather reluctant about this film. As it turned out, I now understand how he was a little unenthusiastic in his appraisal. According to him, it was too long, and as a result, he gave it a rather luke warm B- grade. I was a bit more taken by all the action…that just kept coming for two and a half hours. One critic wrote: “The property is running on bald tires, and, for all its ear-splitting racket and lavish effects, Apocalypse is the barest of retreads.” This film was too long, I agree with Jeff, and a bit dull in certain places, although in my book, it deserved a soft B+ grade…just a little better than a straight B. Perhaps you might be wondering, why did they even see this film? Well, that’s a fair question, and for those of you who are still reading all the way down here, here’s the trailer in case you want to take a quick peek.
World-wide tropical cyclone activity
>>> Atlantic Ocean: No active tropical cyclones
Here’s the 5-day Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
>>> Caribbean Sea: No active tropical cyclones
>>> Gulf of Mexico: No active tropical cyclones
Invest 94L:
A low pressure system located over the central Bay of Campeche about 200 miles east of Tuxpan, Mexico is producing an area of showers and thunderstorms over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. The low is moving westward to west-northwestward at around 10 mph and is forecast to reach the coast of eastern Mexico on Monday. Although upper-level winds are only marginally conducive, a tropical depression is still likely to form later today or on Monday. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the low this afternoon, if necessary. Regardless of whether or not a tropical cyclone develops, areas of heavy rain are expected over portions of eastern Mexico tonight through Tuesday. These rains could could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides, especially in areas of high terrain.
Here’s a satellite image of this area…along with the computer models.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…70 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…70 percent
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: No active tropical cyclones
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: No active tropical cyclones
No tropical cyclones expected through the next two days…
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
>>> 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: First Mammal Goes Extinct From Manmade Climate Change – We’ve reached a sad milestone: Climate change has claimed its first mammal species. Scientists have been warning us that a large percentage of species will face extinction thanks to manmade global warming, and the future is unfortunately here.
According to The Guardian, climate change’s first mammal victim was an adorable rodent known as the Bramble Cay melomys. Sometimes called a mosaic-tailed rat, the melomys was named after Bramble Cay, an Australian island close to Papua New Guinea, that was the only known home for the species.
The primary reason for the melomys demise is no secret: the rising level of the ocean, a devastating consequence of climate change. Bramble Cay island has flooded on multiple occasions when the sea was particularly high, thereby washing away the rodents’ homes and drowning many of them in the process.
Over the past 20 years, high tide has put more and more of the island underwater. The coastal vegetation that the melomys called home has decreased by 97 percent in the last decade alone.
When we discuss the consequences of a rising sea level (which is already not as often as we probably should), we tend to focus on the human inhabitants who will need to be displaced from their tiny island nations. We pay less attention to the animal species that are vulnerable from the rapidly shifting sea levels, some of which can be found in no other parts of the world.
Scientists last recorded seeing the melomys back in 2009. In 2014, they couldn’t locate a single one, so they conducted an exhaustive search to check on the animal’s status. As the search has turned up fruitless after two years, scientists now think it’s fair to say that the rodent species is extinct.
Extinction seemed farfetched when Europeans first wrote about the “large rats” they encountered in 1845. At the time, they were allegedly everywhere on the island. An informal census on the creature in 1978 found several hundred melomys still in existence.
Although scientists will no longer “recommend” actions for people to take in order to protect the melomys, there are still plenty of reasons to try to safeguard Bramble Cay from further effects of climate change. The island is a place where various types of seabirds breed and, perhaps most importantly, the top spot where green turtles go to mate.
In other words, this destruction of this one small island would leave multiple species in jeopardy. The melomys were just the tip of the (melting) iceberg.
While the melomys will probably get the distinction of being the first to vanish because of climate change, another mammal suffered a similar fate. The Little Swan Island hutia also went extinct following extreme hurricanes. However, an invasion of cats sped along that process, so it wouldn’t be fair to chalk that all up to angry climate conditions.
With humans doing little to address climate change, it’s highly unlikely that the melomys will be the only victim of climate change. With many other beloved creatures receiving pessimistic prognoses from scientists, it’s time to speak up and demand action before it’s too late.
Email Glenn James: 
