Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Thursday…along with the low temperatures Thursday:
82 – 71 Lihue, Kauai
86 – 75 Honolulu, Oahu
84 – 73 Molokai AP
87 – 68 Kahului AP, Maui
88 – 75 Kailua Kona
83 – 71 Hilo AP, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands…as of Thursday evening:
0.59 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
1.61 Palisades, Oahu
0.40 Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.74 West Wailuaiki, Maui
1.21 Honaunau, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Thursday evening:
29 Port Allen, Kauai
25 Honolulu AP, Oahu
25 Molokai
30 Lanai
35 Kahoolawe
25 Kapalua, Maui
36 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
Counterclockwise rotating upper level low pressure system…well northwest of the islands
Thunderstorms far south…with some cirrus clouds nearby
Low clouds being carried our way on the brisk trades…arriving mostly along windward sections
Showers over the islands locally…a few heavy – Looping radar image
Small Craft Advisory…Maui County waters
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Gusty trade winds remaining active through the week…into early next week. Here’s the latest weather map, showing a strong high pressure system in the area north of Hawaii. This near 1038 millibar high pressure system is forecast to maintain both its presence, and its general strength for the time being. This will keep a steady supply of trade winds across our area through the next week…which is very common for this early summer season.
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 showers our way periodically. There will be passing showers, primarily focused along the windward sides. The atmosphere is a bit less stable now, so a few of these showers will be locally quite generous, just about anywhere they fall. As the trade winds remain active…some showers may spread over into the leeward sides on the smaller islands as well. Otherwise, our weather will remain generally fine through the rest of this week into early next week.
Marine environment details: The current south swell will gradually subside, with the high surf advisory for south facing shores being dropped by this evening. No other high surf advisories are expected over the next several days.
A small craft advisory (SCA) remains up for the windy areas around the Big Island and Maui County through Friday morning. The winds may subside enough tomorrow to allow cancellation of this advisory.
Windward Oahu…a great place for a walk an talk
Here on Maui – Early Thursday morning is dawning mostly clear, with the usual windward clouds and a few passing showers. The air temperature was 52.3F degrees at 533am. Meanwhile, at about the same time, the Kahului airport was reporting partly cloudy skies, with a temperature of 71 degrees, while Hana was at 72…and the summit of the Haleakala Crater was reporting 43 degree. We had some unusual light showers late this morning.
– Early afternoon, and it’s lightly raining, with lots of clouds and showers in most directions. / Now at 220pm, the clouds have parted in some areas, and there’s lots of blue skies showing up…and it’s sunny here in upcountry Kula.
– Early evening, it was another fine day here in paradise, with a mix of sunshine, clouds, and yes…even some showers. / Look for a little color in the high cirrus at sunset…
World-wide tropical cyclone activity
>>> Atlantic Ocean: No active tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
>>> Caribbean Sea: No active tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days
>>> Gulf of Mexico: No active tropical cyclones
Disorganized showers and thunderstorms continue over the Bay of Campeche in association with a broad area of low pressure. This system has become less organized since yesterday and the aircraft reconnaissance mission scheduled for this afternoon has been cancelled. Significant development of the low is not expected before it moves inland over eastern Mexico on Saturday.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…10 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
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5-days
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 2-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: 94-million-year-old climate change event holds clues for future – A major climate event millions of years ago that caused substantial change to the ocean’s ecological systems may hold clues as to how the Earth will respond to future climate change, a Florida State University researcher said.
In a new study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Assistant Professor of Geology Jeremy Owens explains that parts of the ocean became inhospitable for some organisms as the Earth’s climate warmed 94 million years ago. As the Earth warmed, several natural elements — what we think of as vitamins — depleted, causing some organisms to die off or greatly decrease in numbers.
The elements that faded away were vanadium and molybdenum, important trace metals that serve as nutrients for ocean life. Molybdenum in particular is used by bacteria to help promote nitrogen fixation, which is essential for all forms of life.
“These trace metals were drawn down to levels below where primary producing organisms, the base of the ocean food chain, can survive,” Owens said. “This change inhibited biology.”
The warming of the Earth during this time period took place over millions of years. At the time, the world was a drastically different place. Palms were found in Canada and lily pads dotted the Arctic Circle, while dinosaurs existed on land.
But as the world continued to warm, it caused “a natural feedback that had a dramatic effect on the world’s ocean chemistry, which is recorded in the rock record,” Owens said.
Owens and a team of researchers examined samples of sediment provided through the Ocean Drilling Program, a National Science Foundation-supported program that uses the scientific drill ship JOIDES Resolution to recover samples beneath the ocean floor off the coast of Venezuela. They examined a 10-meter portion that they pinned to the climate turnover event by analyzing microfossils or tiny shell organisms in the layer.
Owens found that ecological communities experienced a substantial shift 94 million years ago because many types of bacteria and algae were affected by the changes in ocean nutrients.
“Some of these species didn’t totally die, but they didn’t flourish the way they used to,” Owens said.
The decrease of these trace metals also suggests a global expansion of oxygen deficiency, which could lead to larger dead zones in bodies of water around the world, meaning little to no life could exist in those areas.
That is of concern to scientists as they try to understand what will happen to the world around us as the Earth continues to warm. For scientists, the events of 94 million years ago provide a possible glimpse into future climate change scenarios.
“This is the best window to understanding future climate change,” Owens said. “It gives us insight into the cascade of events that can affect the entire ocean.”
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