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

82 – 72  Lihue, Kauai
85 – 75  Honolulu, Oahu
83 – 73  Molokai AP
86 – 69  Kahului AP, Maui
88 – 78  Kailua Kona
83 – 72 
Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

4.93  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
2.47  Moanalua RG,
Oahu
0.60  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.03  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
1.81  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.70  Mountain View, Big Island

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

23  Port Allen, Kauai
35  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
27  Molokai
31  Lanai

30  Kahoolawe
28  Maalaea Bay, Maui

27  Kealakomo, 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
We can see
Hurricane Blas far to the east-southeast of Hawaii


http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/EP03/refresh/EP0316W5_NL+gif/023357W5_NL_sm.gif
Hurricane Blas is a major category 3 storm

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/floaters/03E/imagery/vis0-lalo.gif
We see an incredible eye at the center of this very strong hurricane!

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What the computer models are showing

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/ir4.jpg
Thunderstorms far southwest and southeast

 

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/ir4.jpg
  High cirrus clouds moving over the state from the southwest – nice sunset this evening

 

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Showers locally…generally over the ocean –
Looping radar image


Small Craft Advisory
…windiest coasts and channels Maui County and the Big Island

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

The recent strong and gusty trade winds will become more moderate now through Friday…with some possible changes during the weekend. Here’s the latest weather map, showing a moderately strong, near 1034 millibar high pressure system in the area north of Hawaii. Our trade winds are expected to remain active through the end of this work week. I would expect winds to gust up to between 35-40 mph in those most windy locations through the next several days. There’s a chance that our trade winds could falter substantially, depending upon just where the circulation of former tropical cyclone Agatha goes, as it gets closer Sunday into next Monday…stay tuned.

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

There will be some windward showers at times. As the trade winds will continue to be gusty, some of these showers will ride over into the leeward sections at times…on the smaller islands. This moisture will keep showery conditions alive, at least in an off and on manner. There’s a chance that a slug of tropical moisture may arrive on the trade winds as we get into the later part of the upcoming weekend. This moisture would be whatever is left of…now retired tropical cyclone Agatha. We may see the same thing happen further down the line, as leftover moisture from what will very likely be retired hurricane Blas, gets carried towards us on the trades later next week…stay tuned.

Tropical Cyclones in the northeastern Pacific: Hurricane Blas is a very strong system, coming in at a category 3 major hurricane. We’ll certainly need to keep an eye on Blas, although it should remain well away from our islands…before dissipating to our east and northeast. There should be a new storm spinning-up with time, which will become tropical storm, and then hurricane Celia. In sum, I don’t see any of these tropical cyclone’s causing problems for the Hawaiian Islands…at least in terms of winds. As a matter of fact, our winds may falter later this weekend into early next week briefly, as the leftover circulation from former TC Agatha…interrupts our trade wind flow then. We may see some showers and rising surf here in the islands later this week, and again next week. There’s more information about these tropical systems below.

Marine environment details: Locally strong trade winds warrant continuation of a small craft advisory (SCA) for the windier marine zones around Maui County and the Big Island. Latest guidance indicates little significant change in the strength of the high to the north, or the local pressure gradient for most of this week, so it’s likely that the SCA will need to be extended in time for the existing zones.

Small swells from the SW and SE will provide some surf along S facing shores into Thursday, with surf height below advisory criteria. A larger S swell is expected to arrive on Thursday and peak on Friday/Saturday, with peak surf heights near advisory levels along S facing shores of all islands. Latest observations from a buoy in American Samoa, indicates that wave heights associated with this swell are slightly larger than anticipated by wave models. This adds some confidence in the potential for advisory level surf along S facing shores of Hawaii in about 3-4 days.

Rapidly intensifying hurricane Blas is currently about 2400 miles E of the islands, and the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) shows that Blas has become a major hurricane, before steadily weakening thereafter. While the NHC calls for Blas to be weakening to a post-tropical low about 1200 miles E of the islands this weekend, long-period E swells emanating from the cyclone are expected to arrive in Hawaiian waters. Significant uncertainty surrounds this forecast, but there is potential for high surf along E facing shores this weekend and early next week.

 

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Hanalei Bay and Princeville…Kauai


Here on Maui
– Early Tuesday morning is dawning clear to partly cloudy. Clouds will be arriving at times today, with showers along our windward sides. The air temperature was 54.6F degrees at 542am. Meanwhile, at about the same time, the Kahului airport was reporting clear skies, with a temperature of 73 degrees, while Hana was 73 as well, with Maalaea Bay showing 75…and the summit of the Haleakala Crater was reporting 46 degrees. / Late morning, clouds have increased across the island, with some muted sunshine in a few areas at best.

Early afternoon, lots of clouds around, and here in upcountry Kula…there’s just begun a very light mist.

Early evening, a mix of blue skies and cloudiness…although the clouds are winning out for sure. There are high and middle level clouds over us again now, so keep an eye out for a nice sunset…and then again for sunrise on Wednesday. Despite all the low clouds that hung around today, not much rain fell from them.

 

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

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:

Hurricane Blas remains active over the waters of the eastern Pacific. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, along with a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing.

1.)  Showers and thunderstorms associated with a broad area of low pressure located about 525 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, are showing some signs of organization. Continued development of this system is expected, and a tropical depression is likely to form within the next couple of days while it moves westward at around 10 mph.

This tropical disturbance is being referred to as Invest 96E, here’s a satellite image…along with what the computer models are showing.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…70 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…90 percent

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)

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 02W (Nepartak)
remains active in the western Pacific Ocean, having strengthened into a very strong super typhoon…at it heads towards Taiwan. Here’s a JTWC graphical track map, with a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing.

>>>
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:
The Future of Cities is Bright – What does the “city of the future” look like? In an era of rapid technological advancement and increasing urbanization, it’s a fair question. Eighty percent of the U.S. population already lives in large cities – each with a smartphone or other device in hand.

As such, city officials are beginning to piece together how those bits of technology can connect with assets like energy meters, garbage cans, street lights, traffic lights, water pipes and more. But, how do we make it all work together? By building a truly smart city.

A truly smart city is one with seamless connectivity that solves local problems and provides its inhabitants with safety, cleanliness and the most efficient ways to get from Point A to Point B. It’s a city that optimizes how we use valuable resources to help improve quality of life, positively impact our planet and open new economic opportunities. A truly smart city provides tremendous opportunities for its citizens and beyond.

Working with city officials, AT&T is helping to make cities cleaner, safer and stronger by providing secure connectivity and technology solutions that can help cities connect the dots – leading to environmental, social and economic benefits. As such, we are piloting a Smart Cities framework in several initial spotlight cities and communities around the country, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Miami-Dade County (Florida), Chapel Hill (North Carolina) and Montgomery County (Maryland).

And as of last week, we can add Columbus, Ohio, to the list of cities we will support. Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Columbus as the winner of the Department of Transportation (DOT) Smart City Challenge – a competition between 78 cities aiming to define what being a “smart city” means.

As part of its sponsorship, AT&T is giving the winning city up to $1 million in connectivity services – cellular, Wi-Fi and wireline – as well as hardware, products and services to support the development and deployment of smart city solutions in Columbus.

As noted by the U.S. DOT: “The city proposed to deploy three electric self-driving shuttles to link a new bus rapid transit center to a retail district, connecting more residents to jobs. Columbus also plans to use data analytics to improve health care access in a neighborhood that currently has an infant mortality rate four times that of the national average, allowing them to provide improved transportation options to those most in need of prenatal care.”

We’re looking forward to working hand-in-hand with the city of Columbus and Mayor Andrew Ginther to help it solve real environmental and social challenges in order to become the city of the future.