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

89 – 76  Lihue, Kauai
86 – 76  Honolulu, Oahu
88 – 77  Molokai AP
92 – 74  Kahului AP, Maui – record high Wednesday 95…in 1996
91 – 79  Kona AP
83 – 72 
Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

2.12  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
4.59  Kahuku,
Oahu
0.06  Molokai
0.07  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.85  West Wailuaiki, Maui
1.69  Hilo AP, Big Island

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

16  Moloaa Dairy, Kauai
18  Kii, Oahu
20  Molokai
08  Lanai

30  Kahoolawe
15  Maalaea Bay, Maui

24  South Point, 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
Unsettled weather moving away now…with a cold front to our northwest

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/vis.jpg
Thunderstorms southeast and west of the islands

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg
Clearing skies as the trade winds return

 

http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
Far fewer showers than over the last few days
Looping radar image


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

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

Our winds will be increasing Thursday…prevailing through the weekend. Here’s the latest weather map, showing a strong near 1040 millibar high pressure system far northeast of Hawaii. There’s some volcanic haze (vog) still over the smaller islands locally, although this should blown away by the returning trade winds. During the second half of the week, more normal trade winds will return…taking the edge off the recent muggy weather.

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

An unsettled weather pattern is now departing, with more favorable weather on tap. As we push into Thursday and the rest of the week, we’ll see the return of stronger trade winds, with a more typical summertime weather pattern taking over into early next week. This pleasant weather will prevail through the first several days of next week. Thereafter, we could be in store for another change, with possible deep tropical moisture arriving…towards the middle of next week.

Computer models show the potential for some tropical cyclone activity moving into the central Pacific early next week. Although the model solutions show any tropical systems remaining well to the east of the Hawaiian Islands through next Tuesday or Wednesday, we’ll need to closely monitor the areas of disturbed weather currently in the eastern Pacific…for additional tropical development. The models show several possible tropical systems developing east and or south of the state next week. There’s an area of disturbed weather currently active in the eastern Pacific, which is being referred to as Invest 98E. Meanwhile, former Invest 99E has spun up into newly formed Tropical Depression 13E. The way it looks from here, we could see another slug of tropical moisture arriving over the state towards the middle of next week.

Marine environment details: High pressure will build well to the north of the state, with moderate to locally strong trades building into the eastern islands tonight and Thursday morning and into the western islands Thursday afternoon. As a result, small craft conditions are expected to develop over the windier waters around Maui and the Big Island tonight, with winds remaining at advisory levels through at least Thursday night and likely right through the upcoming weekend. No significant surf is expected through the week.

 

 http://travelsguideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Hawaii.jpg
Nice weather right around the corner


World-wide tropical cyclone activity…

 

https://icons.wxug.com/data/images/sst_basin/gl_sst_mm.gif


>>> Atlantic Ocean:

Tropical Storm 07L (Gaston) remains active in the Atlantic Ocean, located about 1160 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands…here’s the NHC graphical track map, with a satellite image…along with computer models

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT07/refresh/AL0716W5+gif/203810W_sm.gif

1.) An area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave is centered just southeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The wave is producing gale-force winds over water to the north of Hispaniola, however, satellite images indicate that the shower and thunderstorm activity is well removed from the area of lowest pressure. Surface data also indicate that the low continues to lack a well-defined center. Although upper-level winds are only marginally conducive for development during the next day or so, they are expected to become a little more favorable by the weekend, and this system could become a tropical depression during the next couple of days. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the wave later this morning.

Regardless of development, heavy rains are likely over Puerto Rico today, and strong winds and heavy rainfall are likely over portions of Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos, and the southeastern and central Bahamas during the next couple of days. These rains could lead to flash floods and mudslides.

Interests in the northwestern Bahamas and Florida should monitor the progress of this disturbance since it is increasing likely that some impacts, at a minimum heavy rains and gusty winds, will occur beginning this weekend.

This area is being referred to as Invest 99L, here’s a satellite image…and what the models are showing

* Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…50 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…80 percent

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

>>> Caribbean Sea: No active tropical cyclones

>>> 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: 

Tropical Storm 13E (Lester) remains active in the Pacific Ocean, located about 465 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California…here’s the NHC graphical track map, with a satellite image…along with computer model

1.) Showers and thunderstorms associated with an area of low pressure located about 1500 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula have increased a little during the past 24 hours. Environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for gradual development, and a tropical depression is likely to form by this weekend while the low moves westward or west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…50 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…80 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 at least the next 2-days

Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Typhoon 12W (Lionrock)
remains active in the western Pacific, located 246 NM southeast of Kadena AB, Okinawa…here’s the JTWC graphical track map, with a satellite image , with 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:
Fixing America’s Waste Problem America’s massive, growing landfills are the result of many decades of bad policies and decisions. And it will take a concerted, society-wide effort to solve this problem. Let’s dive deeper into just how big our landfill waste problem is and how we can begin to shift toward a circular economy.

This is not just about waste. Landfills are directly connected to the larger sustainability issues facing this country. One of the reasons that America went down the path of throw-it-away is related to the reason we decided to build vast suburbs instead of dense, sustainable, walkable cities. We have a lot of land compared to most other developed countries. The same space we used to build suburbs, roads and an auto-centric culture, we also used to hide our waste as we moved into a throw-away economy.

Today, we have 2,000 landfills and counting, with our collective waste growing by the day. What began as a simple solution to a changing economy grew into a massive problem. The average American produces an astounding 4.4 pounds of trash every day, according to EPA estimates.

How much trash is there?

Landfills are also a source of greenhouse gas pollution, with a significant portion coming from methane, which happens to be 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This methane comes from the vast amounts of organic materials found in landfills.

Eliminating methane pollution has been cited as a key, short-term environmental goal if we are to achieve future climate goals. So far, little is being done across the country to limit landfill methane emissions. While capturing those emissions is key, it would be better to just eliminate organic waste from landfills altogether, by ensuring we eliminate food waste and compost the rest.

So, how can we get better? Perhaps we can look abroad, as other countries have lessons for America. Germany achieves a recycling rate of 62 percent, far higher than our 34 percent, due to standardized laws across the country. They also have a high deposit on bottles – 25 euro cents for glass, which for a beer can sometimes be 50 percent of the cost – and a wide network of automated recycling machines that made getting this rebate simple. Other countries, like South Korea — which, due to its high population density and limited land-space, faces constraints on expanding landfills — have built infrastructure to make composting not only simple, but also effective across the nation.

We’re seeing action like this on a smaller scale in U.S. states like California, where recycling rates are higher than the rest of the nation, and municipalities such as San Francisco have implemented mandatory composting. But it’s not enough.

In the end, what we need is a circular, closed-loop economy, where all waste is reused or recycled and nearly nothing ends up in landfills. Building a circular economy won’t be easy. In America, though, the greatest challenge may be inertia, as we overcome the burden of so many years of bad planning and limited infrastructure. Regional action is great, but we need a concerted, national effort to really stem the growth of all those landfills.