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

79 – 72  Lihue, Kauai
82 – 73  Honolulu, Oahu
82 – 74  Molokai AP
8573  Kahului AP, Maui
82 – 73  Kailua Kona
79 – 66  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

2.45  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.63  Kamananui Stream,
Oahu
0.27  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.39  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.54  Papaikou Well, Big Island

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

30  Port Allen, Kauai
54  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu

38 
Molokai
27  Lanai

48  Kahoolawe
35  Kaupo Gap, Maui

38  Puu Mali, Big Island

Hawaii’s MountainsHere’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of our tallest mountain Mauna Kea (nearly 13,800 feet high) on the Big Island of Hawaii. This webcam is available during the daylight hours here in the islands, and at night whenever there’s a big moon shining down. Also, at night you will be able to see the stars — and the sunrise and sunset too — depending upon weather conditions.


Aloha Paragraphs

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The Pacific storm track remains well north of our islands, with numerous gale and storm low pressure systems moving from west to east…in the prevailing westerly wind flow

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The most dynamic area of clouds is located well west of Hawaii, with its associated high cirrus clouds sliding over the islands from time to time – making for potential colorful sunsets and sunrises

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Those high cirrus clouds will dim and filter our sunshine during the days…with low clouds being carried ashore by the blustery trade winds

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Showers falling mostly along the windward sections, some will be moderately heavy  –
Looping radar image


Small Craft Advisory
…all Hawaiian coasts and channels (25-33 knots)


High Surf Advisory
…east facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and the Big Island


Gale Warning
…Maalaea Bay, Kaiwi, Pailolo and Alenuihaha Channels, along with waters south of the Big Island – (34-47 knots)

Wind Advisorylocalized across and downslope from steep terrain, along with exposed windward shorelines and over ridge lines (30 mph with gusts over 50)


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Hawaii Weather Narrative
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Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Trade winds remaining blustery into the weekend…with a short break in sight. Here’s the latest weather map, showing a near 1032 millibar high pressure system north-northeast of Hawaii. This high pressure cell will keep our trade winds active though most of the weekend. The strongest trade wind speeds will occur now into Friday. This unusually windy weather will bring 50+ mph wind gusts to some areas of the island chain. These conditions are keeping a Wind Advisory in play over some parts of the the island chain, along with Gale Warnings locally over the windiest coastal and channel waters. These blustery winds should begin to ease up during the weekend, starting later Sunday into early next week. The models are suggesting that a cold front may approach the islands, which would finally calm our winds down some, veering them to the southeast…perhaps bringing some volcanic haze (vog) our way then too.

Here’s a wind profile of the offshore waters around the islands – and a closer look

Here’s the Hawaiian Islands Sulfate Aerosol animated graphic, showing vog forecast

Windward showers will continue to fall locally, while the leeward sides will see fewer showers in general. A windy trade wind weather pattern can be expected over the next several days. Low clouds and showers will affect windward sides, with the gusty trades carrying showers to leeward areas at times. Besides these localized showery low clouds, there will also be high cirrus clouds passing over the area at times too. Drier weather is expected Friday into Saturday, then increasing some Saturday night into Sunday. Looking at the chances of precipitation for early next week hasn’t quite come into focus yet. At this point, the range would include showers over the western side of the state briefly on Monday, or a continuance of the current trade wind weather pattern, with the typical windward showers…depending upon on where an approaching cold front decides to stall before arriving.

Marine environment details: Gale Warning remains posted for the typically windier areas, including the Kaiwi, Pailolo, and Alenuihaha Channels, Maalaea Bay and the waters south of the Big Island through Friday afternoon. Small Craft Advisory posted for all other Hawaiian waters. High pressure north of the state will continue to deliver windy conditions through most of the weekend. Winds should start to ease some Sunday into Monday.

High Surf Advisory is posted of all east facing shores due to choppy, rough surf created from the strong trades. Surf will remain elevated through the weekend. A series of northwest swells will keep some surf active along north and west facing shores through the period…although surf is expected to stay below advisory levels.

A small south-southwest swell could provide a small bump to south shore surf late Sunday into next Monday.

 

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Windy with showers arriving at times, mostly along our windward sides


World-wide tropical cyclone activity…


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>>> Atlantic Ocean: No active tropical cyclones

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

>>> Caribbean:

Hurricane 16L (Otto) remains active over the southern Caribbean Sea, here’s the NHC graphical track map, with a satellite image, and what the computer models are showing

>>> 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: 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

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:
No active tropical cyclones

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


Interesting:
Why Do So Many Big Earthquakes Strike Japan?
– A magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck recently off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, likely along the same fault that ruptured in 2011, unleashing a massive 9.0-magnitude temblor that triggered deadly tsunamis and caused widespread destruction. Over the course of its history, Japan has seen its share of shaking, but what makes this part of the world so susceptible to big earthquakes?

The answer has to do with Japan’s location. The island nation lies along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an imaginary horseshoe-shaped zone that follows the rim of the Pacific Ocean, where many of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. In fact, 81 percent of the world’s largest earthquakes happen in this active belt, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

“The Earth’s surface is broken up into about a dozen or so major chunks that are all moving around. Where they all interact at their edges, interesting things happen,” Douglas Given, a geophysicist with the USGS in Pasadena, California.

Within the Pacific Ring of Fire, several tectonic plates mash and collide. In what are known as subduction zones, one plate bends and slides underneath the other, causing the oceanic crust to sink into the Earth’s mantle.

“From Alaska down to Japan and the Philippines, all the way down around the western Pacific — and then the boundary of the west coast of South America and central America — are all big subduction zones,” said Robert Smith, an emeritus professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.

Japan itself sits atop a complex mosaic of tectonic plates that grind together and trigger deadly earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

This recent earthquake off the coast of Fukushima was centered about 80 miles southwest of the epicenter of the 9.0-magnitude Tohoku quake that struck in March 2011. This means the magnitude-6.9 temblor could be an aftershock of the more-powerful 2011 quake, according to seismologists.

“There’s been a whole sequence [of aftershocks] since the 2011 earthquake,” Smith said. “These enormously big earthquakes have aftershocks that can continue for tens to hundreds of years. It’s very common.”

The 2011 earthquake released hundreds of years of pent-up stress within the subduction zone, and triggered an enormous tsunami that inundated the coastal Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, eventually causing a level 7 nuclear meltdown. While the recent quake was not as powerful as the Tohoku temblor, the entire region is still at risk of big earthquakes.

The Tohoku quake “was one of the biggest earthquakes we’ve recorded historically, but the fact is, the seismic hazard of the whole subduction zone is extremely high, so large earthquakes are more common there than other places,” Smith said.

Earlier this year, in April, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region in southern Japan, two days after a 6.2-magnitude temblor shook the same area.