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

82 – 65  Lihue, Kauai
84 – 68  Honolulu, Oahu
83 – 65  Kahului AP, Maui
86 – 69  Kona Int’l AP
79 – 66  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

0.02  Lihue, Kauai
0.01  Poamoho RG 1Oahu
 0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.00  Maui
0.56  Pahoa, Big Island

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

16  Moloaa Dairy, Kauai
15  Waianae Harbor, Oahu
07  Molokai
12  Lanai
16  Kahoolawe
16  Maalaea Bay, Maui
22  Kohala Ranch, Big Island

Here’s a wind profile of the Pacific Ocean – Closer view of the islands – Here’s the Hawaiian Islands NOAA Vog model animation

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’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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A deep low pressure system is spinning north of the islands, while a high pressure system is located well northeast, keeping light breezes over the Hawaiian Islands…with volcanic haze

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A cold front located to the northwest

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A higher level of clouds are moving overhead from the north

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A few showers – Looping radar image


~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

The winds remain light, with daytime sea breezes…and volcanic haze over most of the state. Here’s the latest weather map, showing a storm low pressure center to the north of Hawaii…with an associated cold front northwest of the islands. Meanwhile, we find a high pressure system well to the northeast of the islands…with an associated ridge over the western islands. Low pressure and a cold front will keep the ridge of high pressure over us…through this weekend. This in turn will keep our atmosphere stable, and at the same time volcanic haze (vog) over us. Looking ahead, we’ll see the return of trade winds early next week, which will help to ventilate the voggy conditions away then. As these more normal trades fill back into the state, we’ll finally have less haze, with rather strong and gusty trades blowing by mid-week.

A few showers…with little change into the new week. There will be the chance of some minor afternoon upcountry showers here and there, especially over the Big Island through the next few days. Meanwhile, our atmosphere continues to be to be relatively dry and stable, with any showers remaining generally light for the most part. A cold front has stalled in its forward motion towards our islands, and will remain well offshore as it moves by to the north of the state. As we push through the rest of this weekend, this dry and stagnant weather pattern will continue over the islands. As the trade winds return early in the new week, there may be a few windward showers…although not many are expected.

Marine environment details: The High Surf Warning has been extended through this afternoon, based on the latest observations from the offshore buoys northwest of the islands. The large west-northwest swell ended up coming in slightly later and a few feet larger than expected at the northwest buoy. Some overwash onto vulnerable roadways can’t be ruled out through this time, which will be likely through the high tide cycles.

The Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for most waters through the day today. The leeward Oahu and Maui County waters have dropped out of this advisory.

A second round of large surf/seas will become a possibility next week at some point between late Tuesday night and Thursday in response to a large gale to storm force low that’s forecast to setup across the northwest Pacific this weekend into early in the new week.

Local winds are forecast to remain light this weekend, with land and sea breezes continuing each day, as a ridge of high pressure remains near the islands. Moderate trades are forecast to gradually return during the new week, as the ridge shifts farther north of the islands. Advisory level winds (25 knots) will be possible over the typically windier channel waters by around Wednesday.

Friday Evening Film: My friend Jeff is just back from a long trip to the mainland and Europe. We decided we’d go see a brand new film called Live By Night, starring Ben Affleck, Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Sienna Miller, Chris Messina, Chris Cooper, and Zoe Saldana…among many others. The synopsis – Ben Affleck writes, produces, and stars in this dramatic adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s sprawling crime novel, centering on the prodigal son of a prominent police chief, and his gradual descent into the criminal underworld.

The long and short way of describing this piece of work, is to call it an epic Gangster film, no two ways about it. Affleck was far and away the leading actor, although his supporting cast was splendid as well. The film starts out romanticizing the gangster lifestyle, although eventually rips it apart towards the end. The sets, costumes, sound track, and vintage automobiles made this story very interesting to watch, making it very realistic in an old-fashioned way. It was certainly a dark-edged film, with all manner of killings going on from start to finish. It was filled with tommy guns, sharp suits, and villainous vamps throughout. When it came time to grade this film, both Jeff and I handed out a strong B to B+ rating. Here’s the trailer if you’re interested in taking a peek at this heavy weight film.

 

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Very large surf north and west shores…gradually lowering

 

World-wide tropical cyclone activity…with storms showing up when active


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>>> Atlantic Ocean: The 2016 hurricane season has ended

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

>>> Caribbean: The 2016 hurricane season has ended

>>> Gulf of Mexico: The 2016 hurricane season has ended

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: The 2016 hurricane season has ended

Here’s the NOAA 2016 Hurricane Season Summary for the Eastern Pacific Basin

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: The 2016 hurricane season has ended

Here’s the NOAA 2016 Hurricane Season Summary for the Central Pacific Basin

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Depression 01W has become active again, here’s the JTWC graphical track map, with a NOAA 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: Affordable water in the US: A burgeoning crisis – If water rates continue rising at projected amounts, the number of U.S. households unable to afford water could triple in five years, to nearly 36 percent, finds new research by a Michigan State University scholar.

Elizabeth Mack said a variety of factors, ranging from aging infrastructure to climate change to population decline in urban areas, are making residents’ ability to afford water and wastewater services a burgeoning crisis. Published online today in the journal PLOS ONE, her study is one of the first nationwide investigations of water affordability.

“In cities across the United States, water affordability is becoming an increasingly critical issue,” said Mack, an assistant geography professor who analyzed water consumption, pricing and demographic and socioeconomic data for the study.

Spending on water and wastewater services combined should make up no more than 4.5 percent of household income, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends. Based on that criteria, some 13.8 million U.S. households (or 11.9 percent of all households) may find water bills unaffordable – a hardship that hits poor families particularly hard, Mack said.

Water rates have increased 41 percent since 2010, and if they continue at that pace over the next five years the number of households that cannot afford water and wastewater services could soar to an estimated 40.9 million, or 35.6 percent of all households.

One driving factor is aging infrastructure. Experts say it will cost more than $1 trillion to replace World War II-era water systems over the next 25 years. Another pressure is climate change, as more intense weather events fuel a need for improvements to wastewater facilities. Making such adaptations will cost the United States more than $36 billion by 2050, according to estimates.

Further, shrinking populations in major cities such as Detroit and Philadelphia means fewer people to pay for the large fixed cost of water service. Some 227,000 customers in Philadelphia, or 4 out of 10 water accounts, are past due, while 50,000 delinquent customers in Detroit have had their water service terminated since the start of 2014, the study says. Households in Atlanta and Seattle are paying more than $300 a month for water and wastewater services (based on a family of four).

Ultimately, the study says, governments, utilities and consumers will need to work together to solve the growing affordability problem.

“Water is a fundamental right for all humans,” Mack said. “However, a growing number of people in the United States and globally face daily barriers to accessing clean, affordable water.”

The United States remains a relatively understudied country in international work on water affordability issues, she noted.

“The hope is that enhanced awareness of this issue in the developed world will highlight the severity of the issue, which is not isolated to people in the developing world,” Mack said.