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

78 – 73  Lihue, Kauai
85 – 73  Honolulu, Oahu
82 – 69  Molokai
86 – 65  Kahului AP, Maui
82 – 71  Kona Int’l AP
82 – 66  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

0.33  Kilohana, Kauai
0.48  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
 0.20  Molokai
0.03  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.42  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.73  Kawainui Stream, Big Island

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

23  Port Allen, Kauai
27  Kuaokala, Oahu
24  Molokai
 27  Lanai
29  Kahoolawe
27  Maalaea Bay, Maui
29  Pali 2, Big Island

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 broad low pressure system far north… with a trailing cold front

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An elongated cold front well north of the islands

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Clear to partly cloudy…with low cloud patches arriving locally

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Just a few showers in the vicinity – Looping radar image

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

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Broad brush overview: A trade wind weather pattern can be expected through Friday, with just a few passing showers expected over windward areas. Winds will become lighter over the weekend, as a cold front approaches from the northwest. A few showers can be expected mainly over interior areas during the afternoon hours. Trade winds will return Monday and Tuesday…with passing showers expected mainly over the windward sides.

Details: Light to locally moderate trade winds can be expected through Thursday, as a ridge of high pressure lies north of the area. The trade winds will likely pick up a bit Thursday night and Friday, as an area of high pressure passes eastward…far north of the state. The atmosphere in the island vicinity is rather dry and stable, so just a few passing showers are expected over windward areas. The leeward sides should remain favorable, with lots of daytime sunshine beaming down.

Looking ahead: Trade winds will gradually diminish Saturday, and swing around to the southeast, as a cold front approaches the area from the northwest. Local land and sea breezes can be expected over some areas, due to the lighter winds. Under this lighter wind regime, clouds and showers may develop over interior areas during the afternoon hours. In addition, some volcanic emissions (vog) from the Kilauea vents may drift up over the smaller islands…under this light southeast flow.

The cold front is forecast to weaken and then stall north of the area early next week, as a new high pressure system builds in north of the area. Trade winds will gradually return Monday and Tuesday, and continue at moderate levels into the middle of next week. Shower activity is expected to pick up especially over windward sides, as the airmass is expected to be a bit more moist and less stable.

Here’s a wind profile of the Pacific Ocean – Closer view of the islands / Here’s the vog forecast animation / Here’s the latest weather map

Marine environment details: Conditions across the area coastal waters feature light to moderate trade winds. These trades are expected to increase slightly Thursday, with locally choppy conditions in the windier channels and along headlands, late Thursday into Friday…which will likely require a small craft advisory for the windiest waters.

The next modest northwest swell is expected Saturday, with another modest to above average swell Monday and Tuesday of next week. None of these are expected to produce surf heights reaching advisory levels for high surf.

 

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Trade wind weather pattern through Friday

Southern California Weather Summary: Onshore flow will bring overnight coastal clouds and fog into Thursday morning, otherwise partly cloudy skies can be expected. There will be a cooling trend into the weekend, along with breezy winds. A low pressure system should bring localized precipitation Friday into Saturday…which may linger in the mountains Saturday night. This low pressure system will exit early next week, for a warming trend and decreasing clouds into mid-week.

 

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Fair weather over Southern California…increasing clouds on the horizon

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Areas of high cirrus across the area



World-wide tropical cyclone activity


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>>> Atlantic Ocean: The 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

>>> Caribbean: The 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st

>>> Gulf of Mexico: The 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st

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 2017 hurricane season begins May 15th

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 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st

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: No active tropical cyclones

>>> South Pacific Ocean: 

Tropical Cyclone 14P is now active, here’s the graphical track map, a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing.


>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: No active tropical cyclones

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


Interesting: Cities of the Future Will Depend on Resiliency to Meet Urbanization Demands – Urbanization and the notion of smart cities have been emerging topics for some time now. This is no surprise, given that urban residents accounted for 54 percent of the total global population in 2015, and are expected to grow to 60 percent by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.

In order to accommodate this urban population growth, cities will continue to face increasing challenges, including congested transportation and housing and the need to reliably supply sufficient energy to meet growing demands.

Smart cities are large urban areas that are unique due to their exceptional connectivity and technology surrounding critical infrastructure and systems. These technology advancements, such as advanced sensors to monitor traffic and smart grids and lighting, will certainly help cities of the future meet urbanization challenges. But resiliency must also be a priority for creating sustainable growth, and energy efficiency plays a key role in the resiliency equation.

With this in mind, here’s why we need to pay more attention to energy efficiency and resiliency when discussing how cities will meet ongoing urbanization and climate-related challenges.

Resiliency means improved response

Resiliency is considered a system’s (or city’s, for the sake of our conversation) capacity to survive, adapt and grow in the face of unforeseen physical, social and economic challenges. As urban populations grow, it becomes increasingly important that cities of the future are equipped to deal with stresses, such as food and water shortages, energy demands, inefficient public transportation systems, cyber-attacks and natural disasters. According to the Rockefeller Foundation, resilient cities are not only able to better respond during extreme events, but they are also able to better-deliver basic functions to their populations in both good and bad times.

Just as resiliency reduces a city’s vulnerability in times of extreme risk, a resilient city will also find itself better equipped to handle increasing demands resulting from growing urban populations.

Moreover, taking a city’s ability to deal with the stresses associated with population growth – demands on food, water, space and energy – into account for sustainable growth is also important when preparing for a long-term surge in urbanization. For example, incorporating energy efficiency strategies into planning efforts can minimize stress on the grid and improve overall grid reliability.

Uniting local and global efforts

To meet the demands of urban population growth, governments, businesses and non-government organizations (NGOs) will need to work together. But what exactly does this mean, and what exists to help get them there? For starters, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 global goals aimed at addressing poverty and other sustainable development issues, calls for this type of collaboration. For example, goal seven calls to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.” Partnerships between industry members and all stakeholders will be critical in achieving this goal.

Using the SDGs to unite conversations between government and businesses is a great start to help advance energy efficient and resilient urban environments. At the same time, these conversations are largely uncharted territories. Keeping the SDG objectives in mind during these conversations can undoubtedly serve as a missing link between strategic planning for cities of the future and preparing for increased urbanization.

However, it is also important to remember that these conversations are fluid and ever-evolving – especially as innovation progresses, providing new and exciting strategies. Ten years ago, automation technologies to help control energy usage were not commonplace, yet today they are widely leveraged.

Energy efficiency takes center stage

Energy efficiency plays an inherent and vitally important role in a city’s resiliency. As it relates to energy, resilience is also considered a “community’s reduction of and preparation for risk,” according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

Not only do energy efficient solutions support resiliency as it relates to severe weather events, but these solutions can also offer ways to better manage uncertain or changing energy supply and demand. For example, certain solutions can allow energy to be stored and automatically utilized during off peak hours. This ultimately allows for better energy management and efficiencies that avoid excess usage.

As urbanization continues to increase, cities need to be able to respond to growing energy demands. As such, embracing these types of energy reduction and efficiency strategies will help improve grid reliability, and hopefully even reduce costs down in a times of extreme stress.

Cities of the future

Smart city technology and global initiatives, like the U.N. SDGs, are helping unite cities to meet the challenges of urbanization. Implementing resiliency strategies, including energy efficiency, can also help cities achieve sustainable growth while preparing for surges in urbanization, and requires partnerships across governments, businesses and NGOs.

By achieving resiliency and sustainable growth, cities of the future will be fit to handle both anticipated and unexpected environmental, social and economic stresses.