Lihue, Kauai - 76F
Hilo, Hawaii - 70

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Monday morning:

1.00 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.84 SOUTH FORK KAUKONAHUA, OAHU
0.03 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.55 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.53 WAIAKEA UKA, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1030 millibar high pressure system located far to the NW of Hawaii Monday. The trade winds will remain light to moderately strong over Hawaii’s coastal waters through Tuesday…locally stronger and gusty in those windiest areas around the state. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs


Full moon weekend

Photo Credit: flickr.com

The trade winds will be slightly lighter Sunday and Monday, although still be quite breezy in most places. The latest weather map shows high pressure systems centered to the NW and NE of the 50th state…which is the source of these locally breezy winds. All the small craft wind advisories are now cancelled, as the winds have come back down into the moderately strong category. These cooling and refreshing trade winds will continue blowing steadily through at least the next week, and probably longer…perhaps getting stronger again by next weekend.  

The balmy trade winds will contiue to bring a few windward biased showers to our islands. This will leave the leeward sides mostly dry, although the Kona coast will continue to receive a few late in the day upslope showers. The state in general will remain quite dry however, with nothing unusual expected in the rainfall department. Those driest areas around the state, where drought conditions exist, will remain out of luck in terms of rainfall. On the other hand, those areas that usually see some showers falling, will continue to be graced by showers at times.

The south and west facing leeward beaches will see larger than normal surf breaking today into Monday. A major storm last week down near New Zealand, which had hurricane force winds at one point, generated this larger than normal swell train of waves in our direction. There will be several parts to this surf event, the first peaking this weekend, with second and perhaps third parts arriving during the new week ahead. Folks using our local beaches, especially those not used to being in large waves…should exercise caution when entering the ocean where that type of surf is breaking. The NWS forecast office in Honolulu is continuing its high surf advisory for those leeward beaches, which should remain in force for quite a long time.

It’s Sunday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. As you can see if you had the chance to read the weather paragraphs above, we will continue to see favorably inclined weather circumstances here in the Aloha state well out into the future. Additionally, we will have an unusually long lasting period of higher than normal surf breaking along our leeward beaches. The south shores haven’t had much in the way of surf in the last several weeks, so it will be a very exciting time for those folks in the surfing community here in the islands! ~~~ Meanwhile, the June full moon occurred this weekend, which will be flooding our nighttime skies with reflected sunshine! ~~~ I was invited to a bbq party last night in lower Kula, which turned out to be lots fun. The party happened at the same estate that had the big party a couple of weeks ago that I went to, which was one of the best ever. I knew some of the folks that were there, and met a few new friends as well. ~~~ I’ll be back early Monday morning with your next weather narrative, I hope you have a great Sunday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Lihue, Kauai - 76F
Hilo airport - 71

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Friday morning:

1.00 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.43 OAHU FOREST NWR, OAHU
0.07 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.77 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.91 PIIHONUA, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a rather strong 1035 millibar high pressure system far to the NNW of Hawaii. The trade winds will remain strong and gusty Friday over Hawaii’s coastal waters most exposed to the trade wind flow…gradually getting lighter this weekend. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs


 Ripening Hawaiian Papayas…

Photo Credit: Flickr.com

The trade winds will remain stronger than usual through Friday here in the Hawaiian Islands. The latest weather map shows a 1036 millibar high pressure system centered to the NW of Kauai. Our local winds are expected to remain blustery for another few days. The trade winds will remain active through the rest of this month…gradually getting lighter this weekend into next week.

Satellite imagery shows quite a few clouds around the 50th state now, some of which will drop showers along the windward coasts and slopes. This will leave the leeward sides mostly dry, although the Kona coast will receive a few late in the day upslope showers. There are no organized rainy areas taking aim on our islands at this time, so we can expect just the usual overnight showers to spill along the windward coasts and slopes for the most part. 

The south and west facing leeward beaches will start to see rising surf later Thursday into Friday. A major storm last week down near New Zealand, which had hurricane force winds at one point, generated this larger than normal swell train of waves in our direction. There will actually be two parts to this surf event, the first starting soon, with a second, potentially larger second aspect arriving early next week. Folks using our local beaches, especially those not used to being in large waves…should exercise caution when entering the ocean where that type of surf is breaking.  

It’s Thursday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative.  A wild fire started in the Olowalu area here on Maui Wednesday morning, which quickly spread due to the strong and gusty winds that are blowing. This fire was reported burning on both sides of the major highway going between Lahaina and Maalaea. There were stranded motorists when the highway was closed. At last report one house had been burned, with 10 people displaced. This is one of several fires that have occurred over the last year or two in that general area, on the south and west facing slopes of the West Maui Mountains. Fortunately the fire came under control enough that the road between Lahaina and the rest of the island was opened again Thursday afternoon. ~~~ The smoke from this fire, in addition to the vast amounts of dust, made for a very hazy close of the day Wednesday on Maui. The smoke of course was caused by the fire, and the dust was being whipped up by the strong and gusty winds…picked up from recently harvest sugar cane fields…many of which have been burned lately in the central valley. Skies cleared out in most areas Thursday, as the Olowalu fire moved towards totally containment. The streaky high cirrus clouds will make for a great sunset, and more than likely a nice sunrise again Friday morning. Speaking of Friday, I’ll be back early in the morning with your next weather narrative then. I hope you have a great Thursday night wherever you happen to be! ~~~ Aloha for now…Glenn.   

Honolulu, Oahu - 76F
Hilo airport - 70

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Thursday morning:

1.19 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.09 MAUNAWILI, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.27 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.50 MOUNTAIN VIEW, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a rather strong 1036 millibar high pressure system to the NW of Hawaii. The trade winds will remain strong and gusty Thursday into Friday over Hawaii’s coastal waters most exposed to the trade wind flow. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs




 Sugar cane fires in the central valley of Maui…

Photo Credit: Flickr.com

Our summertime trade winds will be stronger than usual through Thursday here in the 50th state. The latest weather chart shows high pressure systems stretched out NW through NE of the islands…with a solid ridge of high pressure connecting these anticyclones. Local winds are expected to remain blustery, peaking out in strength over the next few days. The small craft wind advisory includes all the major channels between the islands…along with the Maalaea Bay on Maui, and the waters around some places on the Big Island.  The trade winds will remain active through the rest of this month…gradually getting lighter this weekend into next week.

These fresh trades will carry shower bearing clouds to the windward sides of the islands at times, although nothing heavy is indicated. This will leave the leeward sides mostly dry, which is common during the months of June and July. Weather maps show that same rather long lasting upper level low pressure system to the WNW of Kauai, although it continues to move away to the west. There are no organized rainy areas taking aim on our islands at this time, so we can expect just the usual overnight showers to spill along the windward coasts and slopes. The drought conditions continue to plague the leeward upcountry areas of Maui and the Big Island, with mandatory 10% water cutbacks still in force locally.  

It’s Wednesday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative.  Each morning when I get up lately there has been sugar cane fields burning down in the central valley here on Maui. This is common during some parts of the year, when the sugar cane business harvests their fields by torch. After the fields have burned, these huge harvesting trucks take the burned sugar cane stalks to the mill for processing. It’s quite a sight, and as many of you know, quite controversial with some folks who live in the area’s that the resultant smoke gets into. This most often seems to be the Maalaea, Kihei, and Wailea areas…although it can include Paia, Kahului and even Pukalani and Kula…depending on where the fields are being burned, and which way the wind is blowing the smoke. There’s this stuff that we call Hawaiian snow too, which is the black and gray ash that falls far away from where the actual fires are burning…and is not a good thing to have get in contact with your white sheets hanging on the clothes line. Many people too complain about respiratory problems from having to breathe the cane smoke when it comes sweeping through populated areas. The last several days it has been smokey when I drive down into the central valley, fortunately the trade winds are strong enough now to ventilate it away fairly quickly. The problem becomes exaggerated when the fires are lit on light wind days, as it can hang around for hours and hours. ~~~ I’ll be back early Thursday morning with your next scheduled weather narrative, I hope you have a great Wednesday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Honolulu, Oahu - 77F
Molokai airport - 70

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Wednesday morning:

1.16 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.38 POAMOHO 2, OAHU
0.01 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.98 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.15 MOUNTAIN VIEW, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure systems stretched across the north central Pacific…connected by a solid ridge of high pressure. The trade winds will remain strong and gusty Wednesday and Thursday over Hawaii’s coastal waters best exposed to the trade wind flow. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs


 Wind and Waves converge…

Photo Credit: Flickr.com

Trade winds, trade winds, and more trade winds blowing here in the Hawaiian Islands. The latest weather map shows high pressure systems stretched out to the NW through NE of islands…which are the source regions for our trade winds now. Local winds are expected to remain quite blustery, peaking out in strength this week now through Thursday. The small craft wind advisory has been extended to include all the major channels between the islands…along with the Maalaea Bay on Maui, and the waters around some places on the Big Island.  The trade winds will remain active through the rest of this month…with no end in sight as a matter of fact.

We’ll see pretty normal conditions in terms of incoming showers, with most of them sticking closely to the windward sides…with only a few stray drops falling elsewhere. This will leave the leeward sides mostly dry, which is common during the summer season. Weather maps show that same rather long lasting upper level low pressure system to the NW of Kauai. It may keep a few more than the ordinary showers falling across the island chain for the time being. As this upper air weather feature departs after mid-week, we will drop back into the usual precipitation pattern for this time of year…which often means dry weather prevailing. 

It’s Tuesday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative.  This time of year it becomes quite a challenge to come up with something new to write the weather, that is, something that I didn’t write about the day before…and that I won’t be discussing tomorrow! There’s often nothing thats very exciting to point out in our local Hawaiian Island weather picture, other than the near perfect weather that is. One day is almost a carbon copy of the last, and so it goes through the first half of summer generally. Once we get into later July, or more likely August and September, there can always be some tropical storm or hurricane that is churning the waters of the eastern Pacific. Then there are those few occasions when one of these tropical cyclones decides to come closer to the islands…that’s when things become more news worthy! We’re expected only 2-3 tropical systems to be active in the central Pacific this hurricane season, which is down from the 4-5 that is considered normal during our hurricane season. There’s nothing even remotely like a spinning storm within the entire Pacific Ocean at this time…and believe you me, I’ll be pointing out anything well before it gets within a thousand miles of Hawaii as soon as I see it brewing! ~~~ I hope you have a great Tuesday night, I’ll be back early Wednesday morning with your next weather narrative. Aloha for now…Glenn.

Honolulu, Oahu - 76F
Kailua-kona - 70

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Tuesday morning:

1.59 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.60 MANOA LYON ARBORETUM, OAHU
0.03 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.66 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.14 HILO AIRPORT, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure systems stretched across the north central Pacific…connected by a solid ridge of high pressure. The trade winds will remain rather gusty Tuesday and Wednesday…strongest over those coastal waters around Maui and the Big Island.  Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs


 Wispy rainbow along the coast…

Photo Credit: Flickr.com

As would be expected this time of year, the trade winds will continue to blow across our latitudes of the north central Pacific.  The latest weather map shows two high pressure systems, one to our north and the other to the NE…which are the source areas for our local trade winds. Local winds are expected to remain quite blustery, perhaps peaking out in strength during the Tuesday through Thursday time frame this week. The small craft wind advisory around Maui and the Big Island waters remains active, and may need to be extended to other areas if the trade winds increase a notch during the mid-week period as expected. The trade winds will remain active through the rest of this month…and likely well into the first part of July. 

Shower activity will remain fairly normal along our windward coasts and slopes, although may be a little more active than usual near Kauai for another day or two.  This will leave the leeward sides mostly dry, which is common during the summer season. Those showers that may dampen the island of Kauai, more so than the rest of the Aloha state…will occur due to the presence of an upper level low pressure system to the NW of Kauai. This upper air feature is expected to move away soon, so that Kauai will join the rest of the state in a more or less normal trade wind weather pattern shortly. This of course includes the usual few passing showers along the windward sides…most generously during the night and early morning hours.

It’s Monday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative.  It’s full on summer here in the tropical latitudes around Hawaii now. Days will continue to be warm to very warm, while nights will be warm to only slightly cool. Temperatures near sea level will range between around 70F at night, on up the thermometer scale to near 90F during the afternoons in those warmest leeward beach areas. If we call those numbers the outer edges, the middle of the road temperatures, in most areas, will range between say 73 and 86 degrees. If one lives in a higher elevation area, like say in Kula here in upcountry Maui, temperatures are always cooler than down below. The temperature at a little after 5am Monday morning for instance, was a cooler 53F degrees. High temperatures in Kula, even during the hottest days, often remain in the 70’s. ~~~ I hope you had a great weekend wherever you happened to have spent it. Here it is Monday again, time for us workers in the world to get on back to our jobs. I feel very fortunate to have jobs that I love, and people to work with that I consider my friends. I’ll be back early Tuesday morning with your next weather narrative, I hope you have a nice Monday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Kaneohe, Oahu - 76F
Kailua-kona - 68

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Monday morning:

1.09 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.19 POAMOHO 2, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.01 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.40 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.36 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure systems to the north  and NE of the islands now. The trade winds will remain rather gusty Monday and Tuesday…strongest over those coastal waters around Maui and the Big Island.  Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs


Beautiful beach on Kauai…

Artist Credit: Flickr.com

The trade winds will blow in the moderately strong realms, although remain fairly strong and gusty in those usual windiest places across the Hawaiian Islands. Weather maps show a weaker 1030 millibar high pressure system to our north now…thus we should see slightly less windy weather. The small craft wind advisory around Maui and the Big Island waters remains active in the waters from Molokai down through the Big Island. The trade winds will remain breezier through the first half of the new week ahead. 

Conditions will remain quite dry in most areas, although an approaching upper level trough of low pressure may enhance windward showers over the next couple of days. A trough of low pressure, with its cooler air aloft, tends to thicken clouds. This in turn can increase the showers falling from the clouds…with a corresponding better chance of showers along the windward sides of islands. Kauai, being closest to this trough of low pressure, will have the best chance for showers, although the other islands may see more than the normal amount of showers over the next couple of days too.  

It’s Sunday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative.  Satellite imagery shows the presence of an upper level low pressure system to the north of the Hawaiian Islands. If this weather feature slides southward a little closer to our area, we could see an increase in showers at some point over the next couple of days. This time of year of course, it’s very difficult to coax many showers out of our overlying clouds…so it wouldn’t be surprising to see continued dry weather everywhere! Nonetheless, there is that chance that we could see more than the normal amount of showers falling along the windward sides, which would be a good thing to counteract the drought conditions in many parts of the islands now.  ~~~ I fly to Oahu again today, for a friend’s 90th birthday party. This person happens to be a Zen Master, who I used to study with many years ago. I leave Maui Sunday morning on one of the first flights out, and then come back later in the afternoon. I’ll see many, many old friends at this party, who still live on Oahu…like I used to when I first arrived here in Hawaii way back in the middle 70’s. ~~~ I’ll be back early Monday morning with your next weather narrative. I hope you have a great Sunday night wherever you happen to be reading from! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Honolulu, Oahu - 76F
Hilo, Hawaii - 69

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Friday morning:

1.09 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.08 OAHU FOREST NWR, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.05 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.71 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.37 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a strong 1037 millibar high pressure system far to the NNW of the islands. The trade winds will gradually increase into Saturday, as this high pressure cell moves closer to the Hawaiian Islands. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs


Looks inviting to me!

Artist Credit: Flickr.com

Thursday is the first day of summer 2007, opening the way for a long hot summer here in the Hawaiian Islands. Weather maps show a relatively strong 1036 millibar high pressure system far to our NNW now. As the pressure gradient across the islands increases some, our local trade winds will bump-up a notch through Friday. The small craft wind advisory around Maui and the Big Island waters has been activated again in response to these somewhat strong winds. The trade winds will remain breezy through the rest of this week into next week. 

Relatively dry conditions will continue, although some the windward sides, and the mountains on the smaller islands will continue to see occasional passing showers.  However, without any upper level troughs of low pressure in our vicinity, there won’t be any significant change in our rainfall pattern. Those windward biased showers will fall most generously during the cooler night and early morning hours as usual. The leeward sides will see extensive morning sunshine, with the usual afternoon scattered clouds developing locally.

It’s Thursday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. We begin our summer 2007 season today, which is expected to be a rather dry one here in the islands. This dry weather has prompted drought conditions along the leeward sides of both Maui and the Big Island. The windward sides, which often, even during the dry season, often receive at least light passing showers…carried in by the prevailing trade wind flow. What we would like to see is a wet trade wind pattern develop, that or some heavy afternoon showers caused by light winds and an upper level low pressure system in our area. Glancing at the latest weather information sources, neither of these rain producing agents are going to be manifesting anytime soon. As a matter of fact, it would be unusual to see either of these drought breaking choices! The only other chance for water would be to see some form of tropical storm passing close to our near the islands, which could bring in some much needed precipitation. This kind of thing isn’t totally out of the question, although tropical storms usually don’t enter Hawaiian waters until later in the summer months…if at all. So, we have to tighten our belts, in terms of water usage, and try to conserve our precious water in the upcountry areas here on Maui at least. ~~~ I hope you have a great first day of summer wherever you are experiencing it! I’ll be back early Friday morning with your next weather narrative. Aloha for now…Glenn.

Honolulu, Oahu - 76F
Hilo, Hawaii - 70

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Thursday morning:

2.51 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.31 PUNALUU PUMP, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.27 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.37 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a relatively strong 1036 millibar high pressure system far to the NNW of the islands. The trade winds will gradually pick up a bit Thursday into Friday, as the pressure gradient tightens across the Hawaiian Islands now. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs


Lava rock coves

Artist Credit: Flickr.com

This last full day of spring 2007 will have the trade winds blowing across the entire length of the Hawaiian Islands. Weather maps show a high pressure system to our NNW…moving closer to Hawaii over the next several days. As this high pressure cell gets into closer range, our local trade winds will increase a notch Thursday. We’ve temporarily lost our small craft wind advisory around Maui and the Big Island, although we will see it reappear soon. The trade winds will remain active through the rest of this week. The latest computer forecast model data shows that the trade winds could escalate again right after this coming weekend.

Whatever showers that are being carried towads the state on the breezy trade winds will end up along the windward coasts for the most part. As the trade winds increase in strength a bit Thursday…we may see a modest increase in windward showers then. Without any upper level troughs of low pressure in our vicinity however, there won’t be any significant change in our local precipitation pattern for the time being. The leeward sides will see plentiful morning sunshine, with the usual afternoon scattered clouds developing…with a few possible showers in the upcountry areas here and there.

It’s Wednesday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. As noted in the two paragraphs above, nothing out of the ordinary has happened, is happening, or expected to happen here in the islands. We find ourselves moving through the last few hours of our spring season, quickly heading towards the summer solstice, which occurs here in the islands at a few minutes past 8am Thursday morning. There’s always something a little special about these changing of the seasons, just like there is during a full or crescent moon I suppose. I always find it interesting to consider that as we, here in the northern hemisphere move into summer…downunder, in the southern hemisphere, winter is starting! ~~~ When I think about summer, as I was growing up in southern California as a kid, the main thing was getting out of school for three months. As I ponder that feeling, it reminds me how very special it was…not having to go to school during the summer was, well…just fabulous! It was kind of like I suppose, being released from jail or something. Fortunately I’ve never been in jail, although I was drafted into the army way back when, and when I was released from that active duty, after spending a year in Viet Nam, it had the same kind of good feeling as starting summer vacation as a kid. ~~~ Not exactly sure where that all came from, oh yeah, somehow it was tied into starting the summer here soon. I hope you enjoy your last few moments of spring, and if you’re several time zones ahead of us here in Hawaii, the first few hours of your summer too. I’ll be back here early Thursday with your next weather narrative. Aloha for now…Glenn.

Kailua-kona - 77F
Hilo, Hawaii - 70

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Wednesday morning:

1.12 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.18 POAMOHO 2, OAHU
0.03 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.29 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.55 WAIAKEA UKA, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure systems to the NE and far NNW of the islands. The trade winds will be moderately strong Wednesday, becoming stronger and gusty Thursday…especially in those windiest areas in the southern part of the state. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs


Secret tropical hideaway

Artist Credit: James Coleman

The trade winds are here to stay in the Hawaiian Islands. They will remain at about the same strength as they have been for the last week, getting only slightly lighter today and Wednesday. The computer forecast models show a stronger than normal high pressure system, now far to our NNW…moving closer to Hawaii over the next several days. As this high pressure cell gets into closer range, our local trade winds will increase a notch after mid-week. We’ve temporarily lost our small craft wind advisory around Maui and the Big Island, although we might see it reappear a little later in the work week. The trade winds will remain active through the rest of this week into next week at least.

There will be just the usual few showers arriving along the windward sides of the islands. The overlying atmosphere doesn’t have a whole lot of moisture to work with, which has limited the amount of rain in most areas. As the trade winds increase in strength a little bit by about Thursday…we may see a modest increase in windward showers then. Without any upper level troughs of low pressure in our vicinity however, there won’t be any significant change in our local precipitation characteristics for the time being. The leeward sides will see plentiful morning sunshine, with the usual afternoon clouds developing…with a few random showers in the upcountry areas here and there.

It’s Tuesday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. We’ll soon be entering into the beginning of summer 2007. The summer solstice this year, at least here in the Hawaiian Islands, begins Thursday morning at a little after 8am. Thus, we are breathing the air of very, very late spring! This summer looks like it will be quite a dry one, and is certainly starting off in that direction…especially in the upcountry areas on Maui and the Big Island. It isn’t so much that we’ve been all that dry, although we have been quite dry, during this late spring season…as much as we didn’t get enough rainfall during our winter rainy season. There aren’t that many chances to get any regular rains now, as this time of year is always dry. ~~~ I’ve mentioned in the past how I enjoy seeing the Hawaiian Owls that fly around this upcountry area. Often folks think in terms of having it be good luck, or a good omen to see them. Well, I saw three of these birds yesterday, or perhaps the same one three times. So perhaps I may be in for some good luck soon, which is always a good thing I reckon! I look forward to getting out there for my early morning walk, and see if it glides by silently overhead again today. ~~~ The weather is going to be just fine for the next few days, and for that matter, through the rest of the week at least. I hope you have a great Tuesday night wherever you happen to be reading from. I’ll be back very early in the day on Wednesday with your next tropical weather narrative. Aloha for now…Glenn.

Kailua-kona - 76F
Hilo, Hawaii - 69

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Tuesday morning:

0.89 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.21 MANOA LYON ARBORETUM, OAHU
0.01 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.52 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.28 KEALAKEKUA, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure systems far to the NE and NNW of the islands. The trade winds will be moderately strong Tuesday and Wednesday…stronger and gusty in those windiest areas in the southern part of the state. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Aloha Paragraphs


Windward Oahu

Photo Credit: Flickr.com

There remains no end in sight for the cooling and refreshing trade wind breezes.  This is a good thing of course, as the trade winds temper our late morning through afternoon heat. They will remain at about the same strength as they have been for the last week, then get only slightly lighter Tuesday and Wednesday. The computer forecast models show a stronger than normal 1042 millibar high pressure system, now far to our NNW…moving closer to Hawaii over the next several days. As this anticyclone gets into closer range, our local trade winds will increase a notch or two after mid-week.   

There’s been a few windward showers around, falling mostly during the night and early morning hours.  The overlying atmosphere however remains quite dry and stable, which has limited the amount of rain in most areas. The one exception of course, continues to be Mount Waialaelae on Kauai, which just keeps accumulating inch after inch after inch on a daily basis! This is to be expected though, as it is the wettest place on the planet! There doesn’t seem to be any good reason to think that there will be much of a change in the next few days. As the trade winds ramp up a bit after mid-week…we may see a corresponding increase in windward showers then.

It’s Monday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative.  I had a wonderful little mini-vacation on the island of Oahu this past weekend. I stayed in Kailua Beach with my good friends Kaleo and Rebecca Ahina. There was a family reunion slash Luau Saturday evening that I attended, which had great food, music, and even hula dancing. Several of my friends from there, went from that party to another friends birithday party, which was in more or less in the same area…which turned out to be fun as well. The next day there was a big post wedding party on the beach on the other side of the island, called Ewa Beach. There was all kinds of nice people there, along with great food, dessert, drinks, music, ceremonies, and more hula dancing…which I love. I reconnected with lots of old friends and met many new friends as well. Many of my friends were going to a place called Duke’s in Waikiki after this last party, but alas I got dropped off at the Honolulu airport for my quick trip back to Maui. I arrived happy, but pretty tuckered out from all the socializing! ~~~ On another note, my Father, Edward James, who lives in Long Beach, California, had his 85th birthday Saturday, and then of course it was Father’s Day on Sunday. I wasn’t there to celebrate with him, but I sure was thinking about him a lot. I love you Dad! Belated Happy Father’s Day to all you Dad’s out there. ~~~ I’ll be back very early Tuesday morning with your next weather narrative. I hope you have a great Monday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.