Hawaii Weather Today

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 22-23, 2012

Glenn — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:14:38 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday:

Lihue, Kauai -                     80
Honolulu airport, Oahu -      82 (record high for the date – 87 – 1977)
Kaneohe, Oahu -                78
Molokai airport -                  79
Kahului airport, Maui -            78
Kona airport –                     78
Hilo airport, Hawaii -            74

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5am Wednesday morning:

Lihue, Kauai - 73
Kahului, Maui - 60

Haleakala Crater - 37 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 27 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’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. Here's the Haleakala Crater webcam on Maui.

Aloha Paragraphs

Trade winds…still locally strong and gusty – showers
on the windward sides at times…occasionally elsewhere -
winter weather conditions atop Big Island summits -
best weather along the leeward beaches – showery
weather windward sections this weekend

As this weather map shows, we have a large near 1037 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of the islands. This high has a long ridge that extends southwest from its center. Our winds will gradually relax in strength as a cold front approaches from the northwest.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Wednesday morning:

16                 Lihue, Kauai – NE
24                 Bellows, Oahu – NE
08                 Molokai – NE
38      Kahoolawe – ENE
30                 Lipoa, Maui – ESE
00                 Lanai
32                 Upolu Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Wednesday morning. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see a large area of high and middle level clouds over the Big Island and to the south and southeast from there. We can use this looping satellite image to see those brighter white clouds to the southeast, associated with an upper level low pressure system…with some embedded thunderstorms, and another large area of clouds to the northwest…associated with an approaching cold front. At the same time we see lower level clouds being carried our way by the lower level southeast to easterly wind flow. Checking out this looping radar image we see light to moderate showers being carried along to the south of the islands…although into the island chain in places too.

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

3.20               Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.12              Kahana, Oahu
0.03             Molokai
0.00               Kahoolawe
1.94               Kaupo Gap, Maui
4.86               Saddle Quarry, Big Island

Sunrise Commentary: Our trade winds will remain blustery, at least locally today. The forecast continues to suggest that these trade winds will ease up some, shifting to the east-southeast and southeast Thursday and Friday…in response to an approaching cold front. The computer models have been all over the map the last several days, suggesting kona winds with a cold front for the weekend…and are now back to trade winds with lots of windward biased showers. It's a tough call trying to sort all of this out, lets give ourselves one more day, nonetheless…potentially wetter weather for Saturday and Sunday still seems likely.

Meanwhile, the gusty trades, which are now somewhat south of east, are bringing windward biased showers our way at times. We continue to find a cold pool of air aloft not far to the south of the Big Island, associated with an upper level low pressure system. Its presence is helping to keep our atmosphere destabilized and more shower prone than usual…especially around the Big Island. The chance for more than the normal amount of windward biased showers will continue for the time being, and then dry out temporarily Thursday and Friday.

Here in Kula, Maui at 610am HST, we had calm winds, with a cool air temperature of 49.6F degrees. As noted above, the trade winds will remain active now…with still those rather strong and gusty conditions here and there. There will be enough blocking of these winds by the Big Island however, that there should be lighter winds on the smaller islands Thursday and Friday. We'll see periodic showers, as we have an upper level low pressure system near the state now, with the heaviest of these impacting the Big Island side of the chain. In sum, gusty trade winds, with off and on passing showers…with the gradually relaxing wind speeds. There remains that good chance of the weekend turning locally wet again.

This satellite image shows that there are lots of clouds to our south, some of them are packing locally heavy showers and even thunderstorms to the south of the Big Island. Meanwhile, this radar image shows where our showery weather is occurring, most of which continues to be taking aim on the Big Island side of the chain. The air aloft over the state is colder than normal over that way, which will likely cause more snow to fall atop the summits on the Big Island at times today, here's the webcam for the Mauna Kea summit…with clouds or fog hiding the view at times. The air temperature at 6am this evening atop Mauna Kea was a very chilly 27 degrees! ~~~ I'll be back several more times during the day with additional updates, and then with a sunset commentary of course around 515pm. I hope you have a great Wednesday wherever you're spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a new class of planet: a waterworld with a thick, steamy atmosphere. The exoplanet GJ 1214b is a so-called "Super Earth" – bigger than our planet, but smaller than gas giants such as Jupiter. Observations using the Hubble telescope now seem to confirm that a large fraction of its mass is water. The planet's high temperatures suggest exotic materials might exist there.

"GJ 1214b is like no planet we know of," said lead author Zachory Berta, from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The planet was discovered in 2009 by ground-based telescopes. It is about 2.7 times the Earth's diameter, but weighs almost seven times as much.

It orbits its red-dwarf star at a distance of just two million km, meaning temperatures on GJ 1214b probably reach above 200C. In 2010, astronomers released measurements of its atmosphere. These suggested that GJ 1214b's atmosphere was probably made up of water, but there was another possibility – that the planet was covered in a haze, of the type that envelopes Saturn's moon Titan.

Hot ice Mr Berta and his colleagues used the Hubble Space Telescope's wide-field camera to study the planet as it crossed in front of its star – a transit. During these transits, the star's light is filtered through the planet's atmosphere, giving clues to the mixture of gases present.

The researchers said their results are more consistent with a dense atmosphere of water vapour, than one with a haze. Calculations of the planet's density also suggest that GJ 1214b has more water than Earth. This means the internal structure of this world would be very different to that of our own.

"The high temperatures and pressures would form exotic materials like 'hot ice' or 'superfluid water', substances that are completely alien to our everyday experience," said Dr Berta. The planet's short distance from Earth makes it a likely candidate for follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, which may launch by the end of this decade.

Interesting2: Sharks have a reputation for being ruthless, solitary predators, but evidence is mounting that certain species enjoy complex social lives that include longstanding relationships and teamwork. A new study, published in the latest Animal Behaviour, documents how one population of blacktip reef sharks is actually organized into four communities and two subcommunities.

The research shows for the first time that adults of a reef-associated shark species form stable, long-term social bonds. The image contrasts with usual reports on this species, which mistakenly sinks its sharp teeth into surfers and swimmers from time to time.

Lead author Johann Mourier told Discovery News that "other species, such as grey reef sharks and scalloped hammerheads form polarized groups where individuals have a specific place, and such species may also have complex social organization."

Mourier, a scientist at the Center for Island Research and Environmental Study (CNRS-EPHE), and colleagues Julie Vercelloni and Serge Planes conducted the study at Moorea Island in the Society archipelago, French Polynesia. A total of seven sites were surveyed on a regular basis along just over 6 miles of the north shore of Moorea.

The surveys included nearly hour-long dives at a depth close to 50 feet, with the diver photographing nearby sharks. Analysis of the gathered data determined that the sharks were not within non-random collections, but rather had organized themselves into meaningful social groups.

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 21-22, 2012

Glenn — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:16:11 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday:

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Tuesday evening:

Barking Sands, Kauai - 79
Hilo, Hawaii - 68

Haleakala Crater - 36 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 27 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Aloha Paragraphs

Gradually lighter trade winds, still
gusty atop the Haleakala Crater on Maui…
and over the Big Island summits too – showers on
the windward sides at times…occasionally elsewhere -
snowy winter weather atop Big Island summits -
partly cloudy, a few showers…leeward beaches

As this weather map shows, we have a large near 1037 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of the islands. This high has a long ridge that extends southwest from its center…which runs by to the north of Hawaii. Our winds will gradually relax in strength as a cold front approaches from the northwest.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Tuesday afternoon:

18                 Lihue, Kauai – E
28                 Bellows, Oahu – NE
20                 Molokai – NE
45      Kahoolawe – ENE
37                 Lipoa, Maui – ESE
14                 Lanai – NE
36                 South Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Tuesday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see a large area of high and middle level clouds over the Big Island and Maui. We can use this looping satellite image to see those brighter white clouds to the southeast, and another large area of clouds to the northwest…associated with an approaching cold front. At the same time we see lower level clouds being carried our way by the lower level southeast to easterly wind flow. Checking out this looping radar image we see light to moderate showers, with a few heavy showers mixed in, being carried into the islands…along the windward sides from Oahu down through Maui and the Big Island for the most part.

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

1.27               Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.30              Punaluu Stream, Oahu
0.03             Molokai
0.00               Kahoolawe
1.62               Kaupo Gap, Maui
3.00               Glenwood, Big Island

Sunset Commentary: Our trade winds will remain blustery, at least locally. The forecast continues to suggest that these trade winds will ease up some, shifting to the east-southeast and southeast into mid-week…in response to an approaching cold front. Some of the computer models continue to show our winds veering all the way around the south to south-southwest later Thursday into Friday. If this were to happen, and its still not exactly a sure thing, that would suggest that we could see a cold front digging into state later Friday into the weekend. This in turn suggests that we may see wet weather, some of which could be locally heavy.

Meanwhile, the gusty trades, which are now somewhat south of east, are bringing windward biased showers our way at times. We continue to find a cold pool of air aloft not far to the southeast of the state, which will keep our atmosphere destabilized and more shower prone than usual…especially around the Big Island and possibly east Maui. The chance for more than the normal amount of windward biased showers will stretch into mid-week, and then dry out temporarily Thursday and Friday.

Here in Kula, Maui at 440pm HST, we had light winds, with an air temperature of 65.8F degrees. As noted above, the trade winds will remain active now…although ease up a bit and turn more southeast. There will be enough blocking of these winds by the Big Island however, that there should be lighter winds on the smaller islands over the next couple of days. We'll see periodic showers, as we have an upper level low pressure system near the state now, with the heaviest of these impacting the Big Island side of the chain. In sum, gusty east to southeast winds, with off and on passing showers for the east to southeast sides, and elsewhere in places too…with the gradually relaxing wind speeds. There remains a good chance of the weekend turning locally wet again.

This satellite image shows that there are lots of clouds to our east through south, some of them are packing locally heavy showers near the Big Island and almost around east Maui too. Meanwhile, this radar image shows where our showery weather is occurring, most of which continues to be taking aim on the Big Island side of the chain. The air aloft over the state is colder than normal over that way, which will likely cause more snow to fall atop the summits on the Big Island at times, here's the webcam for the Mauna Kea summit…with clouds or fog hiding the view at times. The air temperature at 440pm this evening atop Mauna Kea was an usually chilly 25 degrees! ~~~ I'll be back a bit later with a few more updates, after my walk. I hope you have a great Tuesday night wherever you're spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 20-21, 2012

Glenn — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:16:41 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday:

Lihue, Kauai -                     79
Honolulu airport, Oahu -      83 (record high for the date – 87 – 1997)
Kaneohe, Oahu -                78
Molokai airport -                  79
Kahului airport, Maui -            81
Kona airport –                     79
Hilo airport, Hawaii -           79

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Monday evening:

Honolulu, Oahu - 78
Hilo, Hawaii - 72

Haleakala Crater - 36 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 28 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Aloha Paragraphs

Gradually lighter trade winds, still
gusty atop the Haleakala Crater on Maui -
showers on the windward sides at times…
on the leeward sides locally in places too -
wintery weather atop Big Island summits –

As this weather map shows, we have gale and storm low pressure systems far to the northeast through northwest of the islands. At the same time, we have a large high pressure system to the northeast of the islands. Our winds will be gradually relaxing in strength.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Monday evening:

18                 Lihue, Kauai – ENE
29                 Wheeler AFB, Oahu – ENE
30                 Molokai – NE
46      Kahoolawe – ENE
40                 Kahului, Maui – NE
00                 Lanai
35                 South Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Monday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see high and middle level clouds over the ocean to the northeast through southeast to south. We can use this looping satellite image to see those brighter white clouds, which are masking the lower level clouds being carried into the windward sides on the locally strong and gusty trade wind flow. In addition, there is another large area of clouds to the northwest…associated with an approaching cold front. Checking out this looping radar image we see light to moderate showers being carried into the islands…along the windward sides for the most part. There's also an area of heavier rains over the ocean just to the south of the Big Island at the time of this writing.

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

0.61               Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.20              Kahuku, Oahu
0.00             Molokai
0.00               Kahoolawe
0.21               Puu Kukui, Maui
0.96                 Keahole airport, Big Island

Sunset Commentary: Our trade winds will remain blustery, at least locally today. The forecast continues to suggest that these trade winds will ease up some Tuesday into Wednesday, and may even veer back to the east-southeast to southeast by mid-week…in response to an approaching cold front. This frontal cloud band is expected to stall before arriving into the state however. The winds will still be around during the second half of this week, although becoming lighter…and blowing from variable directions.

Meanwhile, these gusty trades are bringing windward biased showers our way at times. During the next several days, we'll continue to find a cold pool of air aloft near the state, which will keep our atmosphere destabilized and more shower prone than usual…at least in places. The strength of our trades will help to carry some of these showers into the leeward sides of the smaller islands at times too. The chance for more than the normal amount of windward biased showers will stretch into mid-week, and then dry out temporarily Thursday and Friday. The latest computer models continue to suggest that Hawaii could turn wetter again by the weekend...although this prospect isn't for certain just yet.

Here in Kula, Maui at 520pm HST, we had light winds, with clear to partly cloudy skies…and an air temperature of 69.4F degrees. As noted above, the trade winds will remain active now…although ease up a bit Tuesday through the rest of the week. The winds will be turning a bit more to the south of east, which will keep them blowing over the ocean. There may be enough blocking of these winds by the Big Island however, that there should be somewhat lighter winds on the smaller islands…from variable directions. We'll see periodic windward showers, augmenting these showers, as we have an upper level low pressure system near the state now. Some of these showers will be carried into the leeward sides on the smaller islands. In sum, gusty trade winds with off and on passing showers for the windward sides, and elsewhere in places too…with the gradually relaxing wind speeds.

This satellite image shows that there are lots of clouds to our east through south, and to the northwest associated with an approaching cold front too. Meanwhile, this radar image shows where our showery weather is occurring. The air aloft over the state is colder than normal, which will likely cause more snow to fall atop the summits on the Big Island at times, here's the webcam for the Mauna Kea summit. ~~~ I'll be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise. I hope you have a great Monday night wherever you're spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Costa Concordia disaster may get worse as ship appears unstable on the reef. The massive cruise liner is balancing on two rocks and has massive cracks. The stricken Costa Concordia cruise liner might soon collapse under its own weight.

A video produced by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) has revealed that the rocks on which the ship sits have now started crumbling dramatically. The ROV video was shot on Feb. 11, nearly a month after the ship ran aground the Tuscan coast of Giglio, Italy, killing 17 people and leaving 15 missing.

Although experts reassure that "no anomalies" are reported by the close monitoring of the hull and that the de-fueling operations run smoothly, with over 900 cubic meters of fuel pumped out so far, underwater images of the capsized ship appear to tell a different story.

Three dimensional images realized by a sophisticated multi-beam sonar and laser technologies which can be used at depths of 1500 feet, revealed that the 950 foot-long, 116 foot-wide, 114,500-ton ship precariously sits on two pieces of rock. "The Concordia doesn't rest on a relatively flat rock platform.

On the contrary, the bow and stern sit on two rocks, one larger and the other smaller. In between there is sloping sand which degrades by 20 percent toward deep sea," Andrea Faccioli, sales manager at Codevintec, the highly specialized company which produced the 3D images, told Discovery News.

Interesting2: Exercising outdoors does seem to confer mental and physical well being. Researchers from Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Britain with the European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH) came to this conclusion after studying the effects of outdoor and indoor exercise on 833 adults.

Participants reported greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and stated that they were more likely to repeat the activity at a later date, according to a Peninsula College statement.

Outdoor activity was associated with greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and positive engagement, together with an easing in tension, confusion, anger and depression.

Senior study author Michael Depledge said: "Some 75 per cent of the European population now live in urban environments, so increasing efforts need to be made to reconnect people with nature."

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 19-20, 2012

Glenn — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:51:01 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday:

Lihue, Kauai -                     79
Honolulu airport, Oahu -      82 (record high for the date – 87 – 2004)
Kaneohe, Oahu -                78
Molokai airport -                  80
Kahului airport, Maui -            80
Kona airport –                     81
Hilo airport, Hawaii -           76

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Sunday evening:

Honolulu, Oahu - 78
Princeville, Kauai - 73

Haleakala Crater - 37 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 25 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Aloha Paragraphs

Strong and gusty trade winds, with blustery
winds atop the Haleakala Crater on Maui -
frequent showers on the windward sides…
on the leeward sides locally at times too…
some will be locally heavy, especially on the Big
Island – wintery weather atop that Island's summits –
high cirrus clouds at times…eastern islands

As this weather map shows, we have gale and storm low pressure systems far to the northeast and northwest of the islands. At the same time, we have a large high pressure system to the northeast of the islands. Our winds will be strong and gusty from the trade wind direction through Monday…then gradually relaxing in strength.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Sunday evening:

14                 Lihue, Kauai – NE
28                 Wheeler AFB, Oahu – NE
35                 Molokai – NE
45      Kahoolawe – ENE
35                 Kahului, Maui – NE
20                 Lanai – NE
37                 Upolu Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Sunday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see high and middle level clouds over the ocean in many directions, which are stretching over the islands. We can use this looping satellite image to see those whiter clouds, which are masking the lower level clouds being carried into the windward sides on the locally strong and gusty trade wind flow. In addition, there is a large area of what looks like thunderstorms over the sea to the south of the state as well. Checking out this looping radar image we see light to moderate showers being carried into the islands…along the windward sides for the most part.

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

3.41               Mount Waialeale, Kauai
1.66              Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.26             Molokai
0.00               Kahoolawe
2.27               Puu Kukui, Maui
5.14                 Mountain View, Big Island

Sunset Commentary: Our winds will will remain blustery, at least locally into Monday. The forecast continues to suggest that these trade winds will ease up some Tuesday into Wednesday, and may even veer back to the east-southeast to southeast during the first half of the upcoming work week…in response to an approaching cold front. This frontal cloud band is expected to stall before arriving into the state however. The trade winds should rebound a touch Wednesday and Thursday into Friday.

Meanwhile, these gusty trades are bringing windward biased showers our way. During the next several days, we'll find a cold pool of air near the state as well, which will keep our atmosphere destabilized. The strength of these trades will help to carry some of these showers into the leeward sides of the smaller islands at times too. The chance for more than the normal amount of windward biased showers will stretch into mid-week, and then dry out Thursday and Friday. The latest computer models are now suggesting that Hawaii could turn wetter again next weekend.

This past Thursday evening a couple of friends and I went to see a new film in Kahului. I don't ordinarily see films during the work week, although this film is leaving Maui's theaters now, and I didn't want to miss it. Oh yeah, the name of the film is called Underworld Awakening, starring Kate Beckinsale and Stephen Rea among many others. The synopsis: the vampire Selene escapes imprisonment to find herself in an all-out war between the species. Once again, this is not a film that many of you will need to rush out and see, as are many that I take in as it turns out. The rotten tomatoes film rating website is giving this film a 27 out of 100, not exactly a high score, and as a matter, the lowest of all their current film ratings. As it turned out we all liked the film, although no one was jumping up and down over it. It was one of those very dark films, where there wasn't a smile on the screen anywhere within a million miles. It had all the necessary action and violence that were required of such a film, no doubt about that. There were some monsters in this film too, excuse me for saying so, but they were certainly some bad-ass creatures! As far as a grade, it certainly wasn't as good as Haywire, the film I saw last week, but it deserved a good solid B rating. Here's the trailer, and if you dare to click on this short clip of the film, you'll soon see that it's not a musical, or a comedy…or anything like that!

This past Friday evening I went to see another film, this one called The Descendants, starring George Clooney and Shailene Woodley among many others. I had been somehow resisting this film for some reason, but I kept hearing such good things about it, that I finally broke down. The synopsis: an indifferent husband and father of two girls is forced to re-examine his past and future when his wife suffers a boating accident. The film rating website rotten tomatoes is giving this film a very high 89 out of a 100 grade. As it turns out I was very happy that I saw this film that was shot here in the islands. It was very good in fact, and reminded me why I'm still here after 37 years! George Clooney was great in his role, and the scenery was beautiful to see, and I'm sure especially for all those folks who live elsewhere. It was touching, and at the same time had a distinct edge to it. It showed a great slice of real life here in Hawaii, although with an unexpectedly large amount of cussing coming out of everyone's mouth, which was sort of cute. I feel very comfortable giving this film a solid B+ grade. Here's a trailer for this film, in case you haven't seen it.

Here in Kula, Maui at 605pm HST, we had light breezes, with partly cloudy skies, a few light showers…and an air temperature of 66F degrees. As noted above, the trade winds will remain active…although ease up a bit by Tuesday for a day or two. We'll also see frequent windward showers, keeping things rather wet at times. Augmenting these showers, will be an upper level low pressure system near the state now too, enhancing these showery conditions. The bulk of this moisture will occur over the windward sides, although some of these showers will be carried into the leeward sides on the smaller islands. In sum, gusty trade winds with off and on passing showers for the windward sides, and elsewhere in places too. This satellite image shows that there are more clouds over the eastern islands, than elsewhere. Meanwhile, this radar image shows where our showery weather is occurring. The air aloft over the state is unusually cold, with snow falling atop the summits on the Big Island at times, here's the webcam for the Mauna Kea summit, although it will remain foggy or cloudy much of the rest of the day, hiding the picture at times. ~~~ I'll be back again with your next new narrative early Monday morning. I hope you have a great Sunday night wherever you're spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 18-19, 2012

Glenn — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:41:46 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Saturday:

Lihue, Kauai -                     79
Honolulu airport, Oahu -      81 (record high for the date – 86 – 1978)
Kaneohe, Oahu -                78
Molokai airport -                  78
Kahului airport, Maui -            79
Kona airport –                       81
Hilo airport, Hawaii -           74

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 4pm Saturday afternoon:

Honolulu, Hawaii - 78
Princeville, Kauai - 73

Haleakala Crater - 37 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 28 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Aloha Paragraphs

Strong and gusty trade winds, with blustery
winds atop the Haleakala Crater on Maui -
frequent showers on the windward sides…
on the leeward sides locally at times too -
wintery weather atop the Big Island summits –
high cirrus clouds rounding out our weather story

As this weather map shows, we have gale and storm low pressure systems far to the north and northwest of the islands. At the same time, we have a strong high pressure system to the northeast of the islands. Our winds will be strong and gusty from the trade wind direction through Monday.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Saturday afternoon:

28                 Lihue, Kauai – NE
30                 Honolulu, Oahu – NE
29                 Molokai – NE
44      Kahoolawe – ENE
52                    Kapalua, Maui – NE
21                 Lanai – NE
44                    South Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Saturday afternoon. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see high and middle level clouds over the ocean in many directions, which are stretching over the islands. We can use this looping satellite image to see those whiter clouds, which are masking the lower level clouds being carried into the windward sides on the locally strong and gusty trade wind flow. In addition, there is a large area of what looks like thunderstorms over the sea to the south of the state as well. Checking out this looping radar image we see light to moderate showers being carried into the islands…along the windward sides for the most part.

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

0.37               Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.60              Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.10             Molokai
0.01               Kahoolawe
2.13                 Puu Kukui, Maui
1.19               Saddle Quarry, Big Island

Sunset Commentary: Our winds will will remain rather strong and gusty through the next several days. The forecast continues to suggest that these trade winds will ease up some, and may even veer back to the east-southeast to southeast during the first couple of days of the upcoming week…in response to an approaching cold front. This frontal cloud band is expected to stall before arriving into the state however.

Meanwhile, these strong and gusty trades are bringing an increase in windward biased showers, with a likely peak slated for this weekend into Monday. During the next couple days, we'll find a cold pool of air near the state as well, which will act to enhance whatever showers that are moving under it. The strength of these winter trades will help to carry some of these showers into the leeward sides of the smaller islands at times too.

Friday evening I went to see another film, this one called The Descendants, starring George Clooney and Shailene Woodley among many others. I had been somehow resisting this film for some reason, but I kept hearing such good things about it, that I finally broke down. The synopsis: an indifferent husband and father of two girls is forced to re-examine his past and future when his wife suffers a boating accident. The film rating website rotten tomatoes is giving this film a very high 89 out of a 100 grade. As it turns out I was very happy that I saw this film that was shot here in the islands. It was very good in fact, and reminded me why I'm still here after 37 years! George Clooney was great in his role, and the scenery was beautiful to see, and I'm sure especially for all those folks who live elsewhere. It was touching, and at the same time had a distinct edge to it. It showed a great slice of real life here in Hawaii, although with an unexpectedly large amount of cussing coming out of everyone's mouth, which was sort of cute. I feel very comfortable giving this film a solid B+ grade. Here's a trailer for this film, in case you haven't seen it.

Here in Kula, Maui at 420pm HST, we had breezy weather, with partly cloudy skies…and an air temperature of 71.8F degrees. As noted above, the trade winds will be strong now, continuing in this way for several more days. We'll also see frequent windward showers arriving, keeping things rather wet at times. Augmenting these showers, will be an upper level low pressure system near the state now too, enhancing these showery conditions. The bulk of this moisture will occur over the windward sides, although some of these showers will be carried into the leeward sides on the smaller islands. In sum, strong trade winds with more showers for the windward sides, and elsewhere in places too. There are lots of high cirrus clouds coming into the state from the south, in association with the upper level low to our south. These high clouds will provide colorful sunset and sunrise colors while they are around. ~~~ A good friend of mine who lives in Haiku just had her birthday, but had to work that day. So, she and I are going to have dinner out at Mama's Fish House in Kuau this evening. It has been showering over that way at times today, so it will be nice to dip into that windward moisture this evening. I'll be back in the morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Saturday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 17-18, 2012

Glenn — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:22:23 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday:

Lihue, Kauai -                     79
Honolulu airport, Oahu -      81 (record high for the date – 85 – 2000)
Kaneohe, Oahu -                79
Molokai airport -                  78
Kahului airport, Maui -          81 (record high for the date – 88 – 1954, 1997)
Kona airport –                     80
Hilo airport, Hawaii -           75

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Friday evening:

Kalaeloa, Oahu - 79
Hilo, Hawaii - 73

Haleakala Crater - 37 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 30 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Aloha Paragraphs

Strengthening trades into the weekend, with
strong winds atop the Haleakala Crater on Maui -
showers increasing, especially on the windward
sides…on the leeward sides locally too -
wintery weather atop the Big Island summits

As this weather map shows, we have storm low pressure systems far to the northeast and northwest of the islands. At the same time, we have two strong high pressure systems to the northeast of the islands. Our winds will be strengthening into the weekend from the trade wind direction.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Friday evening:

18                 Lihue, Kauai – NE
33                 Honolulu, Oahu – NE
33                 Molokai – NE
47      Kahoolawe – ENE
36                 Kahului, Maui – NE
17                 Lanai – NE
44                    Kawaihae, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Friday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see a narrowing swath of high cirrus clouds over the Big Island…shifting to the east. We can use this looping satellite image to see those high clouds, in addition to lots of lower level clouds being carried our way on the strengthening trades. It appears as if we could have yet another large area of high and middle level clouds approaching from the northwest too. Checking out this looping radar image we see showers being carried into the islands locally…along the windward sides for the most part.

Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Friday afternoon:

0.58                 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.43              Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00             Molokai
0.01               Kahoolawe
0.11               Puu Kukui, Maui
0.60               Laupahoehoe, Big Island

Sunset Commentary: Our winds will strengthen over the next several days. These increasingly strong trade winds will remain active through the weekend. The current models continue to suggest that these trade winds will ease up some, and may even veer back to the southeast during the first part of the new week ahead…in response to an approaching cold front. This frontal cloud band is forecast to stall before arriving into the state however.

Meanwhile, these strong and gusty trades will bring an increase in windward biased showers, with a likely peak slated for this weekend. During the next 2-3 days, we'll find a cold pool of air edging close to the state as well, which will act to enhance whatever showers that are moving under it. The strength of these winter trades will help to carry some of these showers into the leeward sides of the smaller islands at times too.

Friday evening a couple of friends and I went to see a new film in Kahului. I don't ordinarily see films during the work week, although this film is leaving Maui's theaters now, and I didn't want to miss it. Oh yeah, the name of the film is called Underworld Awakening, starring Kate Beckinsale and Stephen Rea among many others. The synopsis: the vampire Selene escapes imprisonment to find herself in an all-out war between the species. Once again, this is not a film that many of you will need to rush out and see, as are many that I take in as it turns out. The rotten tomatoes film rating website is giving this film a 27 out of 100, not exactly a high score, and as a matter, the lowest of all their current film ratings. As it turned out we all liked the film, although no one was jumping up and down over it. It was one of those very dark films, where there wasn't a smile on the screen anywhere within a million miles. It had all the necessary action and violence that were required of such a film, no doubt about that. There were some monsters in this film too, excuse me for saying so, but they were certainly some bad-ass creatures! As far as a grade, it certainly wasn't as good as Haywire, the film I saw last week, but it deserved a good solid B rating. Here's the trailer, and if you dare to click on this short clip of the film, you'll soon see that it's not a musical, or a comedy…or anything like that!

This evening I'm going to see another film, this one called The Descendants, starring George Clooney and Shailene Woodley among many others. I had been somehow resisting this film for some reason, but I keep hearing such good things about it, that I'm finally breaking down. The synopsis: An indifferent husband and father of two girls is forced to re-examine his past and future when his wife suffers a boating accident. The film rating website rotten tomatoes is giving this film a very high 89 out of a 100 grade. I'll be sure to let you know what I thought about this second film that I'll be seeing in two days…Saturday morning when I return. Here's a trailer for this film, in case you haven't seen it, its absolutely not an action film, with no violence that I know about.

Here in Kula, Maui at 535pm HST, we had light winds, with partly cloudy skies…and an air temperature of 65.8F degrees. As noted above, the trade winds will become stronger now into the weekend. We'll also see increased windward biased showers arriving as we move into the weekend, as an upper level low pressure system develops near the state, enhancing these frequent showers. The bulk of these showers will occur over the windward sides, although some of these showers will be carried into the leeward sides on the smaller islands. In sum, stronger trade winds with more showers for the windward sides, and elsewhere in places too. ~~~ I'll be back in the morning with your next new weather narrative, plus a new movie review of the film that I'll be seeing this evening too. I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you're spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: A new MIT-Princeton University study examining the prospective impacts of extreme storms and storm surges based on a range of climate change scenarios indicates that what were once 100-year and 500-year events would become 3 to 20 and 25 to 240-year events. The study can help coastal planners, who typically design coastal seawalls, buildings and other structures with a 60 to 120-year usable lifespan, according to an MIT News report. The US may be already experiencing these climate change effects.

This past year’s Hurricane Irene took an unusual track, cutting a long and wide path up the US Atlantic coast from mid-Atlantic through New England states, while Winter Storm Alfred battered New England unseasonably early. US state planning agencies and climate researchers, such as those in Vermont, are considering strengthening environmental conservation efforts, along with a host of other measures, to help plan for and mitigate the effects increasing frequency of intense storms, storm surges and floods pose.

Modeling Climate Change, Intense Storms and Storm Surge Floods

Combining four climate models, a specific hurricane model and three different models for predicting regional storm surges — one used by the National Hurricane Center — to study "current climate" (1981-2000) and "future climate" (2081-2100) scenarios, a joint MIT-Princeton University research team compared the results of multiple climate change-hurricane-regional storm surge simulations.

Though the results varied, they all showed that the frequency of intense storms would increase due to climate change. Using Battery Park City at the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City as a reference point, the researchers generated 45,000 storm simulations within a 200-km (~120-mile) radius.

A 100-year storm there today means a flood surge of about two meters. A 500-year storm surge means three-meter high surge floods. Either would easily pass over the top of Manhattan's 1.5-meter (4.95-foot) seawalls, noted MIT postdoctoral researcher Ning Lin, lead author of the study.

Interesting2: While solar energy companies throughout the world are competing for the relatively few vast land areas required to house solar farms, Israeli start up Solaris Synergy has found a new terrain to use. Instead of a land-based solar system, the company decided to develop a water-based technology. In other words: a floating solar power plant.

The company's founders say they realized that the large lands required for thousands of solar panels are nearly impossible to find, especially in a small country like Israel. Solaris Synergy's Business Development Manager, Dr. Elyakim Kassel, tells NoCamels: "In many countries there is a competition between land for construction and land for large solar farms.

Our system comes as a solution to use water surfaces instead of using valuable land." According to Solaris Synergy, any fresh, salt or waste water surface can be turned into a solar energy platform.

Solaris Synergy's flagship product is a floating concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) system — a system that concentrates a large amount of sunlight onto a small area to generate electricity by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity.

The system features a modular design that supports power output ranging from several kilowatts to dozens of megawatts, depending on size. According to the company, their solar-on-water solution dramatically lowers the cost of renewable energy production since the water surface is also used for cooling the solar panels.

This cooling system keeps the silicon elements used as semiconductors at a low temperature and therfore increases their power generation efficiency and extends their lifespan.

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 16-17, 2012

Glenn — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:58:50 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Thursday:

Lihue, Kauai -                     79
Honolulu airport, Oahu -       82
Kaneohe, Oahu -                78
Molokai airport -                  78
Kahului airport, Maui -          83 (record high for the date – 86 – 1971, 1978)
Kona airport –                     81
Hilo airport, Hawaii -           79

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Thursday evening:

Kahului, Maui - 77
Princeville, Kauai - 72

Haleakala Crater - 45 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 32 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Aloha Paragraphs

Smaller waves on our north and west shores –
strengthening trades into the weekend, with
strong winds atop the Haleakala Crater on Maui -
showers increasing into the weekend, especially
the windward sides, the leeward sides locally too -
high cirrus clouds…providing good colors during
the early morning and sunset hours

As this weather map shows, we have storm low pressure systems far to the north and northwest of the islands, with an associated weakening and dissipating cold front not far to the north of the islands. At the same time, we have high pressure systems to the northeast and north of the islands. Our winds will be strengthening into the weekend from the trade wind direction.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Thursday evening:

13                 Princeville, Kauai – ENE
22                 Honolulu, Oahu – NE
29                 Molokai – NE
38 Kahoolawe – ESE
30                 Lipoa, Maui – SE
00                 Lanai – NE
39                    South Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Thursday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see lots of high cirrus clouds over the state. We can use this looping satellite image to see those high clouds masking all of the lower level clouds, although they are being carried our way on the strengthening trades. Checking out this looping radar image we see a few showers being carried into the islands locally…along the windward sides for the most part at the time of this writing.

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

0.79                 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.22              Punaluu Stream, Oahu
0.00             Molokai
0.00               Kahoolawe
0.11               Puu Kukui, Maui
0.07               Pahoa, Big Island

Sunset Commentary: Our winds will soon be blowing exclusively from the trade wind direction, which will strengthen over the next several days. There may still be a bit of leftover volcanic haze, carried over parts of the islands on the recent southeast breezes…although it will be ventilated away by the trade winds soon. These rebounding trade winds will strengthen rather significantly as we move into the last day of our work week, remaining robust into the weekend. The current models are hinting that these trade winds will ease up, and may even veer back to the southeast during the first part of the new week ahead…potentially bringing back more volcanic haze then.

A cold front, which has been pushing in our direction, has stalled and is dissipating over the offshore waters to the north of Kauai now. It's presence is what caused our trade winds to ease up recently. As we move through the next 24 hours, the high pressure center and to our north will strengthen and shift northwards…with stronger trade winds the result. These strong and gusty trades will bring an increase in windward biased showers Friday…with added intensities over the eastern islands Saturday and Sunday. The strength of these winter trades will help to carry some of these showers into the leeward sides of the smaller islands at times too.

This evening a couple of friends and I will be taking in a new film in Kahului. I don't ordinarily see films during the work week, although this film is leaving Maui's theaters now, and I didn't want to miss it. Oh yeah, the name of the film is called Underworld Awakening, starring Kate Beckinsale and Stephen Rea among many others. The synopsis: the vampire Selene escapes imprisonment to find herself in an all-out war between the species. Once again, this is not a film that many of you will need to rush out and see, as are many that I take in as it turns out. The rotten tomatoes film rating website is giving this film a 27 out of 100, not exactly a high score, and as a matter, the lowest of all their current film ratings. Oh well, I've seen all of this Underworld series, and have thought highly of them all. I may be making a mistake, although I'll wait and see, as the lights go out in the theater tonight. Here's the trailer for this film, and I'll be sure to let you know what I think of it Friday morning. If you dared to click on the trailer, you will see that it is not a musical, or a comedy…far from it!

Here in Kula, Maui at 530pm HST, we had calm winds, with partly cloudy skies…and an air temperature of 64.9F degrees. As noted above, the trade winds will become stronger soon. We'll also begin to see increased windward biased showers arriving later Friday into the weekend, as an upper level low pressure system develops near the state, enhancing showers moving under it. The bulk of these showers will occur over the windward sides, with even a few of these showers moving into the leeward sides locally on the smaller islands. Meanwhile, the surf will continue to break along our north and west facing beaches, although becoming smaller Friday into the weekend. The south shores will be sheltered from these breakers however, where the best beaching opportunities will exist. ~~~ I'll be back early Friday morning with your next new weather narrative. I hope you have a great Thursday night wherever you're spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: The UK could considerably reduce its carbon footprint if more of us switched to a vegetarian diet, according to new research by Lancaster University. The report 'Relative greenhouse gas impacts of realistic dietary choices' published in the journal Energy Policy says that if everyone in the UK swapped their current eating habits for a vegetarian or vegan diet, our greenhouse gas emissions savings would be the equivalent of a 50 per cent reduction in exhaust pipe emissions from the entire UK passenger car fleet or 40m tons.

From biscuits and bananas to beer and wine, everything in our shopping basket comes at a cost to the environment and each stage of food production — from farming and transport to storage and packaging -results in greenhouse gas emissions.

By working out the typical greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of 61 different categories of food, using supermarket data supplied by Booths, the authors of the report, Professor Nick Hewitt of Lancaster University and Mike Berners-Lee of Small World Consulting, were able to work out the typical emissions associated with a number of different diets.

They worked out that the combined greenhouse gas emissions from the foods we eat in the UK are the equivalent of 167 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and switching to vegetarian or vegan diets could cut this by between 22 and 26 per cent. Fresh meat had the highest emissions of all, but meat and cheese had generally high greenhouse gas costs.

These emissions were largely caused by methane from rumination, slurry and farm yard manure and nitrous oxide from fertilizer. Meat has a carbon footprint at the checkout of 17kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilogram. Cheese has 15kg. Cooked meats are also high at 11kg per kilogram, with bacon at 9kg.

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 15-16, 2012

Glenn — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:55:52 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday:

Lihue, Kauai -                     79
Honolulu airport, Oahu -       80
Kaneohe, Oahu -                80
Molokai airport -                  81
Kahului airport, Maui -          85 (record high for the date – 88 – 1952, 1981)
Kona airport –                     81
Hilo airport, Hawaii -            81

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Wednesday evening:

Kahului, Maui – 80
Princeville, Kauai - 73

Haleakala Crater - 45 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 30 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Aloha Paragraphs

Larger waves on our north and west shores Thursday –
Strengthening trades Thursday into Friday -
localized showers, increasing Friday into the weekend,
especially on the windward sides of the islands -
high cirrus clouds…should be a nice sunrise this morning –
light volcanic haze (vog) locally

As this weather map shows, we have a storm low pressure system far to the north and northwest of the islands, with an associated cold front not far to the north of the islands. At the same time, we have high pressure systems to the northeast and west-northwest of the islands…with an associated ridge running by not far to the north of Hawaii. Our winds will be strengthening Thursday into Friday from the trade wind direction.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Wednesday evening:

12                 Princeville, Kauai – ENE
18                 Bellows, Oahu – NE
08                 Molokai – SE
38      Kahoolawe – E
27                 Kapalua, Maui – ENE
10                 Lanai – WNW
27                 South Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Wednesday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see lots of high cirrus clouds over the entire state. We can use this looping satellite image to see those high clouds masking lower level clouds, and covering most islands. Checking out this looping radar image we see just a few showers being carried into the islands locally.

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

0.55               N Wailua ditch, Kauai
0.36              Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00             Molokai
0.00               Kahoolawe
0.05               Kula, Maui
0.12               Kealakekua, Big Island

Sunset Commentary: Our winds have already started to turn more to a trade wind direction, which will strengthen Thursday into Friday. This lighter brand of southeast breezes will strengthen Thursday, and become more classic trade winds through the rest of the week. There is still a bit of leftover volcanic haze, carried over parts of the islands on the recent southeast breezes…although it will be gone soon. The rebounding trade winds will strengthen rather significantly over the next few days, and remain robust into the weekend. The current models are hinting that these trade winds will ease up, and may even veer back to the southeast by early next week…potentially bringing back more volcanic haze then.

A cold front, which has been pushing in our direction, is stalling over the offshore waters to the northwest of Kauai now. It's presence is what has caused our trade winds to give way to lighter breezes. As we move into Thursday, the high pressure ridge close by to our north, will shift northwards…with strengthening trade winds the result. These strong and gusty trades will bring an increase in windward biased showers…especially over the eastern islands in the chain both Saturday and Sunday. These blustery trade winds will back off after the weekend, and shift back to the southeast…as the next cold front approaches.

Here in Kula, Maui at 530pm HST, we had calm winds, with partly cloudy skies, and a bit of volcanic haze…and an air temperature of 65.5F degrees. As noted above, the general flow of air over the state has been from the southeast the last day or two. This will changing now, as they become stronger, strong enough in fact that we'll see small craft wind advisories going up across all of our marine environment soon. We still have that good chance of finding more than the normal amount of incoming windward biased showers arriving Friday into the weekend, as an upper level low pressure system develops nearby, enhancing showers moving under it. The bulk of these showers will likely occur over the Big Island and Maui, with somewhat less shower activity over the windward sides of the other islands. Meanwhile, the surf will continue to break along our north and west facing beaches, becoming significantly larger Thursday into Friday. This surf will trigger high surf advisory level waves, which could even reach high surf warning levels locally. The south shores will be sheltered from these breakers however, where the best beaching opportunities will exist. ~~~ I'll be back again early Thursday morning with your next new weather narrative. I hope you have a great Wednesday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: There are few things on Earth that have undergone a more dramatic weight loss than the world's ice caps and glaciers. According to a recent study, they have lost about 150 billion tons per year from 2003 to 2010. Such a large quantity of ice has translated to a 0.4 millimeter rise in sea levels each year. At this rate, it will take 2,500 years for sea levels to rise one meter.

However, indications point towards accelerated ice loss in the future. Plus, if including ice lost from the major land-based ice sheets, sea level rise is much worse. Loss of ice from the fringes of Greenland and Antarctica contributed an additional 80 billion tons.

Altogether, the researchers estimate that sea level rise, caused by loss of all ice on Earth between 2003 and 2010, is equivalent to adding 8 times the volume of Lake Erie into the oceans. The research was conducted by a team at the University of Colorado-Bouler.

They used data from the twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, a joint project between NASA and scientists in Germany. These satellites circle the globe in tandem 16 times per day, sensing even the slightest variation in the planet's mass and gravitational pull.

"This is the first time anyone has looked at all of the mass loss from all of Earth's glaciers and ice caps with GRACE," said CU-Boulder physics Professor John Wahr. "The Earth is losing an incredible amount of ice to the oceans annually, and these new results will help us answer important questions in terms of both sea rise and how the planet's cold regions are responding to global change."

Total ice lox on Earth from 2003 to 2010 was calculated at about 1,000 cubic miles. To put that in context, Wahr explains that this amount "would cover the entire United States in about 1 and one-half feet of water." Data from the GRACE satellites show that sea level rose 12 millimeters (1.5 inches) from 2003 to 2010.

This rise is partly caused by ice loss. The other major factor is expansion due to rising water temperatures. The water expansion component is believed to be roughly equal to the ice melt component. "One big question is how sea level rise is going to change in this century," said co-author, Professor Tad Pfeffer.

"If we could understand the physics more completely and perfect numerical models to simulate all of the processes controlling sea level — especially glacier and ice sheet changes — we would have a much better means to make predictions. But we are not quite there yet."

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 14-15, 2012

Glenn — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:23:15 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday:

Lihue, Kauai -                     79
Honolulu airport, Oahu -       81
Kaneohe, Oahu -                80
Molokai airport -                  81
Kahului airport, Maui -          86 (record high for the date – 86 – 1958, 1985, 1998) Tied the record!
Kona airport –                     81
Hilo airport, Hawaii -            82

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Tuesday evening:

Kahului, Maui – 79
Hilo, Hawaii - 74

Haleakala Crater - 50 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 34 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Aloha Paragraphs

Active surf on our north and west shores –
lighter southeast winds…then trades Thursday -
localized showers, increasing this weekend,
especially on the windward sides

Happy Valentines Day!

As this weather map shows, we have a storm low pressure system far to the north-northwest of the islands, with an associated cold front to our northwest of the islands….which will slowly move in the direction of the offshore waters to the northwest of Kauai. At the same time, we have high pressure systems to the northeast of the islands…with an associated ridge running by not far to the north of Hawaii. Our winds will ease up a little, and turn more towards the southeast through mid-week.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Tuesday evening:

09                 Barking Sands, Kauai – NNW
17                 Bellows, Oahu – ENE
05                 Molokai – NW
27 Kahoolawe – NE
12                 Lipoa, Maui – ESE
14                 Lanai – SE
29                    South Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Tuesday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see low clouds over the ocean surrounding the islands, impacting some areas locally, and around the mountains too. We can use this looping satellite image to see areas of low clouds out and around the islands…streaming along in the east-southeast to southeast wind flow. At the same time, we find clouds associated with a cold front to the north of Hawaii. There are some wisps of high cirrus clouds moving into the state from the north as well. Checking out this looping radar image we see a few showers being carried into the islands on our winds locally…at the time of this writing.

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

0.26               Kapahi, Kauai
0.40                Punaluu Stream, Oahu
0.00             Molokai
0.01               Kahoolawe
0.00               Maui
0.18               Glenwood, Big Island

Sunset Commentary: Our winds have become locally lighter now, blowing more from the southeast from Maui County westward to Kauai. They will remain on the lighter side through mid-week, and then strengthen Thursday through the rest of the week. Satellite imagery shows low level clouds surrounding the islands, some of which are dropping a few light showers here and there. The daytime heating, enhanced by the lighter winds, caused clouds to stack-up over and around the mountains. The atmosphere is stable and relatively dry…thus limiting showers.

A cold front continues to approach the state from the northwest. It's caused our trade winds to give way to lighter breezes. This will likely bring a slightly cooler morning to our islands Wednesday, although with another nice warm afternoon near sea level. Speaking of warm, the Kahului airport reached 86F degrees today…which tied the record for the date. The cold front will stall offshore before getting to Kauai, with strengthening trade winds returning Thursday into the weekend. These strong and gusty trades later in the week will likely bring an increase in our windward biased showers…especially over the eastern islands in the chain.

Here in Kula, Maui at 530pm HST, we had calm winds, with mostly cloudy skies, and an air temperature of 64.9F degrees. As noted above, the winds are lighter now, at least in some places. The stronger winds will continue over the open ocean, although in the lee of the islands, winds will be lighter through Wednesday. They won't be all that light for long however, as we will see them strengthen again Thursday through the rest of the week. We still have that good chance of finding more than the normal amount of incoming windward biased showers by the weekend, as an upper level low pressure system develops nearby, enhancing showers moving under it. Meanwhile, the surf will continue to break along our north and west facing beaches this week, the largest days will be on Thursday into Friday. The south shores will be sheltered from these breakers however, where the best beaching opportunities will exist. ~~~ I'll be back again early Wednesday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise. I hope you have a great Valentine's evening until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

*For the ladies only…no guys allowed please: Now, since this is Valentines Day, it seems appropriate to take a few moments to let you know how I feel about you. I'm just a regular guy you know, and of course love all you ladies out there. If you're married or are in a relationship, well, of course this is more of just a great appreciation kind of statement. If you're single on the other hand, and maybe you've been visiting this weather website for a long time, or maybe this is your first time…I want to give you my heart felt thanks for doing that! I can get a crush so easily, and I would imagine that I have one for many, many of you, probably all of you! I of course can't see you, or know you personally, but please just let me make a big blanket statement here, to all of you lovely ladies who care for me on some level in return…"Would you please be my Valentine?" I'll be thinking about you warmly and fondly today – Love, Glenn.*

Interesting: February 14th…What a day! Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day, is a holiday on February 14th celebrating love and friendship. Many people give cards called valentines to people that they care about and sometimes candy and flowers are exchanged, too!

But where did this tradition come from? The history of Valentine’s Day is a bit mysterious! Back in the 3rd century there was a man named Valentine who was highly looked upon by religious people and was made a saint.

However, there were also several other St. Valentine’s in history, one of whom may have given a love letter to a young lady he was fond of, signed "From your Valentine."

No one knows for sure! We do know that legend associates Saint Valentine with being a heroic and romantic person and the tradition of sending love notes comes from him. Some people say that Valentine’s Day wasn’t actually thought of as a romantic holiday until the 1800’s when some poets connected romantic love and feelings with this special day.

Either way, it’s a good occasion to express care for one another!

Interesting2: Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:

Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine —
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.

In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him.

Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together — but not too closely!

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / February 13-14, 2012

Glenn — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:15:48 +0000

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday:

Lihue, Kauai -                     80
Honolulu airport, Oahu -       82
Kaneohe, Oahu -                80
Molokai airport -                  79
Kahului airport, Maui -          83 (record high for the date – 88 1994)
Kona airport –                     80
Hilo airport, Hawaii -            81

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Monday evening:

Kahului, Maui – 79
Princeville, Kauai - 73

Haleakala Crater - 50 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 36 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)

Aloha Paragraphs

Active surf on our north and west shores –
trade wind gradually slowing down -
localized windward showers…increasing
during the upcoming weekend

Happy Valentines Day!

As this weather map shows, we have a storm low pressure system to the north-northwest of the islands, with an associated cold front far to our northwest of the islands….which will slowly move in the direction of the offshore waters to the northwest of Kauai. At the same time, we have high pressure systems to the northeast of the islands…with an associated ridge running by to the north of Hawaii. Our winds will ease up and turning more towards the southeast through mid-week.

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Monday evening:

15                 Princeville, Kauai – E
22                 Bellows, Oahu – NE
20                 Molokai – NE
42      Kahoolawe – ENE
29                 Kapalua, Maui – NE
14                 Lanai – NE
32                 South Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Monday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see low clouds upwind of the islands, impacting the windward sides locally, and around the mountains too. We can use this looping satellite image to see areas of low clouds out and around the islands…mostly over the ocean to the northeast and south and southwest. At the same time, we find some high clouds now to the north of Hawaii. Checking out this looping radar image we see some showers, being carried into the windward sides on our still gusty trade winds locally…at the time of this writing.

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

2.53                 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.83              Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.08             Molokai
0.00               Kahoolawe
0.75               Puu Kukui, Maui
0.43               Glenwood, Big Island

Sunset Commentary: The trade winds will remain active this evening, although gradually becoming lighter into mid-week. There will continue to be some windward biased showers at times, although showers will be at a minimum on our south and west facing leeward beaches for the most part. Satellite imagery shows considerable low level clouds surrounding the islands, some of which are banking up against the windward sides, and around the mountains too. Clouds will tend to congregate along the southeast sides of the Big Island and Maui through mid-week…along with afternoon clouds during this time as well.

A cold front will approach the state from the northwest over the next couple of days. It will cause our trade winds to give way to lighter breezes into Wednesday. This will likely bring slightly cooler mornings to our islands, although with nice warm afternoons near sea level. The cold front will stall well offshore before getting to Kauai, with strengthening trade winds returning Thursday into the weekend. These strong and gusty trades later in the week will likely bring an increase in our windward biased showers for the weekend.

Here in Kula, Maui at 550pm HST, we had calm winds, with cloudy skies, and an air temperature of 63.7F degrees. As noted above, the trade winds will falter some tonight, at least to some extent. The winds will continue over the open ocean, although in the lee of the islands, winds will be lighter through Wednesday. They won't be lighter for long however, as we should see them strengthen again Thursday through the rest of the week. We still have that good chance of finding more than the normal amount of incoming windward biased showers later in the week, with perhaps some even extending into the leeward sides in places too…this weekend. Meanwhile, the surf will continue to break along our north and west facing beaches this week, the largest days should probably be on Thursday into Friday. The south shores will be sheltered from these breakers however, where the best beaching opportunities will exist. ~~~ I'll be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Cocoa trees produce pods, which is the fruit chocolate comes from. Large harvests occur by hand twice annually throughout the year. Chocolate liquor is the thick paste generated when chocolate nibs, the roasted and de-shelled chocolate beans, are heated to a high temperature; it's then separated into cocoa butter and cocoa powder.

1.) Cocoa trees produce pods, which is the fruit chocolate comes from. Large harvests occur by hand twice annually throughout the year.

2.) Chocolate liquor is the thick paste generated when chocolate nibs, the roasted and de-shelled chocolate beans, are heated to a high temperature; it's then separated into cocoa butter and cocoa powder.

3.) The FDA has established standards to identify different kinds of chocolate.

4.) Milk chocolate contains cream or other dairy products and sugar, but it must contain at least 10 percent chocolate liquor;

5.) Dark, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate must contain at least 35 percent chocolate liquor;

6.) White chocolate contains no chocolate liquor, but instead consists of cocoa butter, sugar, dairy products, and flavorings; it must contain at least 20 percent cocoa butter and no more than 55 percent sugar.

7.) A machine known as an "electronic nose" evaluates the chocolate's aroma.

8.) Several tests are conducted on chocolate liquor to make sure it's fit for human consumption and check for qualities such as moisture content, fat content, free fatty acid content, particle size, viscosity, color, and flavor.

9.) Roasting the cocoa beans is an important step in chocolate processing as it eliminates pathogens (particularly salmonella).

1.) There is not a one standard method of quality testing in the chocolate industry; companies around the world have their own ways of measuring chocolate quality and their own types of equipment.