March 10-11 2006

Air Temperatures — The following maximum temperatures were recorded across Hawaii Friday:

Lihue, Kauai – 77F
Honolulu, Oahu – 79
Kaneohe, Oahu – 78
Kahului, Maui – 86 
Hilo, Hawaii – 76
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 82

Temperatures early Saturday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:

Kailua-kona – 74
Lihue airport – 66

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

14.61 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
7.50 POAMOHO 2, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
1.51 KAUPO GAP, MAUI
3.68 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart — Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a strong 1031 millibar high pressure system to the NE of the islands. At the same time, we find a trough of low pressure to the west of the islands. The interaction between these two weather features will keep ESE to east winds blowing across our area today and Sunday…locally strong and gusty. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those funny weather symbols mean.

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 only available during the daylight hours here in the islands…that is unless there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two!

Satellite Images — To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Imageof the islands to see all the clouds around the state. This next satellite image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible satellite image. The next satellite 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



Incoming clouds and waves…

The islands of Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island have all taken their turns at getting soaked the last couple of days! Maui, Molokai, and Lanai have been positioned in a more or less dry slot between these rainy ends of the island chain. This was the case during last weeks major flooding event as well. The atmospheric dynamics remain favorable for more rain on Kauai and Oahu, and the Big Island today. Rich tropical moisture continues to flood into the state from the SE and east, with the most likely downpours expected on those western islands, and the windward side of the Big Island.

Kauai and Oahu, at least some parts of those two islands, have had enough rain already…no doubt about that! A trough of low pressure remains anchored to the west of Kauai. This is keeping that side of the Aloha state more shower prone, with still the chance of more localized heavy showers, or even a random thunderstorm popping up today. The rest of the state will see some showers, although they won’t be as heavy or long lasting.The once exception will be the continued showers falling along the windward side of the Big Island.


The latest computer forecast model output shows that the rain producing trough of low pressure will be moving away soon.  Unfortunately, that guidance now shows yet another trough approaching the state in its place. This of course is not good news for those folks who have seen the worst of the rainy weather. This now suggests that the islands will remain in an area subject to more showers, some of them will be locally heavy. I realize that this is a change from the previous forecast outlook, and apologize for this unexpected weather news!


It’s early Friday evening in Kula, Maui, as I start this sunset commentary. There’s still lots of clouds overlying the islands of Hawaii, as you can see from this satellite image. It stretches from Kauai and Niihau, down the island chain to the Big Island.  Looking at this radar image however, we see what looks like much less showers surrounding the islands of Kauai and Oahu….which is a good thing. I decided to skip Borders Books and a film after work, and came home. Instead, I invited a friend to join me for dinner at the Kula Lodge. I want to get up early Saturday, in order to update my website, have breakfast and coffee, before heading over to the Lahaina side for a surf session. Today at lunch I had good fun bodysurfing. Kids are so great! While riding waves in Kihei, these two kids, who were here on vacation from Salem, Oregon, started chatting me up. We had so much fun together, as if we had known each other for a long time. I made up a game where we tried to see who could get the longest ride…ending up on the sandy beach. When I got home this evening, it was lightly raining and totally cloudy, very mellow kine. I hope you have a great Friday night, and that goes along with an invitation to meet me here again Saturday for more weather news from the islands. Aloha for now…Glenn.


P.S. we continue to have more businesses signing up for the list of links on the left hand margin…there’s more about that offer just below:

New Feature: This website receives between 6,000 and 12,000+ page impressions per day, depending upon the weather and the season. As of early Friday evening, March’s total visitor count to this website has been 94,669. There’s been set up a way that we can have a link go from this popular website, directly to yours. It may be a great way to increase traffic to your own webpage. This offer is available for $50 per month, with a three month minimum. That makes three months of exposure to your business, or even to your own personal website, for just $150…which is a great way to highlight your internet presence to folks who may already be interested in almost anything Hawaiian. Please email me, or leave a message in the reply box below, if you have some interest in this proposal. A link to your site will be displayed along the left hand margin of all the pages on this website, in alphabetical order.