April 1-2 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 79F
Honolulu, Oahu – 79
Kaneohe, Oahu – 81
Kahului, Maui – 85
Hilo, Hawaii – 79
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 78

Temperatures early Sunday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 5 a.m. hour:

Kaneohe, Oahu – 73
Hilo airport – 66

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

0.50 MOLOAA DAIRY, KAUAI
1.25 KAHUKU, OAHU
0.19 MOLOKAI
0.15 LANAI
0.16 KAHOOLAWE
0.17 HANA AIRPORT, MAUI
0.11 HILO AIRPORT, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a low pressure trough near the islands. We also see a 1034 millibar high pressure system to our north. This pressure configuration will cause mostly light trade winds to be filling back into our area today into Monday. 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 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

Waikiki Beach
Artist: Raymond Chow

The Hawaiian Islands remain under a canopy of high and middle level clouds, although thinned in places today, allowing sunshine to beam down. Some of the ingredients are still in place to keep our overlying atmosphere somewhat shower prone. Those meteorological elements include: lots of rich tropical moisture; cold air aloft, and favorably inclined winds. These conditions will keep the threat of a few showers around into Sunday. The NWS forecast office in Honolulu has discontinued its flash flood watch…good riddance! Thus, there’s that continued chance of showers, although less and less likely now.

A low pressure system, the one that has been out to our west for so long, is starting to play a smaller part in our Hawaiian Island weather picture. The prospect for improving weather conditions is unfolding nicely. The latest computer forecast models show that we begin more quickly digging out of this inclement weather pattern now, as we move forward from here. There are still some showers to move through, although after the weekend, and as the trade winds return now, we should be looking at a return to more typical early spring weather conditions just up ahead.

It’s early Saturday evening here in Kula, Maui. There were several high points today, not the least of which was just waking up here in the islands. I had a slow morning, then slipped out for a kayaking adventure around mid-day. We went to a part of the island called Olowalu, where we were treated to very nice conditions, with only the slightest breeze, and a mellow ocean. I spotted some breaking waves on a reef across the bay, so we paddled towards that white water, the foam. He decided to snorkel right away because we spotted lots of large turtles in the area. I went over and surfed a few of the waves, skimming over the reef just inches below, in the super clear blue water…which was exciting! We snorkeled for about half an hour, and probably saw 20 green sea turtles. There were large patches of the whitest sand, interspersed with coral outcroppings. We ate at a great Tamale shop in Pukalani, and stuffed ourselves on Mexican food. I came home to very large raindrops falling, which I found as a welcoming symbol of deep nature. I’ll have crab legs on the bbq, with organic mixed green salad for dinner. I find myself sipping on a Grey Goose vodka tonic with, with a slice Kula lemon. There will be more kayaking Sunday morning, although not before visiting this website again then to update what needs to be changed. I hope you have a great Saturday night,and I’ll catch up with you in the morning! Aloha for now…Glenn.