April 8-9 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 76F
Honolulu, Oahu – 78
Kaneohe, Oahu – 76
Kahului, Maui – 80
Hilo, Hawaii – 79
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 88

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

Kailua-kona – 71
Hilo, Hawaii – 64

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:

0.04 MOUNT WAIALAELAE, KAUAI
0.01 HAKIPUU MAUKA, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.07 HAIKU, MAUI
0.18 MOUNTAIN VIEW, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a high pressure system to our north of Hawaii. This pressure configuration will cause moderately strong trade winds to blow Sunday  and Monday…strong and gusty at times. 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
That’s what I call a great smile!
Photo: Douglas Peebles

The Hawaiian Islands will continue to see great weather conditions through the weekend! After all the cloudy weather that we put up with during March, the sunny weather now feels especially good. We’ve dropped back into a lovely early spring weather pattern, with the trade winds gracing the Aloha state, albeit on the strong and gusty side at times. All things considered, our weather will be very nice, well into the future!

Let’s talk a little about the specifics, starting off with the breezy trade winds. They will be blowing across our tropical latitudes thanks to a high pressure center to our north. These winds will start off the days quite lightly, then increase in strength through the afternoon hours. The NWS forecast office in Honolulu is keeping a small craft wind advisory active in those areas that experience the strongest winds through Tuesday.

The latest computer forecast models indicate that these brisk trade winds will continue through the next week, at least. Wind speeds will vary, although in general, we can look for 5-25 mph in most areas. Those places that find some physical terrain enhancement, will see gusts topping the 30 mph mark. As usual, the nights and early morning hours will have the lightest breezes…with the late morning through afternoon hours being strongest.

As for sunshine, there will be lots of it! The south and west facing leeward coasts will see the greatest abundance of warmth. These resort areas will be mostly sunny during the days, and clear during the nights as well. Temperatures will rise well up into the 80F’s, dropping to the upper 60F’s to low 70F’s at night. The somewhat cooler windward sides will find more cloudiness, with showers falling at times, although nothing of a flooding nature.

How’s all that for a positive fair weather forecast!? The long range outlook remains favorably inclined, right through the next week, if not longer. All that waiting for the return of good weather, has really paid off. Anyone that lives here in the islands, and visitors that will be here on vacation too, well, you have picked a good time of year to be in Hawaii! It doesn’t really get too much better than this during the springtime of the year.

It’s early Saturday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I start this sunset commentary. It was another nice day, although there were a few light sprinkles or showers along the windward sides, and some minor amount of high cirrus clouds around along the leeward sides. In general though, it was a pleasant day, with very warm temperatures along the south and west facing beaches. A friend and I went to the south coast for a kayaking trip offshore from Makena Beach. We paddled down to Little Beach, and then around the point to Big Beach. We got about a 1/2 mile offshore, and sat enjoying the rather large swells that were rolling under us. We had good cell phone connectivity, so we caught up with some friends here in the islands, and on the mainland too. There was this one part of the water that I found stuff floating, like a long piece of boat rope, covered with barnacles, and a small bit of rubber tubing nearby. Inside the tubing I found a small crab that had been housed inside there, floating on the ocean for who knows how long? I piled this stuff on the front of my kayak and when I got back to shore, after seeing lots of turtles, I nudged the crab out of his temporary house, onto some shore rocks, and gave it a new home. I felt good about that, and by the way, we saw only one whale spouting out beyond where we were, so there are just a few whales left in Hawaiian waters now. I’m going to take tomorrow off, stay home and do some stuff around here for a change. I’ll be back early Sunday morning for a few abbreviated weather updates, and a few Sunday morning words too. I hope you have a great Saturday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.