May 3 – 4 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 80F
Honolulu, Oahu – 75
Kaneohe, Oahu – 77
Kahului, Maui – 80
Hilo, Hawaii – 81
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 83

Temperatures early Wednesday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 2 a.m. hour:

Kailua-kona – 75
Mololokai airport – 61

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

0.15 KOKEE, KAUAI
0.21 WAIHEE, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.25 KAUPO GAP, MAUI
0.50 Laupahoehoe, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a low pressure trough to the NE and east of the islands. At the same time, we have a high pressure system to the NW. This pressure configuration will keep our winds light…gradually increasing from the trade wind direction later in the day through Thursday. 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 available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.

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

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Hawaii sunset…



The low pressure system to our NE is drifting southeastward and southward to the latitude of the Islands while weakening. The low has weakened to the point that it is now classified as an inverted trough in the surface easterlies. Our present light and variable wind flow, which basically is out of the NW a little above the surface, will then be gradually changing to come out of the NE then E and SE as the trough moves across the island chain and west of us. As long as the winds are from northerly quadrants, they will be cool and dry. Some increase in moisture and temperature is forecasted toward the end of the week.

The light winds presently over our area is causing good diving conditions along most shorelines. The windsurfing, however, is of course not the best under these conditions but should improve late in the week. As for surfing, an increase in surf along the south shores is expected beginning today, Wednesday, courtesy a storm in the southern hemisphere a few days ago. This south swell should last several days. Even though winds are light here at the surface, the flow aloft is fairly fast. The northwesterly winds aloft on the west side of the low and trough to our ENE are extending down to the summit areas of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa with windy conditions there near 14,000 feet. Slightly breezy conditions can also be expected over Mount Haleakala at 10,000 feet. These upper level winds will be gradually diminishing.


I had a question from Karen as to what meteorologists mean when they talk about short waves. Perhaps the best way to explain it is to tell you what the long waves are and then categorize all the other minor perturbations as short waves. By long waves we mean the planetary Rossby waves named after Carl-Gustav Rossby, the Swedish-American meteorologist who studied them in great detail just prior to WWII. Those long waves are horizontal wave patterns in the upper westerly flow with a sinusoidal pattern of alternately troughs and ridges over the middle latitudes around the northern and southern hemispheres, say between 30N and 60N. So the upper westerlies are not straight out of the west but are out of the NW for a while then out of the W at the bottom of the trough and then out of the SW flowing toward the next downstream ridge. The winter flow pattern have the longest wave lengths and the fastest flow with perhaps 3 or 4 sets of troughs and ridges around the world. In the weaker summertime flow there are as many as 6 to 8 sets of troughs and ridges. These troughs and ridges move very slowly and may actually remain stationary for as much as 6 weeks at a time as was the case during the late February and March rains on Kauai and Oahu and western Maui county a few weeks ago. The wet weather then occurs in the SW flow where the flow is from trough to ridge. Little ripples or SHORT WAVES then travel through this stationary long wave flow pattern activating the thunderstorms and heavy rainfalls. So short waves are sort of a catch all term often used to help explain the sudden activity within a given long wave weather pattern.

Much Aloha to you all from Hans substituting for Glenn.