Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennMay 9 – 10 2006
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across Hawaii Tuesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 81F
Honolulu, Oahu – 83
Kaneohe, Oahu – 81
Kahului, Maui – 85
Hilo, Hawaii – 78
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 82
Temperatures early Wednesday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:
Honolulu – 73
Hilo, Hawaii – 67
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Wednesday morning) on each of the major islands, including:
1.02 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.21 PUNALUU PUMP, OAHU
0.01 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
1.74 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
1.36 PIIHONUA, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1030 millibar high pressure center far to the NE of the islands. The location and strength of this anticyclone will keep moderately strong trade winds blowing through Thursday…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 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.
Can’t you almost smell this fragrant Plumeria flower?
A routine mid-May trade wind weather pattern prevails across the Hawaiian Islands now. These favorably inclined weather conditions will hold through the rest of this week. High pressure centers far to the NW and NE will be the source of our locally breezy trade winds. These trades will carry in moisture patches at times, taking aim on the windward sides of the islands. The leeward sides will see lots of sunshine, particularly during the morning hours. Air temperatures will reach up into the 80F’s at most sea level locations…cooler in the higher elevation upcountry areas.
The shower enhancing upper level low pressure system, which provided rainfall recently, is now being replaced by high pressure aloft. This will help to support a more limited moisture pattern, with whatever showers that are around, falling along the windward coasts and slopes. One of the few exceptions to this rule, may be the showers that spill from the afternoon clouds that form over the Kona slopes of the Big Island. This rather dry reality won’t change much as we move through this week. By the way, those few windward showers will occur most frequently during the night and early morning hours.
Back to the trade winds, they will be quite breezy where they meet the coasts most directly. This happens to occur along the north and east facing shores…which we call the windward sides of the islands. High pressure is forecast to remain in place to the north of the islands, with an elongated zone of low pressure, called the ITCZ (inter-tropical convergence zone) remaining intact to our south. This pressure configuration will keep the pressure gradient sufficiently steep to sustain moderately strong trade winds blowing across our latitudes of the north central Pacific. Think in terms of 10-25 mph in general, with gusts in those windiest areas moving well up into the 30+ mph range during the days.
These trade winds may falter a bit as we get into the upcoming weekend time frame. This will be caused by a mid-latitude trough of low pressure, to our north…weakening the trade wind producing high pressure ridge. The trade winds aren’t expected to stop entirely, but may soften a bit into next week. We need these trade winds to keep blowing at this time of year, otherwise it can get hot and muggy during the days. The trade winds bring to bear their cooling and refreshing relief from the tropical warmth during our spring and summer months. There isn’t expected to be much change as the trade winds ease back, although we may tend to see some added cloudiness over and around the interior sections of the islands then…with some possible spotty showers falling.
It’s early Tuesday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I begin this sunset commentary. I don’t believe that there could have been a more summery day, than what we’ve seen on this spring day in May! It was a mostly sunny in many parts of the state, certainly here on Maui, that’s for sure. The Kihei and Lahaina coastal strips were mostly sunny from the crack of dawn, to now…just as the sun sets into the whip cream like cumulus clouds stacked up over the 5,800 foot West Maui Mountains. Even now, just before 7pm, at this 3,100 foot elevation in Kula, it’s a warm 70F degrees just outside my weather tower, with a reading of 79F degrees inside here, with all the windows fully open. There are no high level cirrus clouds around today, with just the gray lower level cumulus and stratocumulus clouds, with their soft pink fringe on top. The birds are chirping away, just as they were early this morning, with the exception of the totally quiet roosters, up the way. It won’t be long before everything quiets down, as the birds find their comfortable roosts in the nearby trees. Looking ahead, we have more fair weather prospects ahead, with the trade winds dominating our local weather picture through Friday. I hope you have a great Tuesday night, and that you might find some interest in joining me here again on Wednesday, same place, same time. Aloha for now…Glenn.
P.S. Here’s a link to one of the advertisers on the left hand margin: Kanaha Kai Surf Shop, on the north shore of Maui. Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing on Maui. Kanaha Kai Maui offers the best gear, rentals, lessons and service. Conveniently located on the beach road to Kanaha Beach Park and Kite Beach, Kanaha Kai Maui is the premier oceansport store on Maui.
Email Glenn James: 
