Weather Details and Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennJuly 27-28 2006
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across Hawaii Thursday:
Lihue, Kauai – 85F
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 89
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 87
Temperatures early Friday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:
HONOLULU AIRPORT – 78
HILO AIRPORT – 73
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Friday morning) on each of the major islands:
1.86 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.24 PUNALUU PUMP, OAHU
0.01 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.61 HAIKU, MAUI
0.24 WAIAKEA UKA, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a relatively strong 1034 millibar high pressure system located to the NNE of our islands. This high pressure cell will keep moderately strong trade winds blowing…locally quite strong and gusty during the afternoons. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.
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.
Tropical Cyclone Activity – The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 through November 30…while the central Pacific (where Hawaii is) runs from June 1 through November 30. The latest storm information for the eastern Pacific can be found by clicking here. A storm tracking map for both the central and eastern areas can be found by clicking here . For the central Pacific, the latest storm information can be found by clicking here.
Larger than normal south shore waves in Hawaii now …
Photo Credit: Sean Davey
The center of a tropical disturbance, which was former tropical cyclone Daniel, is now within 200 miles ESE of Hilo, on the Big Island early Friday morning. Looking at what is left of this former tropical system, using this lastest animated satellite image, we can see that there’s still quite a large field of clouds to the east of the Islands. This vortex, or remnant tropical low pressure system, is expected to start moving through the Hawaii islands early Friday morning. We’ll see an increase in showers over all the islands when the northern fringe of these clouds arrive, especially over the Big Island and Maui County. The winds that will influence the islands then, which will be locally gusty trade winds, won’t be part of the disturbance itself. Rather, they will be associated with the steep pressure gradient (like a slope) between a strong 1037 millibar high pressure system far to our north, and the tropical low pressure vortex of former Daniel as it passes by to our south.
The link to that satellite image above shows a rather impressive field of clouds, which has a large thunderstorm complex to the north of its center point, growing to near 45,000 feet early Friday morning! This suggests that we may be in for quite a lot of rain, especially if these thunderstorms remain active when this area of clouds moves through the state early Friday morning into Saturday morning. This brings up the possibility of localized flooding, which certainly isn’t out of the question!
NOTICE: A flash flood watch is in effect for Maui and the Big Island, Lanai and Molokai early Friday morning.
As you can surmise from the information above, we’re still intimately involved in the prospect of a locally breezy and wet weather outlook from the remnant circulation of former Daniel. The computer forecast models go on to point out the chance of another very unusual weather circumstance for early next week. A deep upper level low is forecast to move near the state by Monday and Tuesday, with light winds, and chance of locally heavy afternoon showers, or maybe even an isolated thunderstorm. 2006 has been one of those years that wants to continually deviate from the norm!
It’s just now sunset time here in Kula, Maui, as I begin this sunset commentary. Looking over at the windward side of east Maui, I see thick clouds, which are dropping showers. The leeward areas around Kihei and Lahaina saw a nice mostly clear skied sunset, while here in upcountry Kula, it’s partly cloudy and dry. Now that the NWS has issued a flash flood watch, and with obvious rain bearing clouds moving in our direction, it brings things to a head, so to speak. I think folks, especially those on the windward sides, should be prepared for locally heavy rains during the next 24 hours. It’s one of those times, as you can see from the satellite link provided about three paragraphs up this page, that it’s starting to seem imminent. I’d say get ready for some good old fashioned rains, and with some possible lightning and thunder too in places. I’ll be back very early Friday morning with the latest information about this situation, be well until then. Aloha for now…Glenn.
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