August 8-9 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 83F
Honolulu, Oahu – 87
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 88
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86

Temperatures early Wednesday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:

LIHUE, KAUAI – 77
KAHULUI AIRPORT – 68


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:

 
0.55 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.10 KAWAILOA, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.15 OHEO GULCH, MAUI
0.25 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND
 

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure systems located far to the NW and NNE of our islands. These high pressure cells, with their associated ridging, will keep gusty trade winds blowing across our area today and Thursday.  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.


Aloha Paragraphs


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  Hawaii’s sunsets…so soft and warm
Photo credit: flikr.com
 


The moderate to fresh trade winds will continue to be the dominate weather feature in Hawaii now. The source of these brisk trade winds are moderately strong high pressure centers, located far to the NW and NNE of our islands. The forecast calls for the trade winds to keep blowing all this week, providing their cooling and refreshing relief from these hot days of August. The latest computer forecast models suggest that the trade winds will blow steadily through the next 10 days at least.

Rainfall will be quite light for the time being, falling most generously along the windward sides.  The nights and early mornings will find the most frequent showers, which is a common reality when we have a good solid trade wind flow like this. The overlying atmosphere has become quite stable now, so that I don’t expect many heavy showers…although there’s always the chance for a couple of briefly heavy downpours out along the windward coasts. The leeward sides will remain mostly dry, with the Kona coast potentially seeing some afternoon our evening showers in the upcountry areas. 


It’s early Tuesday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this sunset commentary.   As I mentioned in yesterday’s sunset commentary, I had skipped going to the beach during my lunch break, due to the windy conditions. Well, when I got down there this afternoon, I pulled up, found a good parking spot, and turned off my car. I looked towards the ocean, and found windy conditions occurring again. I hadn’t been in the ocean for three full days…which was getting to be too darn long, for crying out loud! So I just bit the bullet, changed into my board shorts, and walked out on the sandy beach. As I started to walk, I thought, "this is way to windy, what am I doing out here."  I looked at all the folks sitting there in all that wind, and thought again, "they don’t seem to be bothered at all."  I’d better change my attitude, so I did, and ended up just sort of chuckling to myself, as the winds raged well over 30 mph in gusts. The interesting thing was that just as quickly as it came up that strong, it would back down again just as fast. The wind was so strong in fact that it was kicking up these nice little wind swells, which I enjoyed playing around in. The water was totally warm, so that by the end, I was very happy that I "forced" myself out into the elements. When you live here, and can go to the beach any day you want, I suppose there is a tendency to become spoiled a little I guess. At any rate, the sun is going down right now, and I’m feeling mellow and relaxed after another good day of weather work under my belt. I hope you have a great Tuesday night…and perhaps enjoy sighting the August full moon tonight too!  I’ll be back dark and early Wednesday morning with your next narrative. Aloha for now…Glenn.

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