Weather Details and Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennAugust 21-22 2006
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across Hawaii Monday:
Lihue, Kauai – 83F
Honolulu, Oahu – 89
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 88
Hilo, Hawaii – 81
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 87
Temperatures early Tuesday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:
LIHUE, KAUAI – 77
KAHULUI AIRPORT, MAUI – 69
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Tuesday morning) on each of the major islands:
2.91 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.56 POAMOHO 2, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.36 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
1.17 WAIAHA, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure located far to the north and NE of our islands. Meanwhile, low pressure in the area will start to erode our trade wind strength…with winds getting lighter now. 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
Photo Credit: flikr.com
Our moderately strong trade winds will stick around for another couple of days, and then turn ESE or SE by Thursday…ushering in a change in weather. Our weather will be quite pleasant, with lots of daytime sunshine, and balmy temperatures along the leeward sides for the time being. There will be showers falling along the windward sides at times, although not many. Starting after the middle of the week, we’ll likely see a period of sultry weather arrive here in the islands. This will be the result of whatever is left of former tropical storm Hector’s circulation, moving in between Hawaii and our trade wind producing high pressure system to the NE…and the arrival of an upper level low pressure system. The computer forecast models are suggesting that we may see an increase in showers during the second half of the week, some of which could be locally heavy here and there by Friday and Saturday.
Hurricane Ioke is active in the central Pacific now. This tropical cyclone will be too far away to directly influence us, and will be moving further away to the WNW of here over the next several days. The area, as shown by this satellite image, is wearing the classic spiral shape of a true tropical cyclone. Despite it’s omnious appearance, it isn’t expected to give us any trouble. Meanwhile, tropical storm Hector to our east, will be dropping in strength now that it moves over cooler sea surface temperatures and meets shearing winds aloft. Hector will not be a threat for the Hawaiian Islands either. See this tracking map for both system’s path. Meanwhile, a new tropical cyclone called 10E (Ileana) has developed close to Mexico, it will show up on the tracking map above as well.
It’s an interesting time now, what with a hurricane to our SW, and a tropical storm to our east! Fortunately, neither of these tropical systems will bring bad weather to our area. As noted above though, whatever is left of the one to our east will help to cause a shift in our local winds. We will become rather hot and muggy, and if the winds become SE as the models suggest, we could get hazy too. An atmospheric destabilizing upper trough will be around later this week too, which could cause some localized rainy weather. It’s still a bit too early to put our finger on exactly how this will manifest. The key questions of where, how much, and when will likely become more clear over the next couple of days. Conditions will be fine through this first part of the week though.
It’s early Monday evening as I begin this sunset commentary. It was a very pleasant day here in the islands, quite nice indeed! I’m starting to realize that there will be an end to the hot weather of high summer. I’m not quite sure what it is, and perhaps I’m even making it up, although I can sense on some level that autumn isn’t all that far out into the future. I sometimes feel like I’m barely making it through some of these hot tropical summer days, especially being right down at sea level five days a week in Kihei. It’s always such a relief to get home to the cooler air upcountry. I’m about to go down and make dinner, this week consisting of organic chicken breast taco’s. I heat the corn tortillas, melt some Farmers cheese, add sliced avocado, and pile a bunch of organic salad greens on top. Usually I would add some hot salsa, but I forgot to buy it this week. I’ll eat, do some reading, and then hit the hay around 830pm…I know, I know, that’s so early, but if you were getting up at 4am the next morning, you might be on the same schedule. I love my routine, it suits me just fine. I hope you have a great Monday night, and that you might drop on by again Tuesday for more fresh organic weather information then. Aloha for now…Glenn.
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