Weather Details and Aloha Paragraphs

August 24-25 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 84F
Honolulu, Oahu – 86
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 87
Hilo, Hawaii – 84
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 85

KAILUA-KONA – 75
MOLOKAI AIRPORT – 67

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:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure located far to the north and NE of our islands. Meanwhile, there are several low pressure troughs, both aloft and at the surface, closer to the islands…which will keep our wind speeds light today and Saturday. 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.

 

  Yet another example of the beauty of our islands…
Photo Credit: flikr.com

 

We’re heading into a period of sultry weather in the Islands.  As was the case yesterday, we are basically surrounded by areas of low pressure, with hurricane Ioke the most intense out to our west…rated at category 4 Thursday evening! Here’s an animated satellite image of our area…including the hurricane. There are several much weaker tropical disturbances to the SW and SE of Hawaii as well. In addition, we have a trough of low pressure sagging down towards Hawaii from a rather deep upper level low pressure system to the NNE of the state. Despite the rather threatening nature of all the above, nothing "bad" threatens our islands. All of this low pressure will have our trade winds sputtering now though, with muggy weather the result as we move into Friday and the weekend.

Weather conditions are forecast to stay rather nice otherwise Thursday.  As we move into Friday and the weekend, that’s when things will become more interesting…with some increase in showers expected in windward showers already Thursday night in places. The latest computer forecast models continue to suggest that we’ll have low pressure aloft, which would make our local atmosphere more unstable and shower prone than usual. Those same models go on to show an area of moisture coming up towards our islands from the deeper tropics. As this happens we may very well see an outbreak of showers locally, some of which could turn out to be locally heavy. As we move into next week, our weather will turn back towards normal, with moderately strong trade winds blowing then.

It’s early Thursday evening as I begin writing this sunset commentary.  I was surprised today during my lunch break, when I saw how uncrowded the beach was! I can only suppose that most of our visitors have gone home, with only a few folks scattered up and down this lovely sand beach in Kihei. It reminded me of some winter days, when the beaches are deserted. The interesting thing was that it was such a great day, with warm air and water, and hardly any wind blowing. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and took full advantage of the small waves that were breaking. It was the first time in quite a while when I could do a little bodysurfing. There’s a nice south-SSW swell running now, and I can hardly wait to go surfing once the weekend arrives. Just for perspective, right now in Kula, Maui (630pm), the outside temperature is 68F degrees, while it was 82F in Kona…and in Barrow, Alaska, at the same time, it was 34F degrees. It’s starting to cool off in the northland, although down here in the tropics, it will be several months before we start to notice much cooling. I hope you have a great Thursday night, and, that you will join me here again on Friday for more weather updates then. Aloha for now…Glenn.

I want to highlight another of the great advertisers on my website today, this time it’s Maui Kiteboarding Lessons. "If you want to learn to kiteboard, Maui is the place! And with Aqua Sport’s kiteboarding lessons at Maui’s world famous Kite Beach, learning to kiteboard has never been easier. Our professional instructors will have you flying over the water in no time! We offer kiting instruction at all levels, from absolute beginner to semi-pro. Whether you want to pick up the fundamentals of kiteboarding, refine your kiteboarding performance, or learn to kitesurf big waves, Aqua Sports has the kiteboarding lesson for you!"