September 19-20 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 84F
Honolulu, Oahu – 86
Kaneohe, Oahu – 89
Kahului, Maui – 90
Hilo, Hawaii – 84
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86

KANEOHE, OAHU – 78
HILO AIRPORT – 70

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:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a very large 1032 millibar high pressure center located to the NE of our islands Wednesday. This high will keep strong and gusty trade winds blowing across the state into 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.

 

The east coast of Maui 
Photo Credit: flikr.com

Strong and gusty trade winds will be the most influential weather element in the Hawaiian Island weather picture today and Wednesday. A large 1032 millibar high pressure system is located to the NE of our islands Tuesday, with its associated ridge stretching SW from its center…to the north of the Aloha state. The pressure gradient between high pressure to our NE and north, and low pressure to our south, will cause a blustery trade wind flow across Hawaii.  These trades are strong enough that we have small craft advisory flags flying over the coastal and channel waters now.

Despite all the windy weather, just a normal amount of cloudiness and showers will be carried towards the Aloha state. The windward sections will see those showers arriving mostly during the night and early morning hours. The leeward sides will likely remain quite dry, although there may be a few afternoon or early evening showers falling along the Kona slopes on the Big Island. The tropical cyclone to the south of the islands will be too far away to provide any moisture this far northward in latitude. In sum, nothing unusual in terms of precipitation through the rest of this week.

The surf was very active along our south and west facing leeward beaches…with more of it coming our way. This swell activity coming up from the southern hemisphere will continue through the rest of this week. There’s a high surf advisory enforce over those south facing beaches, so it would be wise to use caution when entering the ocean where large waves may be breaking. Meanwhile, the north shores will see some rise in surf now too, although not as large as on the south shores…lasting for a couple of days.

September 18-19 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 84F
Honolulu, Oahu – 86
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 85
Hilo, Hawaii – 82
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 84

KANEOHE, OAHU – 78
HILO AIRPORT – 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:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a very large 1032 millibar high pressure center located to the NE of our islands Tuesday. This high, in contrast to a tropical cyclone moving by to the south of Hawaii, will increase the pressure gradient today into Wednesday…with a corresponding increase in trade wind speeds. 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.

 

Would you mind living here, along Oahu’s windward side of the island, listening to classical piano, or the Rolling Stones on your ocean front lanai…maybe sipping on a nice cup of mint tea, or glass of fine Pinot Noir?
Photo Credit: flikr.com

The primary mover and shaker in the Hawaiian Island weather picture this week will be the gusty trade winds. A high pressure system is located to the NE of our islands Monday, with its associated ridge stretching SW from its center…to the north of the Aloha state. The latest models show this high pressure cell moving eastward and strengthening, with the trade wind speeds picking up a notch or two locally as that happens. This trade wind flow has become strong enough that we have small craft advisory flags flying over the coastal and channel waters now.

There doesn’t appear to be anything unusual coming our way in terms of precipitation…with just the usual windward biased showers. Those windward sides will see a fairly normal amount of showers falling for this time of year, occurring mostly during the night and early morning hours. The leeward sides will likely remain quite dry, although there may be a few afternoon or early evening showers falling along the Kona slopes on the Big Island.  There are no tropical systems approaching from the east or SE, nor any active cold fronts approaching from the NW.

The surf was very active along our south and west facing leeward beaches this past weekend…with Sunday being the larger of the two days. This swell activity coming up from the southern hemisphere will continue through this work week. There’s a high surf advisory flag flying over those south facing beaches, so it would be wise to use caution when entering the ocean where large waves may be breaking. Meanwhile, the north shores will see some rise in surf, although not as large as on the south shores now…starting Tuesday for a couple of days.

September 17-18 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 84F
Honolulu, Oahu – 84
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 90
Hilo, Hawaii – 85
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 89

KAILUA-KONA – 77
HILO AIRPORT – 70

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Monday morning) on each of the major islands:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1028 millibar high pressure center located to the NE of our islands Monday. This high is expected to most east a bit and strengthen, with an associated strengthening of our trade winds Tuesday. 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.

 

The lovely Kona coast on the Big Island
Photo Credit: flikr.com

A fairly typical trade wind weather pattern will continue…although gradually getting stronger as we move into the new week ahead.  A high pressure system is located to the NE of our islands, with its associated ridge stretching SW from its center…to the north of the Aloha state. The latest models show this ridge moving further north now, with the trade wind speeds picking up a notch or two into the new work week ahead. This trade wind flow may become strong enough that we could see small craft advisory flags flying over the coastal and channel waters soon.

There won’t be many showers around today into Monday, and those will restricted to the windward and mountain areas almost exclusively. Those windward sides will see a fairly normal amount of showers falling for this time of year. The leeward sides will likely remain quite dry, although there may be a few showers falling along the Kona slopes on the Big Island. Satellite imagery shows no organized rain makers on our weather horizon, so that nice weather conditions will prevail well into the future.

The waves here in the islands have picked up along our leeward beaches this weekend, with more larger than normal surf expected through the next 3-5 days.  Last week in the area down near New Zealand, a swell was generated by a deep storm, which is the source of our south swell waves along our leeward beaches. A new storm to the NW of the Hawaiian Islands has developed recently, which will bring up the surf along our north and NW shores again by early this coming Tuesday as well.

We have an El Nino active now in the Pacific, which will influence our upcoming weather conditions in Hawaii over the next six months or so. The following list have been the tendencies here in the islands when an El Nino has occurred in the past: less than the normal amount of autumn and winter into spring rainfall amounts; lighter than normal winds; more than the normal amount of high surf events; and the possibility of late season tropical storm activity this autumn. El Nino conditions have just started, so we will begin to look for some of these tendencies as we move into the autumn and winter seasons ahead.

It’s early Sunday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I start writing this sunset commentary.  I made it over to the a surf spot called Laniapoko, near Lahaina early this morning. There was already quite a crowd out surfing, even though I got there so early. Along the way, across the Pali and on to Lahaina, there were literally 1000’s of people out running and walking on the side of the road. It was some sort of race, although I never did see what the name of it was. It was remarkable to see so many folks out there early making their way towards Lahaina. I had no idea so many people were here on Maui that ran in such events. At any rate, the surf was quite large at times, with what we call close out sets. This just means that the waves were large enough to break all at once, rather than peeling off in one direction or the other. I picked off some of the small and medium sized waves, before the crowds got to be somewhat uncomfortable for me. I guess I was out for an hour and a half or so, which wasn’t quite enough. Although it was great to be out in the water, and the wind didn’t come up while I was there, so it was smooth. I’ve been home the rest o the day doing stuff, mixed in with some good old fashioned relaxing. I hope you have a nice Sunday night, and by the way, it looks like there will be enough high cirrus clouds around, that there should be some nice color as the sun goes down this evening. I’ll be back early Monday morning with your next new weather narrative. Aloha for now…Glenn.

I want to highlight another of the great advertisers on my website today, this time it’s Mark Jackson – Realtor  "Specializing in the West Maui Resort areas of Lahaina, Kaanapali, Napili and Kapalua."

September 16-17 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 84F
Honolulu, Oahu – 84
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 92
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 87

KAILUA-KONA – 79
HILO AIRPORT – 68

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Sunday morning) on each of the major islands:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1026 millibar high pressure center located to the NE of our islands Sunday. The winds will be light to moderately strong trades, gradually strengthening into Monday. 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.

 

Lots of waves breaking along Hawaiian shores this weekend
Photo Credit: flikr.com

The trade winds will continue to be the major influence in the Hawaiian Island weather picture this weekend. A high pressure system is located to the NE of our islands, with its associated ridge stretching SW from its center…to the north of the Aloha state. The latest models show this ridge moving further north Sunday, with the trade wind speeds picking up a notch or two then into next week. This trade wind flow may be strong enough that we could see small craft advisory flags flying over the coastal and channel waters.

Showers will concentrate their efforts over the windward and mountains areas today and Sunday. Those windward sides will see a fairly normal amount of showers falling for this time of year. The leeward sides will likely remain quite dry, although there may be a few stray showers falling here and there. The Kona slopes on the Big Island may see a few showers falling during the afternoon hours, and along the Haleakala slopes as well. Satellite imagery shows no organized rain makers on our weather horizon, so that decent weather conditions will prevail well into the future.

The waves here in the islands will pick up along our leeward beaches this weekend, with still some waves breaking along our north shores too. There’s been a couple of deep storms that generated these swells. Last week in the area down near New Zealand, a swell began, which will be the provider of our south shores waves along our leeward sides. Another swell was formed by a storm to the NNW of the Hawaiian Islands several days ago, which brought up the surf along our north shores Friday, which will continue today, gradually diminishing in size Sunday. 

We have an El Nino active now in the Pacific, which will influence our upcoming weather conditions in Hawaii over the next six months or so. The following list have been the tendencies here in the islands when an El Nino has occurred in the past: less than the normal amount of autumn and winter into spring rainfall amounts; lighter than normal winds; more than the normal amount of high surf events; and the possibility of late season tropical storm activity this autumn. El Nino conditions have just started, so we will begin to look for some of these tendencies as we move into the autumn and winter seasons ahead.

It’s early Saturday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I start writing this sunset commentary.  The day started here, at least in places, very smokey, after some early morning sugar cane fields were burned. The smoke hung around for a long time in the central valley, and drifted around here and there. This afternoon the trade wind speeds picked up enough that this haze was ventilated away, making way for a wonderfully clear afternoon. After an early morning surf in the Lahaina area, I came home for a while, then it was out to Haiku for a haircut, and on to the health food store in Paia. I’m finally home, and it feels so good to have all the activity behind me, so that I can relax into the night…before another early morning surfing trip to the west side in the morning. The waves were really nice this morning, with a glassy ocean setting the stage for some great rides, if I do say so myself! The sunset is going to be great, as a band of high cirrus clouds have moved in from the SW and west, which will be lighting up beautifully soon. On that note, I’d better get out there a savor it myself. I hope you have a nice Saturday night, I’ll be back here dark and early Sunday morning with your next narrative updates then. Aloha for now…Glenn.

I want to highlight another of the great advertisers on my website today, this time it’s  Maui Car Rentals.  "Clean, reliable and low priced rental cars." 

September 15-16 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 84F
Honolulu, Oahu – 86
Kaneohe, Oahu – 83
Kahului, Maui – 88
Hilo, Hawaii – 81
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86

KAILUA-KONA – 78
MOLOKAI AIRPORT – 769

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Saturday morning) on each of the major islands:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1024 millibar high pressure center located to the NE of our islands Saturday. The winds will be light to moderately strong trades today, gradually strengthening into Sunday.  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.

 

Swishing across the sky
Photo Credit: flikr.com

The trade winds will dominate our local Hawaiian Island weather picture today and Saturday. A high pressure ridge is still quite close to Kauai, forced southward by an early season storm far to the NNW of Hawaii. As this storm gradually moves northward, our ridge will migrate slowly northward in its wake this weekend. Until then we’ll find light to moderately strong trade winds blowing…although a little stronger than that in those windier places during the afternoons through Saturday. The latest models show the ridge moving further north by Sunday, with the trade wind speeds picking up a notch or two then into next week. Next week’s trade wind flow may be strong enough that we would see small craft advisory flags flying over the coastal and channel waters.

Showers will concentrate their efforts over the windward and mountains areas today and Saturday as well. Those windward sides will see a few more showers falling now than we’ve seen for a while…although nothing heavy is expected. The leeward sides in contrast will likely remain quite dry, although there may be a few showers sneaking over there in places. The Kona slopes on the Big Island may see a few showers falling during the afternoon hours, and along the Haleakala slopes as well, but again not much is expected. Satellite imagery shows no organized rain makers on our weather horizon, so that decent weather conditions will prevail well into the future.

The waves here in the islands have been small this week, although that’s expected to change starting today, with lots of surf around through the weekend. There’s been a couple of deep storms that generated new swells, which are heading in our direction now. Last week in the area down near New Zealand, a swell began, which will arrive here along our leeward sides this weekend. Another swell was formed by a storm to the NNW of the Hawaiian Islands several days agao, which has brought up the surf along our north shores Friday. The local surf community will have the opportunity to ride lots of waves now!

We have an El Nino condition active now, which will offer up several responses to our upcoming weather conditions in Hawaii over the next six months or so. The following list have been the tendencies here in the islands when an El Nino has occurred in the past: less than the normal amount of autumn and winter into spring rainfall amounts; lighter than normal winds; more than the normal amount of high surf events; and the possibility of late season tropical storm activity this autumn. El Nino conditions have just started, so we will begin to look for some of these tendencies as we move into the autumn and winter seasons ahead.

It’s early Friday evening here in Kihei, Maui, as I start writing this pre sunset commentary.  It was a decent day here on Maui, although with quite a few clouds around, and some showers falling in the upcountry areas between Pukalani, Kula and Ulupalakua. I’ve made the exectutive decision to go to see a new film this evening, called The Last Kiss, rather than going to one of the restaurants in Wailea for an Italian wine tasting. One negative review that I found online said this about it: "If it’s true that, for women, 60 is the new 40, must it follow that, for men, 30 is the new 10? That’s the emotional math at work in The Last Kiss, an alarming male wallow passing as a fetching date-night dramedy in which four men entering their fourth decade — friends since childhood — respond with lunkheaded awfulness to the mysteries of women, each in his own lunkish way."  Here’s another review that turns out to be slightly better: "I recommend The Last Kiss, but not without a misgiving or two. This movie is essentially a celebration of yuppie angst. It’s about people in their late 20s who have issues with commitment and monogamy, who have lost their way and are trying to find themselves. Essentially, it’s about middle age crises for people who are only a little more than half-way to middle age." And finally, the San Francisco Chronicle says: "If The Last Kiss starts to feel awfully familiar, at least it’s not because the movie follows a predictable Hollywood formula. There’s nothing formulaic in this story of four buddies on the cusp of 30 torn between settling down and opening themselves up to more adventures — particularly of a sexual nature." I’ll let you know what I thought early Saturday morning, when I’ll be back online updating this page before a surfing trip to the Lahaina side. I hope you have a good Friday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.

I want to highlight another of the great advertisers on my website today, this time it’s Kiteboarding Lessons.  "If you want to learn to kiteboard, Maui is the place! " 

September 14-15 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 84F
Honolulu, Oahu – 87
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 87
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:

LIHUE, KAUAI – 77
MOLOKAI AIRPORT – 70

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 a 1025 millibar high pressure center located to the NE of our islands Friday. At the same time, there’s a deep storm far to the NNW of the islands. This low, with its early season cold front, is keeping our trade wind generating ridge close to the islands. The winds will be light to moderately strong trade winds today into Saturday…gradually strengthening 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.

 

A nice looking rainbow here in the islands
Photo Credit: flikr.com

We’ll find pretty typical trade wind weather conditions through Friday. A high pressure ridge is still quite close to Kauai, forced southward by an early season storm far to the NNW of Hawaii. As this storm gradually moves northward, our ridge will migrate slowly northward in its wake later this weekend. Until then we’ll find light trade winds blowing…although a little stronger in those windier places through Saturday. The latest models show the ridge moving further north by Sunday, with the trade wind speeds picking up a notch or two then into early next week.

Whatever showers that fall will be mostly restricted to the windward coasts and slopes, and around the mountains. Those windward sides will see a few more showers falling now than we’ve seen for a while…although nothing heavy is expected. The leeward sides in contrast will likely remain quite dry, although there may be a few afternoon showers around in places. As the winds are picking up a tad now, we should see a minor increase in showers along those windward coasts and slopes as we move forward from here. The Kona slopes on the Big Island may see a few showers falling during the afternoon hours, and along the Haleakala slpes as well, but again not much is expected.

The waves here in the islands have been small this week, although with at least some small surf around in most places. There’s been a couple of deep storms that generated new swells, which are heading in our direction now. Last week in the area down near New Zealand, a swell began, which will arrive here along our leeward sides later Friday into the weekend. Another swell was formed by a fairly close by storm to the NNW of the Hawaiian Islands this week, which should bring up the surf along our north shores Friday into the weekend as well. The local surf community is looking forward to this stuff!

It’s early Thursday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I start writing this post sunset commentary.   I saw something as I was driving up the Haleakala Highway that I haven’t seen for some time…a rainbow! Satellite imagery shows a cloud and shower area moving into the state, nothing serious, although it should bring us a modest increase in moisture. There turned out to be more clouds than I expected today, with some mostly light showers falling here and there…particularly in the upcountry areas. We need more precipitation now, if for no other reason than to push back the fire danger that we have going on now. At the same time, Maui’s upcountry areas have a water restriction in force now, which means that we’re coming up against some drought conditions. So, I’m hoping that we will get some much needed water falling from the skies, but I don’t hold too much hope that it will be enough anytime soon. We’re now facing an El Nino sitution too, which typically means that we’ll see less than the normal amount of rainfall during the autumn and winter months coming up. I’ll talk more about that soon. I hope you have a great Thursday night! I’ll be back early Friday morning with more weather information. Aloha for now…Glenn.

I want to highlight another of the great advertisers on my website today, this time it’s Maui Snorkel Tours.  "Shoreline EcoVentures with Suzzy Robinson."  If you want to get in the ocean and feel safe doing that, Suzzy Robinson is your ticket to a good underwater guided tour.

September 13-14 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 83F
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 89
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86

KAILUA-KONA – 77
KAHULUI AIRPORT – 70

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Thursday morning) on each of the major islands:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1030 millibar high pressure center located to the NE of our islands Thursday. At the same time, there’s a deep storm far to the NNW of the islands. This low, with its early season cold front, has pushed our trade wind generating ridge close to the islands. The winds will be light trade winds again later today into Friday.  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.

 

Another beautiful sunset in the islands
Photo Credit: flikr.com

The trade winds will begin to filter back into the Hawaiian Island weather picture today. A high pressure ridge is still quite close to Kauai, forced southward by an early season storm to the NNW of Hawaii. As this storm gradually moves northward, our ridge will migrate slowly northward in its wake. This in turn will allow the return of light trade winds, which will continue through Saturday. The latest models show the ridge moving even further north by Sunday, with the trade wind speeds picking up a notch or two then into early next week.

The overlying atmosphere remains on the dry side, with very few showers around now. The windward sides will see a few showers falling at times, although nothing heavy is indicated. The leeward sides in contrast will likely remain dry as a bone through the week. As the winds are picking up a tad now, we may see a minor increase in showers along those windward coasts and slopes…but nothing much. The Kona slopes on the Big Island, and perhaps the Haleakala slopes on Maui may see a few drops falling during the afternoon hours, but again not much is expected.

It’s early Wednesday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I start writing this sunset commentary.  Driving home this evening from Kihei, I realized just how much of a water person that I am. I go in the ocean almost everyday, and as I drive up the mountain towards Kula each day…I look forward to getting closer to the cloudiness on the slopes of the Haleakala Crater. Those days that the clouds are low enough, that its foggy at my place, are my favorites. I just love being in moist places I guess! This evening, the clouds are too far up the mountain from here for fog, I can see them hanging in the tree tops up above. Speaking of water, in all its manifestations, the ocean today was so great. It was warm, near 80F degrees in fact, and with the air temperature hovering around 88F while I was there…it offered the maximum pleasure to this Maui weatherman! I’m about ready to go down and make my Ahi fish tacos soon, which will be tasty, and easy to make. Just heat up a sprouted wheat tortilla, melt some cheese, lay the fish in there, top that with salsa, and a ton of fresh salad, and I’m eatin’. I hope you have not only a good meal, but also a great Wednesday night too. I’ll be back here dark and early Thursday morning with your next new narrative from paradise. Aloha for now…Glenn.

I want to highlight another of the great advertisers on my website today, this time it’s My Maui Condos.  "Private Homes, Condos in Kihei & Lahaina for Rent Daily, Weekly, Monthly."

September 12-13 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 83F
Honolulu, Oahu – 86
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 91
Hilo, Hawaii – 84
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86

KAILUA-KONA – 79
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:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1026 millibar high pressure center located to the NE of our islands Wednesday. At the same time, there’s a deep 978 millibar storm to the NNW of the islands. This low, with its early season cold front, has pushed our trade wind generating ridge close to the islands. The winds will become light trade winds again later today into Thursday…as the ridge moves some distance northward.  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.

 

Beautiful cirrus clouds
Photo Credit: flikr.com

The trade winds will be lighter than normal Tuesday. This reduction in our local wind speeds will be caused by the presence of a newly formed storm, with its early season cold front to the NNW of Hawaii. These low pressure features are pushing our trade wind producing ridge of high pressure down closer to Hawaii now. This is why our trade winds have gotten softer for the time being. The latest computer forecast models indicate that this early season cold front will not reach the islands. The trade winds will rebound a little starting later Wednesday, remaining active through the rest of the week.

This week will more than likely turn out to be a dry one in most areas.  The windward sides will see a few showers falling at times, although nothing heavy is indicated. The leeward sides in contrast will likely see hardly a drop. As the winds are quite light now, we should see some increase in interior cloudiness during the afternoon hours. These cumulus clouds won’t drop very much rain, but there could be a few light showers here and there. As the trade winds pick up again during the second half of the week, the bias for light showers will return to the windward sides again then.

September 11-12 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 82F
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 86
Kahului, Maui – 91
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86

KAILUA-KONA – 78
KAHULUI AIRPORT – 68

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:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1025 millibar high pressure center located to the NE of our islands Tuesday. At the same time, there’s a developing storm to the NNW of the islands. This low, with its early season cold front, has pushed our trade wind generating ridge closer to the islands. This in turn has weakened our local winds, and turned them SE. The winds will become light trade winds again later Wednesday.  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.

 

The ocean in Hawaii
Photo Credit: flikr.com

The trade winds will become lighter through mid-week, although not disappear altogether.  This reduction in our local wind speeds will be caused by the presence of a newly formed cold front in the western Pacific. This front will push our trade wind generating ridge of high pressure down closer to Hawaii. This in turn will be why our trade winds will soften a notch or two over the next couple of days. The latest computer forecast models indicate that this early season cold front will pull back well before arriving here in the islands. The trade winds will rebound after Wednesday, remaining active through the rest of the week.

Overall precipitation characteristics will remain fairly dry through the upcoming week.  The windward sides will see a few showers falling at times, although nothing too heavy is indicated. The leeward sides in contrast will likely see a rather dry week ahead. As the winds get lighter over the next several days, we should see some increase in interior cloudiness during the afternoon hours. These cumulus clouds won’t drop very much rain, but there could be a few showers here and there. As the trade winds pick up again during the second half of the week, the bias for showers will return to the windward sides again then.

September 10-11 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 83F
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 89
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86

KANEOHE, OAHU – 78
HILO AIRPORT – 71

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Monday morning) on each of the major islands:

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure centers located far to the NE of our islands Monday. At the same time, there’s a cold front forming to the WNW of the islands, far west near Midway Island. This will help to keep our winds lighter than they have been, and may swing them around to the east or ESE over the next couple of days. 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.

 

Ocean colors
Photo Credit: flikr.com

The islands continue to experience nice late summer weather this weekend.  This includes all the favorably inclined elements that local residents and visitors love so much. The trade winds will be on the breezy side now, along with warm to very warm daytime temperatures Sunday and Monday. High pressure to the north and NE of the islands will keep these cooling and refreshing breezes gracing the Aloha state…which will be getting softer as we move into the new week ahead. The longer range forecast models indicate that the trade winds will become stronger again by next weekend.

We’ll find just the usual windward overnight showers falling at times.  This leaves the leeward beaches basking in sunny and dry weather conditions. There are no organized rain makers on the weather horizon, so a fairly common trade wind weather pattern will prevail in terms of precipitation. The Kona coast on the Big Island may see a few afternoon showers falling, which will help keep those Kona coffee plantations in business. Little change is expected through most of next week in terms of the light shower activity.