Weather Details and Aloha Paragraphs

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.