Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennJuly 18-19 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 84F
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 83
Kahului, Maui – 87
Hilo, Hawaii – 85
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 85
Temperatures early Thursday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:
Kailua-kona – 78F
Hilo, Hawaii – 71
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Thursday morning:
1.80 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.46 MANOA LYON ARBORETUM, OAHU
0.08 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.07 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.21 HONAUNAU, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a moderately strong 1032 millibar high pressure system located to the north Hawaii Thursday. The trade winds will remain light to moderately strong over Hawaii’s marine environment…although locally stronger and gusty in those usual windiest locations through most of Friday. As tropical depression Cosme moves by to the south of the Hawaiian Islands, local winds will become stronger and gusty Friday night into 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.
Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean.
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.
The Makena area of South Maui
A new area of clouds will increase showers falling along the windward sides later Wednesday night into Thursday. These unusual out of season bands of clouds, seen on satellite imagery to the north of the islands, will bring more welcome moisture into the state, although again, most of the associated precipitation will fall on the windward coasts and slopes. Local weather conditions on Friday will be fine, although the Big Island will begin to see some influence from tropical system Cosme. The trade winds are expected to remain in the more or less moderately strong realms for the next few days, and then increase in speed later Friday into Saturday, as Cosme moves by to our south.
Tropical cyclone Cosme, now down graded to a tropical depression, has moved from the eastern Pacific into our central Pacific now. This storm started out this past weekend as tropical depression 06E, or the sixth tropical cyclone of the 2007 hurricane season. It then strengthened into a tropical storm, then briefly a hurricane, before being downgraded back into a tropical storm…and now all the way down to a depression. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu is forecasting this storm to pass safely to the south of the Big Island. Here is a tracking map, so you can follow the progress of Cosme. It’s looking likely that whatever is left of Cosme will be close enough to bring the northern fringe of its shower bearing moisture field up over the Big Island, Maui, Molokai and perhaps even Oahu and Kauai as well. The windward sides of the Big Island may see as much as 3-5 inches, Maui 1-3 inches…and 1-2 inches on Oahu and Kauai. The forecast at this point is to have Cosme bring some weather changes to Hawaii starting Friday, continuing into Saturday. Additionally, we should start to see some increase in surf size along the east facing showers, again especially on the Big Island, as the swells generated by this tropical system arrive here in Hawaii.
It’s Wednesday here in Hawaii as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s tropical weather narrative. The big weather news here in the Hawaiian Islands, as you might suspect, is the tropical depression out to the ESE of our fragile islands. It looks to me like this system will certainly move south of the Big Island, and more than likely close enough to bring its associated showers to the 50th state as well. This would begin to happen first on the Big Island Friday, and then for the rest of the islands into Saturday. The wild card is how strong the winds will be. The system itself, which will remain a tropical depression as it moves by to our south…by more than a hundred miles, won’t have strong winds left in it. Actually, what will happen is that this low pressure vortex, will enhance the strength of our local trade winds. We will likely need small craft wind advisories this weekend as the low pressure center spins by, moving in a more or less westerly direction. The winds won’t likely be too much of a problem, but will certainly become at least somewhat blustery in places. In sum, getting windier and wetter Friday into Saturday. Let’s use this satellite image to keep track of the clouds associated with tropical depression Cosme. Weather conditions will improve markedly after the passage of this tropical system, with fairly routine trade wind conditions prevailing into next week. ~~~ I’ll be back early Thursday morning with your next weather narrative. Aloha for now…Glenn.
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