Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennJuly 22-23 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday:
Lihue, Kauai – 86F
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 83
Kahului, Maui – 86
Hilo, Hawaii – 79
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 85
Temperatures early Monday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:
Kaneohe, Oahu – 78F
Hilo, Hawaii – 68
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Monday morning:
0.26 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
1.07 OAHU FOREST NWR, OAHU
0.39 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
1.75 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.43 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure systems located to the NNW and NE Hawaii Monday. The trade winds will remain moderately strong over Hawaii’s coastal waters…although locally stronger and gusty in those usual windiest locations through 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.
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.
Waimanalo Beach, Oahu
Tropical depression Cosme continues to move away from the Hawaiian Islands, with muggy weather, along with some leftover showers in its wake. The heaviest rainfall has now passed the islands, although in the wake of the system, there will remain some showers through the day Sunday…focused most intently along the windward sides and over the mountains locally. The largest rainfall amount during the 24 hour period was a generous 5.22" at Puu Kukui, the rain gauge atop the West Maui Mountains. Here’s an animated looping radar image, so you can keep an eye on where showers are falling.
Tropical cyclone Cosme remains at the tropical depression category Sunday, and is forecast to remain so into Monday. This tropical system started out last 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. Here’s a tracking map…so you can follow the progress of Cosme.
Cosme came close enough to bring the northern fringe of its shower bearing moisture field up over the Big Island and parts of Maui, although the other islands where too far north to see these heavy showers. Here’s an animated satellite image showing Cosme to the SW of the Hawaii Islands. There will be passing showers along the windward sides of all the islands Sunday…with a chance that the leeward slopes on the Big Island may find showers popping up again Sunday afternoon. The atmosphere left in the wake of Cosme is very warm and humid, so that all islands will feel muggy for another day or so.
In terms of wind speeds…this low pressure vortex (Cosme), enhanced the strength of our local trade winds Saturday, but will be calming down gradually today into Monday. We find small craft wind advisories having now been pulled back to only those windiest areas around Maui and the Big Island. Winds were stronger than normal as Cosme moved by to our south. The trade winds will mellow-out further starting Monday, with moderately strong trades prevailing during the new week ahead.This satellite image will show the clouds associated with Cosme. Weather conditions will improve gradually as this tropical system moves away to the west, with fairly routine trade wind conditions as we move into the new week ahead. So, as it turned out, Cosme came just close enough to give the Big Island and parts of Maui localized heavy rain, but remained to far south to provide its much needed heavy showers to the other island’s leeward sides. The computer forecast models handled Cosme’s movements very well, keeping all the major precipitation pretty much confined to the windward sides of the Big Island and Maui. ~~~ I’ll be back early Monday morning with your next weather narrative, I hope you have a great Sunday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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