Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennJuly 27-28 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday:
Lihue, Kauai – 86F
Honolulu, Oahu – 89
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 89
Hilo, Hawaii – 86
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 85
Temperatures early Friday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:
Honolulu, Oahu – 77F
Hilo, Hawaii – 70
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Friday afternoon:
0.92 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.82 OAHU FOREST NWR, OAHU
0.05 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.28 OHEO GULCH, MAUI
0.71 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a moderately strong 1028 millibar high pressure system located to the north of Hawaii Friday. Ridges extend both east and west from the center of this trade wind producing anticyclone. The trade winds will remain light to moderately strong over Hawaii’s coastal waters…although locally stronger and gusty in those usual windiest locations through 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.
Beautiful waterfall on Kauai
The east to ENE trade winds will continue to blow across our latitudes of the north central Pacific. Weather maps show an expansive 1028 millibar high pressure system located to the north of the 50th state. This high pressure cell will keep the trade winds active…although becoming a bit lighter later this weekend into the middle of the new week ahead. The small craft wind advisory flags continue to wave in the breezes over the channels in the southern part of the state, as well as those windiest coastal areas on Maui and the Big Island.
There may start to be an increase in shower activity along the windward sides of all the islands soon. Weather maps and satellite imagery continue to show an upper level low pressure system moving into the area north of Hawaii. As this upper air feature gets closer, there will likely be an increase in showers along the windward sides, especially during the weekend time frame…some of which could be locally heavy. The leeward upcountry slopes on Maui and the Big Island could find showers falling during the afternoon hours locally as well…with a few heavy ones possible. It should be pointed out that many areas of the state will remain dry, especially those leeward beach areas, where most of the visitor resorts are located.
It’s Friday here in the islands, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. As described above, we have an upper level low pressure system edging in our direction. This can be thought of as a pool of cold air aloft, which typically causes our overlying atmosphere to become unstable. The contrast between that cold air high up, and the warmer air near the surface, is what triggers this instability factor. The only other ingredient that is also needed is low level moisture, otherwise there usually isn’t very many showers. In this case, that last component may be a little scarce, and could limit the amount of increased showers that we see being carried into state by the breezy trade winds. At any rate, satellite imagery does show some showery looking clouds upstream of the islands, so that we will have at least some additional showers moving into our area later Friday into the weekend. ~~~ Other than a close pass by a tropical cyclone, bringing us heavy showers, this upper low, with its instability, is the only other way that we see any significant rainfall arriving during our dry summer months. We are happy to see this prospect developing, as our islands have been too dry for quite some time, and we could use the precipitation to replenish our underground aquifers, and our surface water reservoirs too. Any rainfall that we get over the next couple of days will help to push the ongoing drought conditions back, which is affecting some parts of the state now. ~~~ I’ll be back early Saturday morning with your next weather narrative. I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Email Glenn James: 
