Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennAugust 1-2 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 86F
Honolulu, Oahu – 90
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 90
Hilo, Hawaii – 87
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 85
Temperatures early Thursday 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 Thursday morning:
0.13 OPAEKAA STREAM, KAUAI
0.20 OAHU FOREST NWR, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.07 HANA AIRPORT, MAUI
0.11 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1028 millibar high pressure system located far NE of Hawaii…with its associated ridge extending SW to a point north of Hawaii Thursday. 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 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.
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.
Lovely beach on Kauai
The trade winds will remain in the light to moderately strong category through Thursday. Weather maps show a moderately strong 1028 millibar high pressure system far to the NE now. This high pressure cell will keep the trade winds active through at least the next week. The computer forecast models continue to show the trade winds picking up a notch in strength as we get into the upcoming weekend. This in turn will likely require the issuance of small craft wind advisories in the channels in the southern part of the state…as well as those windiest areas around Maui and the Big Island then.
Incoming clouds have thinned out recently, so that we’ll drop back into a fairly normal precipitation pattern for this time of year. The same upper level low pressure system is still around to the north, with a lobe extending down to the west of Kauai. This trough of low pressure is having a more difficult time enhancing the incoming showers now though…as there are fewer clouds around. As usual, with such a trade wind weather pattern in force, the most generous amounts will be deposited along the windward coasts and slopes during the cooler night and early morning hours. There may continue to be a few showers falling during the afternoon hours along the Kona and Maui upcountry slopes as well.
A new tropical cyclone has formed in the eastern Pacific, given the number 8E. This tropical system remained a tropical depression only briefly, before quickly strengthening into a tropical storm named Erick. Here’s a tracking map, showing that it will be moving into the central Pacific as a tropical storm. This is not a threat to the Hawaiian Islands, as it is a long ways away at this point, although by next week we may need to be watching its progress a little more closely. Here’s a satellite image of tropical storm Erick.
It’s Wednesday here in the islands, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. We had a pretty good couple of days going there, when showers were falling more actively than usual. This helped to deposit showers in some of those dry areas that needed it. We have had an ongoing problem with drought conditions in some areas, as many of you know. As noted above however, satellite imagery shows fewer clouds upstream of the islands now, which will cut back on our incoming showers along the windward sides. The leeward sides, which are almost always dry and sunny during the summer months, will remain that way. Meanwhile, there’s a fair amount of high cirrus clouds to the west of the state, which the upper level winds may carry over the islands. This looks to be rather thin however, so rather than doing much dimming and filtering of our famous Hawaiian sunshine, it will lend more of a beautifying aspect to our skies. All things considered, we will see nice weather prevailing! ~~~ I’ll be back early Thursday morning with your next weather narrative from paradise. I hope you have a great Wednesday night wherever you may be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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