Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennAugust 22-23 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 87F
Honolulu, Oahu – 89
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 89
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:
Lihue, Kauai – 77F
Hilo, Hawaii – 66
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:
0.09 KALAHEO, KAUAI
0.03 KAHUKU, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.08 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.60 KAPAPALA RANCH, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a 1032 millibar high pressure system located NNE of Hawaii Thursday. This high pressure cell has elongated ridges of high pressure extending out to the west and east. An upper level low pressure system to the east will cause the trade winds to start getting lighter today…more so into 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.
Incredibly dynamic sunset!
Photo Credit: flickr.com
The trade winds will start getting softer Thursday into the weekend. The latest weather map shows a 1029 millibar, trade wind producing high pressure system to the NNE of the islands…which is moving further away now. Thanks to this high pressure cell we’ll find light to moderately strong trade winds blowing, although with stronger gusts in those usual windier locations Wednesday…becoming lighter as we go forward through the week. The winds have lightened up enough already, that the small craft wind advisories over the Pailolo and Alenuihaha channels has been dropped. The trade winds will be slow recovering their normal strength next week.
The local air mass isn’t very shower prone at the moment, although as we move towards the weekend, showers may increase locally. The leeward sides will remain dry as usual, except along the Kona slopes of the Big Island, where some afternoon or evening showers may fall here and there occasionally. The computer forecast models continue to suggest that an upper level low pressure system may help to increase showers locally towards the end of the week…which would be rather unusual for this time of year. If the local showers do increase, they will likely concentrate their efforts most effectively over and around the mountains during the afternoon hours.
It’s Wednesday here in the islands, as I update this last paragraph of today’s narrative from Kula, Maui. I wish by now that I could be clarifying the prospect for increasing showers this weekend, although I’m not quite there…and it may take a couple more days until that comes into full focus. As I was mentioning in yesterday’s narrative, it may take getting all the way into the weekend before we know for sure about those showers the models have been pointing out for the last week. This may take the form of nowcasting as it turns out. The forecast challenge continues to be knowing exactly where the expected upper level low pressure system will locate itself, and whether there will be enough moisture in our atmosphere then to prompt those heavier showers. These two important factors will make all the difference in just how much precipitation will fall from skies here in Hawaii. The one thing that seems quite certain however is that the trade winds will be light. This fact, in combination with strong insolation (incoming solar radiation) this time of year, will make for rather hot and sultry conditions, and with at least some afternoon and evening convective showers falling over the upcountry slopes. My best guess is that mornings will be clear, with cloudy afternoons prevailing just about everywhere…only time will tell how heavy those afternoon showers will turn out to be. ~~~ I’ll be back early Thursday morning with your next weather narrative, I hope you have a great Wednesday night between now and then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Here’s an interesting website story about the planet Mars
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