Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennOctober 30-31 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 84
Honolulu, Oahu – 86
Kaneohe, Oahu – 82
Kahului, Maui – 86
Hilo, Hawaii – 79
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 84
Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at 4 a.m. Wednesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 76F
Hilo, Hawaii – 67
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Wednesday morning:
0.18 HANALEI RIVER, KAUAI
0.91 POAMOHO 2, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.01 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
1.12 PAHOA, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – High pressure systems to the north and NE of the islands will keep moderately strong trade winds blowing, stronger and gusty in those locally windiest areas into Thursday. Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map. 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 and Radar 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.
Near Waikiki Beach on Oahu
photo credit: flickr.com
The blustery trade winds will continue for another day or two, then begin flagging as we move towards the weekend. The latest weather maps show high pressure centers far to the northeast and northwest Tuesday evening, which continue to be the source of our trade winds. These trade winds are strong enough to keep small craft wind advisories active across those windiest marine waters in the southern part of the Aloha state. The weather models are suggesting that this trade wind pattern will continue through the middle of the week. As we move into the second half of the week however, an approaching trough of low pressure will cause the winds to get lighter from the south or SE by Friday into Saturday. As this upper trough moves away by Sunday or early next week, our winds will swing around to the north…bringing fresh and cooler air into the Aloha state.
A few showers will be carried in our direction, ending up along the windward sides for the time being. Additional shower areas are expected to be carried into the state later in the week. The computer models continue to describe an approaching upper level trough of low pressure getting closer to Hawaii then. The presence of this upper level trough may destabilize our overlying atmosphere, which could make some of the showers locally heavy towards the weekend. The trough will turn our winds SE, which would bring in volcanic haze to some parts of the state, and trigger afternoon convective showers over the interior parts of the islands.
It’s Tuesday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. As a way of summarizing the above two paragraphs, I would say that trade wind weather will continue for the time being, with an increase in showers…with the chance that they could become locally quite heavy starting Friday into the weekend. The upper level trough of low pressure, which I also described above, is the wild card in our Hawaiian Island weather picture. It may very well cause some locally heavy showers here and there, although then again…perhaps it won’t. It will take another day or two before things become clear enough to talk with authority about its effects on our local weather conditions. ~~~ Here on Maui Monday afternoon, a shark attack was reported in the Wailea area. This is of course never good news, although it should be noted that sharks usually leave our local swimmers alone. The beaches in that area were closed as water safety officers made sure it was ok for swimmers to get back into the ocean. ~~~ Folks here in the islands have noticed an increase in haze during the last couple of days. As it turns out, that haze is actually smoke that has been carried to us from the terrible fires in Southern California! ~~~ I’ll be back early Wednesday morning with your next new weather narrative from the tropics, until then I’d like to wish you all a great Tuesday night wherever you happen to be! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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