Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs
Posted by GlennNovember 19-20 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday:
Lihue, Kauai – 81
Honolulu, Oahu – 83
Kaneohe, Oahu – 81
Kahului, Maui – 83
Hilo, Hawaii – 80
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 83
Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning:
Lihue, Kauai – 74F
Kahului, Maui – 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 Tuesday morning:
1.41 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
4.59 OAHU FOREST NWR, OAHU
0.65 MOLOKAI
0.27 LANAI
0.18 KAHOOLAWE
0.55 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.92 HONAUNAU, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – A low pressure system, with its associated trough to the east of the state, will keep light to locally moderate NE to ENE trade winds blowing across the Hawaiian Islands through Wednesday. 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.
Lots of verticality to our local cumulus clouds now…with some
pretty good showers falling from their dark bases at times
photo credit: flickr.com
As we move through this new work week, including the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, our local weather conditions should be quite nice in general. The dominant driver in our local Hawaiian Island weather picture will be an upper level low pressure system, with its surface reflection, now anchored to the east of the Aloha state. The air flow around this upper low will bring in light to moderately strong NE breezes across our tropical latitudes of the north central Pacific. The slight northerly aspect to this wind will keep an ever so slight coolness around, although the daytimes will be nice and warm near sea level. The south and west facing leeward beaches in particular will be quite sunny during the days, while the north and east facing windward areas will have more clouds…although just about anywhere could see a shower or two, some of which will remain briefly heavy.
The one wild card is the relatively close presence of the upper low to our east, and its associated instability factor. The overlying atmosphere remains a little unstable, so that it wouldn’t be out of the question to see an occasional briefly heavy shower falling. The Big Island, which is closest to the upper low, with its colder than normal air aloft, will be the most likely candidate for these locally heavy downpours…which could lead to some spot flooding. The one mitigating factor will be the lack of moisture to feed whatever showers that occur…however this won’t always be the case. Look for lots of blue skies, punctuated by tall cumulus clouds, dropping showers here and there…although this won’t be a widespread rain event by any means.
It’s Monday evening here in the islands, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. Of course the big forecast this week revolves around the important Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday! If the weather reels off just the way I have described it in the two paragraphs above, then Thanksgiving should be a great day, turning out the way most folks want it to be. If on the other hand, if things break down, and the weather becomes even more changable than I currently anticipate, well, then all bets are off. Fortunately, we have several more days to do some fine adjusting to the weather details, before we sit down to our Turkey dinners…or whatever you will be plating at your table. ~~~ Today’s weather included quite a few, as a matter of fact, a lot of towering cumulus clouds that popped up especially during the afternoon hours. There were some locally heavy showers falling from these clouds locally, the most intense of which occurred on the Big Island. As expected, this unsettled weather pattern is likely to stick around through the middle of the week. I will be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative. I hope you have a great Monday night until then!. Aloha for now…Glenn.
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