Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennDecember 14-15 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday:
Lihue, Kauai – 79
Honolulu, Oahu – 79
Kaneohe, Oahu – 77
Kahului, Maui – 79
Hilo, Hawaii – 78
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 83
Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at 4 a.m. Saturday morning:
Molokai airport – 75F
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 Saturday morning:
1.07 WAINIHA, KAUAI
1.34 SOUTH FORK KAUKONAHUA, OAHU
0.12 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
2.61 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
1.33 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND
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.
Weather Chart – An unusually strong 1037 millibar high pressure system is located to the north of the Aloha state now. This high and its associated ridge system, will keep strong trade winds blowing today into Sunday. 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.
Windy weather in the Hawaiian Islands
photo credit: flickr.com
Satellite imagery shows that moisture pockets, or what we could consider showery clouds, will continue to bring passing showers to the windward sections on all the islands. As is often the case when the trade winds get this strong, showers ride in on them, falling along the north and east facing windward coasts and slopes. It appears that there will be a fairly steady stream of these passing showers arriving now through the weekend along those wind exposed areas. The smaller islands have low mountains dividing the windward and leeward sections, so that the blustery winds will likely carry a few showers over into those south and west facing coasts at times. The leeward beaches will be the sunniest areas, with more or less favorably inclined weather conditions prevailing.
It’s Friday evening here in the islands, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. The stiff winds noted above, aren’t going away anytime soon. They will be blowing in the 10-30 mph range generally, although those windiest areas will find wind speeds between 30-40 mph, with higher gusts to 50 or even a bit more than that in select spots. Late Friday afternoon there were wind gusts 56 mph reported at Kawaihae, a location on the Big Island! As I was saying yesterday, this level of strong trade winds isn’t all that unusual. There are many, many cases of trade winds this strong during the course of a normal year, so that no one has to get too nervous about this windy episode. I know that the memory of those very strong winds that we saw last week, during that big Kona storm, are still fresh in our minds. The current gusty winds won’t bring damaging winds though, as we can easily accomodate this kind of thing. ~~~ I’m just leaving Kihei, heading down to Wailea for the Pacific Disaster Center Christmas party, where I’m the senior weather analyst…my regular day job. There will be dinner and a few drinks, and then hopefully a bit of dancing at the restaurant where its happening. This function will be mostly outside, so that I’m hoping it won’t be too windy. I may get home quite late tonight, having to take the long drive back up the mountain to Kula, and may have to recouperate a little Saturday morning, at which point I’ll have your next weather narrative ready for the reading. ~~~ I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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