Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennJanuary 2-3 2008
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 77
Honolulu, Oahu – 75
Kaneohe, Oahu – 74
Kahului, Maui – 74
Hilo, Hawaii – 79
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 83
Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at 4 a.m. Thursday morning:
Kaneohe, Oahu – 71F
Hilo, Hawaii – 64
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:
0.41 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
2.86 OAHU FOREST NWR, OAHU
0.44 MOLOKAI
0.06 LANAI
0.14 KAHOOLAWE
1.38 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.22 HILO AIRPORT, 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 – The main driver in our local winds continues to be a 1027 millibar high pressure system located to the NW Thursday. Our local winds will remain near moderately strong proportions from the NE, gradually turning east. 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.
That’s warm sand, air, and water out there folks!
photo credit: flickr.com
A retiring cold front, which is now just a weak cloud band, will keep a few showers falling along the windward sides of Oahu down through Molokai and Maui…perhaps reaching into the extreme northern part of the Big Island. The NE trade winds will also carry their own occasional showery clouds into the state. Meanwhile, the leeward sides of the island, will remain quite sunny…now that the prolonged period of high level cirrus clouds are retreating southward. Those sun dimming high cirrus clouds are now restricted to the area Big Island, as this IR satellite image shows…and will soon move away completely.
It’s Wednesday evening here in the islands, as I begin updating these last paragraphs of today’s narrative. We just can’t quite shake the extended period of trade winds, which blew through much of December 2007…and have followed us right on into January 2008. I’m not thinking in terms of global warming, or global climate change here as a reason why, in regards to this somewhat unusually long period of trade winds. Rather, it seems to me that the fact that we’re in the La Nina phase of the ENSO cycle, would be a more fitting culprit. Actually, it’s a good thing that the trade winds have been blowing so much, as they have help keep cold fronts out of our area for the most part. During the winter season, one of our primary rain makers are those active Pacific cold fronts, which slice down into the tropics, extending southward from their parent gale and storm low pressure systems…which ride along underneath the polar jet stream in the mid-latitudes. ~~~
Winter trade wind weather patterns keep the islands protected from those vigorous cold fronts. Although, at higher altitudes of the atmosphere, up where the jet stream level winds reside, we can have pools of cold air move overhead. This cold air aloft can be called a trough of low pressure, or just an upper level low. This cold air high up, in contrast to the much warmer air down here near the surface, can set up what we call instability. An unstable air mass promotes unsettled weather, which makes our local clouds more shower prone. A third precipitation producer during the winter months, can be when one of these upper level low pressure troughs sets up shop to the west of the state, which we call a Kona low here in the islands. So, in general these three weather mechanisms are what we have to "look out for" during the winter season. ~~~
Now lets cut to the chase here folks, none of these three is forecast to interrupt our generally very nice trade wind weather pattern in the near future! I’ll continue to peruse weather charts, satellite data, and computer forecast models however, just in case something tries to sneak up on us! I’ll be back early Thursday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise, I hope you have a great Wednesday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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Kristen E. George Says:
Hey I enjoyed your posts. I was looking for information about the zodiac when I found your site, and I’m really glad that I did find it. I run an astrology blog myself, which is why I was doing research on the topic. (Can never know too much). Thanks for sharing your knowledge with me and everyone else! I look forward to reading more in the future. :-)~~~Hi Kristen, good to hear from you. I don’t know very much about astrology, but have always sort of enjoyed it anyway. Thanks for stopping by, not sure you found anything about the zodiac, but there’s no shortage of weather information here. Aloha, Glenn