Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs

January 28-29 2008

0.88 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.93 SOUTH FORK KAUKONAHUA, OAHU
0.42 MOLOKAI
0.06 LANAI
0.05 KAHOOLAWE
2.52 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
1.00 HILO AIRPORT, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map. A relatively strong 1034 millibar high pressure system, located far to the north of the islands, will keep locally strong and gusty trade winds blowing for the time being. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

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. 

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.

Aloha Paragraphs


Barking Sands on the island of Kauai
photo credit: flickr.com 

The blustery trade winds will continue blowing across the islands. The latest weather map shows a 1034 millibar high pressure system located directly to the north of Hawaii Monday evening. This trade wind producing high pressure cell will gradually migrate a bit eastward, with only slight fluctuations in strength. The net result will be for moderate to locally strong and gusty trade winds to continue. As usual, those places sheltered from the gusty wind flow, will have considerably lighter winds.

Scattered clouds be carried our way on the trades…which will keep off and on passing showers falling on the windward sides. The incoming clouds, with their associated showers, will be quite numerous and frequent at times, well into this new week…some of which may be briefly heavy. These active showers will for the most part be restricted to the windward coasts and slopes. Although, with the trade winds blowing this strongly, there’s always the chance that a few of these windward biased showers will be blown over into the leeward sides…especially on the smaller islands.

It’s Monday evening as I update this last (long) paragraph of today’s narrative.  The long range computer forecast models show no end to this winter trade wind weather pattern. The latest thought is that these weather circumstances will extend out through the rest of this week, and possibly into next week. As I’ve mentioned here before, this long lasting trade wind flow isn’t all that common. Looking at climatology, the trade winds blow on average about 42% of the time during January. We’ve seen much of this deep winter month having almost everyday filled to capacity with the trade winds blowing. ~~~ Because it’s such a cool picture, I want to add a link to this looping satellite image. Looking at the situation, we can see more showery clouds taking aim on our windward sides. We can also spot quite an extensive area of high cirrus clouds to our south. At the moment, these sun dimming high clouds are "minding their manners", and keeping their distance. ~~~ Those windward clouds and showers are sticking like glue to the slopes and coasts. Looking over that way from Kihei, it’s a blur of gray clouds, which look rather wet in appearance. The beaches in Kihei this afternoon were all choppy and chalked-up with white caps. ~~~ I made a big pot of vegetable soup Sunday afternoon, which I’ll heat up each night for dinner through Thursday. I’ll have chips and cheese along with the bowl, which will keep me going just fine. I love being able to come home after a long day at work, and have dinner be easy, and tasty too! ~~~ I’ll be back very early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday night, either here in the islands, or someplace else on this large round earth of ours! Aloha for now…Glenn.