Hawaiian Islands weather details and Aloha paragraphs
Posted by GlennFebruary 12-13 2008
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 79
Honolulu, Oahu – 83
Kaneohe, Oahu – 79
Kahului, Maui – 81
Hilo, Hawaii – 75
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 81
Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning:
Lihue, Kauai – 73F
Kahului, Maui – 60
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 afternoon:
0.39 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.27 AHUIMANU LOOP, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.14 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.46 LAUPAHOEHOE, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map. A moderately strong 1033 millibar high pressure system remains far NE of the islands Wednesday. This high pressure cell has a ridge extendding southwest to a point north of Hawaii. This pressure configuration will keep light to moderately strong trade winds blowing across our area into Thursday. 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
The volcanic Kona coast on the Big Island
Our local trade winds will remain light to moderately strong through Wednesday into Thursday…and then slip down in strength Friday into the weekend. The latest weather map shows an area of high pressure far to the northeast of Hawaii, which is the source of our trade winds now. Forecast weather charts suggest that later this week, our winds will get quite light, and turn to the southeast. Storms in the middle latitudes of the north central Pacific, will force our trade wind producing high pressure ridge down over the islands then, the reason for the slow down in our local wind speeds…and the shift in direction as well.
As far as rain goes, there won’t be much, with dry conditions lasting through the remainder of the work week. Whatever showers that do fall will be quite light, with the most generous amounts falling during the night and early morning hours along the windward sides. The south and west facing leeward sides will have a dry week, with lots of sunshine during the days. As the winds get softer this coming weekend, we’ll see some increase in clouds building up over and around the mountains during the afternoon hours. These interior clouds will drop a few showers, but nothing heavy is expected.
It’s Tuesday evening as I begin updating this last paragraph of today’s narrative. The Hawaiian Islands will continue to enjoy very favorable winter weather conditions. The trough of low pressure, which gave us trouble earlier in the month, remains a safe distance to the east of the islands. When that trough moved away, we saw a fair weather ridge of high pressure take its place. This upper level ridge is protecting us from storms to our north, shunting their associated cold fronts by safely to the north as well. This ridge aloft is suppressing showers, keeping clouds from getting thick, which makes them less shower prone. All things considered, it doesn’t get too much better than this during the month of February! ~~~ As expected, Tuesday was one of those special days during winter, when it could just as easily have been a summer day. High temperatures Tuesday, which topped out at a very comfortalbe 83F degrees at the Honolulu airport, were warm everywhere. Here in Kihei, it felt like around 85F degrees while I was sitting by the beach at lunch, and I’m sure it was just like that over on Front Street in Lahaina town as well. Oh yeah, the word paradise immediately pops into ones mind while in the islands now, it is that good. ~~~ I didn’t see any today, but I know that they’re out there…the Humpback Whales that is. I know people are seeing them offshore from the beach, or taking a whale cruise to get a closer look. We are still well into the heart of the whale watching season, which lasts through March into April. ~~~ I will be back very early Wednesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Tuesday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Interesting: A new concept car from General Motors could get 53 mpg on a propulsion system pioneered in submarines about a hundred years ago.
Rechargeable batteries power an electric motor that turns the wheels. There’s also an engine, which can be used to charge the batteries. The setup worked for the U.S. Navy during the Wilson Administration, so it just might also shine on 21st Century American highways. At least that’s what GM apparently hopes, as it is reportedly intends to have the car in production by 2010 as an addition to the Chevy lineup.
"They have taken the way that the automobile industry thinks about hybrid cars, and turned it on its ear," said Michelle Krebs, editor at Edmunds AutoObserver.com. "If you don’t drive far, you may never need gasoline. No other major car maker had done this."
Most hybrid cars, she noted, retain a connection between the engine and the wheels, and use the electric motor to supplement the gasoline engine.
If you like to listen to all kinds of music online…try this, pandora.com
Glenn’s TV Weather show is back online again now. The colors aren’t perfect, although they are close enough. One day’s show will replaced with the next new days show at around 9am HST (11am PST – 2pm EST)…Monday through Friday. Thanks to the folks at the Maui Media Lab in Paia for making this happen!
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