Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs
Posted by GlennMarch 11-12 2008
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 81
Honolulu, Oahu – 85
Kaneohe, Oahu – 80
Kahului, Maui – 81
Hilo, Hawaii – 84
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 79
Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning:
Honolulu, Oahu – 73F
Molokai airport – 61
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:
0.01 HANALEI RIVER, KAUAI
0.12 PUNALUU PUMP, OAHU
0.01 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.11 ULUPALAKUA, MAUI
0.73 KEALAKEKUA, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map. A high pressure ridge is located to the northeast of the islands…which extends from a high pressure cell far to the NE…in the eastern Pacific. Winds will light to moderately strong trades, although somewhat stronger and gusty in those typically windier locations through Thursday.
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.
Leeward beaches have south swell waves
Photo Credit: Flickr.com
After a long absence, the trade winds have returned, helping to clear away the haze of late. A ridge is located to the northeast of Hawaii Tuesday evening. Light to locally moderate trade winds arrived today, and will stick around into Wednesday. The latest computer models show steady trade wind breezes remaining active through most of next week as a matter of fact. These winds won’t likely get strong enough to prompt a small craft wind advisory, although will be somewhat stronger next week.
The returning trade winds will take us out of our long lasting convective weather pattern. Tuesday started off with clear to partly cloudy skies, with a few light windward showers locally. The upcountry areas saw cloud cover during the afternoons, with a few showers falling locally there as well. As the trade winds are now blowing steadily, we’ll see an increase in showers along the windward sides. The leeward sides will remain mostly dry, and quite sunny during the days.
It’s Tuesday evening as I begin updating this last paragraph of today’s narrative. As noted above, the long lasting light wind episode has given way to what looks like an extend period of trade winds…continuing into next week. The trade winds will clear our local skies of volcanic haze, which is a good thing. There will finally start to be some increase in windward biased showers, although nothing heavy is indated. ~~~ As my picture of the day suggests, we’ve seen a new south swell breaking along our leeward beaches. This swell was generated about a week ago down near New Zealand, and has taken that long to travel the 3,000 to 4,000 miles to get here. Our local surf community is thrilled to see these nice waves. A reinforcement will arrive Friday into the weekend, with more good south swell waves expected next week. Speaking of surf and such, the north and west shores will find new waves arriving early Wednesday morning, with rising surf along our east shores soon into next week as well. ~~~ Tuesday saw a rather quick change from the light wind conditions of the last few weeks, back into a trade wind weather pattern. This will bring favorably inclined weather conditions, with the addition of some much needed showers spraying their way along the windward coasts and slopes. ~~~ I’ll be back very early Wednesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope everyone has a great Tuesday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Interesting: "This is the first time anyone has looked at the odor-tracking behavior of individual birds in the wild using remote techniques," said Gabrielle Nevitt, professor of neurobiology, physiology and behavior at UC Davis and an author on the study with UC Davis graduate student Marcel Losekoot of the Bodega Marine Laboratory and Henri Weimerskirch of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France. Wandering albatrosses fly for thousands of miles across the ocean, usually gliding a few feet above sea level. Floating carrion, especially squid, make up a large part of their diet.
Albatrosses nesting on Possession Island in the southwestern Indian Ocean were fitted with GPS receivers that recorded their exact position every 10 seconds and stomach temperature gauges that noted every meal. When the birds returned to land after a foraging trip, the researchers removed the equipment and downloaded the data.
They found that the birds usually flew across the wind, which allows them to cross plumes of scent drifting downwind and is also the best strategy for energy-efficient soaring. Sometimes birds would fly straight to food, but almost half the time an albatross would either turn upwind or zigzag into the wind toward a meal.
Both patterns suggest that the birds were following a plume of scent, rather than visual cues. Birds could turn upwind toward a food source several miles away — well over the visual horizon. Hunting by scent allows the albatross to cover a strip of ocean several miles wide as it flies crosswind, Nevitt said.
Interesting2: The storm which hit the UK Sunday night and through Monday gave rise to some dramatic footage taken around southern coasts of England and Wales. However, while the storm was not exceptional in itself, a combination of things is said to have made the storm more unusual.
According to the Met Office, the strength of the storm, depth of the low pressure and the fact that it hit the UK at a time which coincided with high spring tides, made it more unusual. A storm of this strength and southerly position at this time of year, they say is the kind of storm which would occur once every 5 years.
The storm which originated across Canada and the US was swept across the Atlantic by a very strong jet stream. This is a corridor of strong winds in the upper atmosphere which drives weather systems.
Strongest winds yesterday were reported at the Mumbles, South Wales, recording 82mph (132km/h) and The Needles, Isle of Wight, recording 95mph (153km/h). Similar wind strengths were recorded across Northern France as the storm buffeted the near continent as well. The French Met Service (Meteo France) recorded 96mph (155km/h) at Raz (in the Finistere department).
Another storm is set to hit the UK overnight, but this time the strongest winds are expected to be across Northern Ireland and Northern England with gusts in excess of 80mph possible in exposed places. Gale force winds may return across a large swathe of the country.
Email Glenn James: 
