April 16-17 2008

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday: 

Lihue, Kauai – 81
Honolulu, Oahu – 82
Kaneohe, Oahu – 81
Kahului, Maui – 87
Hilo, Hawaii – 81
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 83

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon:

Kahului, Maui – 83F
Molokai airport – 74   

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Wednesday afternoon:

2.55 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
1.03 POAMOHO 2, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.09 OHEO GULCH, MAUI
0.23 MOUNTAIN VIEW, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a 1038 millibar high pressure system located far to the north-northeast of Hawaii Thursday. Meanwhile, we have a 1012 millibar low pressure system, with its associated trough/cold front to our NNW. Our local winds will be light from the southeast, and SSE…gradually becoming more easterly later Friday.

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



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Soaking rays on the beach in Hawaii…now that’s brown! 
Photo Credit: flickr.com

Deepening low pressure to the northwest of Hawaii have helped to weaken our winds, and add some instability to our overlying atmosphere. Weather charts show a 1038 millibar high pressure system far northeast of Hawaii Wednesday night. Our trade winds have veered around to the southeast statewide. Winds from this compass point carry volcanic haze (called vog here in the Hawaii), from the vents on the Big Island, on up over other islands. The trade winds should recover later Friday or Saturday everywhere, and remain active through the weekend…strengthening early next week.

The area of low pressure to the northwest will make our weather a bit more shower prone. As the winds slow down starting now, we’ll see some increase in afternoon convective showers over all the Islands. Satellite imagery shows some towering cumulus clouds, and thunderstorms forming just to the west and north of Kauai now, which is evidence of the cold air aloft associated with the dynamic low pressure area. As this low pressure area remains quite close through Thursday into early Friday, there will be the chance of showers popping up…especially near Kauai and Oahu.

It’s Wednesday evening as I begin updating this last section of today’s narrative. If you had a chance to read the paragraphs above, you’ll know we have some weather changes in store over the next several days. The most notable of these will occur over and around Kauai and Oahu, with humid weather in store, and a good chance of showers. Here’s a looping satellite image to keep track of that developing low pressure system to the NW of Kauai. Meanwhile, on the eastern side of the chain, the islands of Maui County, and the Big Island, being further away from the low pressure area, may be less affected. The winds statewide however will be lighter, with daytime heating setting off some rather extensive afternoon cloudiness over and around the mountains. There may be some showers in the upcountry areas, a few of which will likely be rather generous around Kauai and Oahu.

The light winds will make our air mass feel rather warm and muggy during the days…hazy too. It certainly felt that way at Kahului, Maui, where the Wednesday afternoon high temperaure reached 87F degrees. That temperature fell three degrees short of the record for the date however, which was a hot 90F degrees back in 1952. Air temperatures overnight will be slightly cooler than normal…dipping into the 60F’s at sea level, cooler than that in the upcountry areas.. As the trade winds return later Friday or by Saturday, we’ll see a more normal trade wind weather pattern returning…continuing on into next week. 

~~~ I’ll be back very early Thursday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise. I hope you enjoy your Wednesday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Countries around the Mediterranean are unprepared to deal with tsunamis occurring in the region, geoscientists said in Vienna on Wednesday. Any region surrounding the Mediterranean sea, among them popular tourist destinations in Italy, Spain or Greece, could be hit by a tsunami within a few minutes, but warning systems are not in place, Stefano Tinti of Italy‘s University of Bologna warned. "If a tsunami hits, there is no safe place in the Mediterranean," Tinti said. While Mediterranean countries have scientific centres observing earthquakes, these lacked equipment and authority to serve as national warning centres, Tinti said. Large tsunamis, monster waves like the one which hit Indonesia, Thailand and India on December 26, 2004, are rare events in and around the Mediterranean but a danger that cannot be ignored. In 1755 for example, a massive wave destroyed Portugal‘s capital Lisbon. Tsunamis occur due to several reasons – seismic origins like earthquakes, volcanic activities or landslides under the sea being the most frequent. A local tsunami, defined in the Mediterranean as hitting within a 100-kilometre distance from the source, can reach coasts and islands within minutes, making speed essential for warning systems, scientists said. "Most fatalities are related to local tsunamis," Tinti told journalists at the annual meeting of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) taking place in Vienna this week. A seaquake off Algeria for example created a small tsunami which reached Algeria‘s coast within 15 minutes. About 40 minutes later, waves were hitting Spain‘s Baleares and 60 minutes later southern France.

Interesting2: The world’s oldest living tree, a spruce that is 9,550 years old, has been discovered in Sweden, researchers at Umea University said Wednesday. The ancient spruce was discovered on a mountain range in the province of Dalarna, north-west of Stockholm and has reversed previous assumptions that the spruce tree arrived relatively recently to Sweden. "Our results have shown the complete opposite, that the spruce is one of the oldest known trees in the mountain range," said Leif Kullman, Professor of Physical Geography at Umea University, 660 kilometres north of Stockholm. Researchers found four "generations" of spruces in Dalarna. Using Carbon-14 dating at a laboratory in Miami in the US, they were able to establish that the four trees were aged 375, 5,660, 9,000 and 9,550 years, respectively. Spruces can multiply with root penetrating branches, so they can produce exact copies or clones, the researchers said, noting that the oldest tree had the same genetic material as wood found at the site. North American pine trees have previously been believed to hold the age record of 4,000 to 5,000 years. Kullman said research on spruces may also provide knowledge about climate change.