April 19-20 2008

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

Lihue, Kauai – 80
Honolulu, Oahu – 86
Kaneohe, Oahu – 80
Kahului, Maui – 85
Hilo, Hawaii – 76
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 83

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

Honolulu, Oahu – 83F
Hilo, Hawaii – 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 Saturday afternoon:

0.05 MOLOAA DAIRY, KAUAI
0.30 PALISADES, OAHU
0.05 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.24 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.72 WAIAKEA UKA, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing high pressure systems to the NE and NW. Our trade winds will remain moderately strong, although locally stronger and gusty Sunday and Monday.

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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Tropical full moon
Artist:James Coleman

Moderately strong trade winds, now active across the entire state of Hawaii…will continue into the new week ahead. This is good news, as the hazy and muggy weather of this last week, continue to be blown away. Skies should show improved clarity, with less relative humidity in general. The long range computer forecast models suggest that by next Wednesday, the trades will relax a little in strength. Those models go on to indicate go on to show that the slightly lighter trade winds will last only a few days…with stronger trade winds returning Friday into next weekend.

The trade winds will carry a few showers to our windward sides, leaving the leeward sides sunny to partly cloudy during the days. This looping satellite imagery shows high and middle level clouds looming to the south, minding its manners down there for the time being. Otherwise, most of the clouds locally will occur along the windward sides…where a few showers will spill along those coasts and slopes. The overlying atmosphere is fairly dry and stable now, which will limit shower production, even in regards to those stratocumulus and cumulus clouds being carried our way on the breezy trade winds.

It’s Saturday evening as I begin updating this last section of today’s narrative. Saturday was a delightful day, that is if you don’t mind a bit of gusty trade winds blowing…and some misty showers falling along the windward sides. The leeward areas basked in warm sunshine in many areas, where it was generally less windy than elsewhere. Clouds gathered, as usual, around the mountains, but didn’t drop much precipitation. I see little change for Sunday, which will be another nice day as well…carrying forth right on into the new week ahead.

~~~ You may have noticed the growing size of the moon lately? Well, if not, I’m pretty sure you will tonight. The April full moon occurs Saturday night, actually, the official time of full moon is early Sunday morning at 12:25am here in Hawaii. This moon will light the way for whatever night hikes that you might have planned, or at least a walk on some sandy beach perhaps.

~~~ I saw the new film Friday night called The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), starring Jackie Chan, Jet Li, among others. It’s about an American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King. The Maui Megaplex used its largest theater to show this film, and it was packed. The local population here love this kind of film, and I noticed when walking out of the theater afterwards, that I was the only white guy walking among all brown skin folks! This film was just about what I had expected, although it had a funny edge that kept coming out, with lots of laughs along the way. Jet Li is a pretty serious guy, although with Jackie Chan involved, there’s always some aspect of comedy. I have to admit, as is often the case, I had a pretty good crush going on over the two leading ladies in this Kung-fu movie! Here’s the trailer, see what you think. 

~~~ I did little projects around the house today, which was pleasant. I have my surfboard strapped to the racks on the top of my car. I’ll get up early Sunday morning, update this website, have a little breakfast and coffee, and then take the drive over to the Lahaina side for a long awaited surf session. I have been healing my shoulders from a skateboarding accident I had last year, and am finally feeling strong enough to get out there and paddle my surfboard into some nice south swell waves. I may be a little rusty in my riding, but the truth is that surfing, once you know how, is like riding a bike, you never forget. I’ll meet you here early in the morning for more updates on this webpage, I hope you have a great full moon Saturday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn

In celebration of Earth Day weekend: If the Earth were only a few feet in diameter…floating a few feet above a field somewhere, people would come from everywhere to marvel at it. People would walk around it, marveling at its big pools of water, or little pools and the water flowing between the pools. People would marvel at the bumps on it, and the holes in it, and they would marvel at the very thin layer of gas surrounding it and the water suspended in the gas. The people would marvel at the creatures walking around the surface of the ball, and at the creatures in the water.

The people would declare it as sacred because it was the only one, and they would protect it so that it would not be hurt. The ball would be the greatest wonder known, and people would come to pray to it, to be healed, to gain knowledge, to know beauty and to wonder how it could be. People would love it, and defend it with their lives because they would somehow know that their lives, their own roundness, could be nothing without it. If the Earth were only a few feet in diameter.