Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs

The Big Island across the channel from Maui
Photo Credit: flickr.com

Trade winds will remain active through the next week here in the Hawaiian Islands. High pressure centers to the north-northeast through northeast, will be the source of our moderately strong trade wind flow. Those windiest areas, especially around Maui and the Big Island, will find somewhat stronger gusts. The recent small craft wind advisory was cancelled Monday for all areas.

There will be some showers arriving this week, focusing their efforts best along the windward sides. The first possible increase in those windward biased showers will arrive Monday night. The source of these showers can be tracked back to an old cold front that pushed into the area north of the state last week. It now appears that only Kauai and perhaps Oahu will see these showers. The second chance we have will occur later in the week, when an upper level trough of low pressure approaches around Thursday.

~~~ We’re looking forward to seeing an increase in clouds and showers along our north and east facing windward coasts and slopes Monday night. The bulk (and that doesn’t mean a lot by the way) of these showers will arrive on Kauai and maybe Oahu, as this first chance of showers arrives. These showers may turn out to be disappointingly light down over Maui and the Big Island. Later in the week, with that upper trough arriving from the east, there’s a better chance of localized heavier showers. Unfortunately, both of these showery events, and calling them events is actually going too far, won’t be nearly enough, on their own, to solve the dry weather problems that we have going on now.

~~~ June 1st marked the first day of our 2008 hurricane season here in the north central Pacific Ocean. There are no tropical cyclones forecast through the next two days…at least. We will have to wait until later in July, at least according to hurricane climatology, before expectations arise in that regard. The eastern Pacific, where the season began May 15th, has already seen two tropical systems, with a third potentially forming over the next couple of days. All the action over there has stuck very close to the coasts in Central America thus far.

~~~ It’s early Monday evening here in Kihei, Maui, as I just finished work. Looking out the window, I see abundantly clear blue skies, with fairly minor small patches of white cotton ball cumulus floating along in the brisk trade wind breezes. I noticed that at lunch, when I was out driving, I could see large areas of dust being picked up in the central valley, between Kahului and Kihei. I looked to see how fast the winds were blowing through the Maalaea Bay, and was impressed with the 44 mph proportions! Looking at the latest satellite image, that old cold front is very difficult to pick out, so I don’t have much hope left in it bringing much in the way of our much needed showers. I’m about ready to take the 40 or so minute drive upcountry, where there are much less than the usual later afternoon clouds stacked-up along the slopes of the Haleakala Crater. I look forward to bringing your next new weather narrative to you, which will be available here in the islands at about 530am, or 830am on the west coast, and 1130am on the east coast Tuesday. I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: During the Sichuan earthquake earlier this month, the ground suddenly shifted a gaping five feet, or about shoulder height of an adult. That huge displacement and the rapid ground motions that followed could explain the extensive and tragic damage in China, an engineer said today. "Even though the findings are preliminary, they can be used. It’s better to have this information than no information," said Mario Chavez, professor of seismological engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City.

His results also showed the ground motions reached velocities of at least 2.1 feet per second (65 cm per second, or about 1.4 mph – that might seem slow, but consider if a heavy object struck at that speed). In size and speed, the motions are similar to those that were recorded at the epicenter of an 8.1-magnitude earthquake that killed 30,000 people in Mexico City

in 1985, Chavez said.

He added the results provide "an explanation of why we observed so much damage in the region." (Recent reports put the confirmed death toll at 68,858, with another 18,000-plus still missing.)

Chavez used a computer model along with ground-motion data collected during the 7.9-magnitude earthquake at Chinese seismological stations to put together a detailed picture of the ground-shaking that ensued on May 12. He discovered that the ground suddenly jumped, shifted or sank by at least five feet (1.5 meters) in a matter of seconds.

Interesting2: A new super-absorbing material shows promise of sopping up oil leaks and toxic spills in five years, sparing coastlines devastating effects, a published report said on Monday. The paper-like substance made up of a mesh of fine wires, is the work of an international team of scientists including National University of Singapore assistant professor Liu Xiao Gang. The make-up of the strands, known as nanowires, enables them to separate water from oil or other poisonous chemicals containing carbon, The Straits Times said. Joined into fabric-like layers, they could be floated on the surface of the sea in tanks, absorbing oil and leaving clean water behind. "We used the same principle as the lotus leaf," Liu was quoted as saying. "Its texture allows water to roll off like marbles, without ever getting wet." Liu began research two years ago with three experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The new material is expected to cost slightly more than conventional fabrics. Recyclable and more absorbent, it is expected to save money in the long run. The nanowires absorb up to 20 times the material’s weight purely of oil and no water. On a smaller scale, the material could also be used to absorb oil leaks in car engines and modified to heal wounds, the report said.