July 27-28 2008

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

Lihue, Kauai – 84
Honolulu, Oahu – 89
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 88
Hilo, Hawaii – 86
Kailua-kona – 86

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level, and on the taller mountains at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon:

Port Allen, Kauai – 88F  
Molokai airport – 81 

Haleakala Crater- 52F (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 41 (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

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

0.67 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.10 Pailolo Fire Station, Oahu
0.01 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.31 Puu Kukui, Maui
0.74 Honaunau, Big Island

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a 1033 millibar high pressure system to the north of Hawaii. Our local trade winds will remain generally in the moderately strong category through Tuesday…locally stronger and gusty.

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. 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 weather conditions.

Aloha Paragraphs


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2031/2185765097_f71f6d7e19.jpg?v=0
Lovely Kee Beach on Kauai
Photo Credit: flickr.com







The moderately strong trade winds will prevail into Monday. These balmy breezes will provide good weather all around, keeping just enough wind around to temper our hot afternoons at the beach. As this weather map shows, we have a robust high pressure center located far to the north of Hawaii…which will be the source of our trades through the next several days. The computer models suggest that these trade winds will remain in place through Tuesday. We may see some softening in the trade wind speeds around the middle of the new week.

Leeward areas will remain mostly dry, with showers falling along the windward sides…increasing some early Monday into Monday night. Those windward biased showers will fall during the nights and early mornings for the most part. There’s a good chance that we will see an increase in showers Monday, from the remnant moisture brought our way by former eastern Pacific tropical cyclone Fausto. A batch of high cirrus clouds have arched northward from the deeper tropics, which should provide a good sunset Sunday, and likely a colorful sunrise on Monday, here’s a looping satellite image of that high cloudiness. Meanwhile, there remains the chance that late next weekend, another retired tropical system (Genevieve), will bring a second increase in tropical showers…as it gets carried our way on the trades.
 
~~~ It’s early Sunday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I start updating this last section of today’s narrative. If you had a chance to read down through the two paragraphs above, you will know that nothing unusual seems to be occurring here in the islands now. Besides the chance for a modest increase in windward showers Monday, smooth sailing seems to be on tap through most of the new week ahead. The trade winds will continue, along with a minor bump up in our south shore surf starting later Monday. Other than those minor weather features, our weather will remain fairly normal through the last few days of July into early August.

~~~ I had the luxury of staying home most of the day today, although I did go out to shop in Paia briefly, and then right back to Kula. I made, what I thought was going to be a corn and potato soup, which turned out to be quite a bit more than that. That’s because I added carrot, mushrooms, swiss chard, a can of northern beans…so that it became more of a vegetable stew I guess. For the rest of the evening I’ll be just relaxing further, in anticipation of another strong work week ahead. It’s interesting, as much as I look forward to my weekends, and I definitely do…I almost as much look forward to starting the new week of work. It’s those weather changes, and how to describe them to you, that keep me going. I’ll be back very early Monday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise. I hope you have a great Sunday night wherever you happen to be reading from! Aloha for now…Glenn.