August 3-4 2008
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday afternoon:
Lihue, Kauai – 87
Honolulu, Oahu – 89
Kaneohe, Oahu – 83
Kahului, Maui – 87
Hilo, Hawaii – 81
Kailua-kona – 85
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level, and on the taller mountains at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon:
Honolulu, Oahu – 87F
Kahului, Maui – 74 (light rain)
Haleakala Crater- 48F (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 46 (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:
0.46 Hanalei River, Kauai
1.19 Poamoho 2, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.19 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.76 Hana airport, Maui
0.98 Laupahoehoe, Big Island
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a showing high pressure systems stretched out to the northwest through northeast of Hawaii. Our local winds will remain on the light side Monday, although begin picking up in strength through Tuesday.
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
The Napali coast on Kauai
Photo Credit: flickr.com
Our local trade winds will remain somewhat light Sunday…then strengthen again later Monday onwards. A trough of low pressure, located to the northwest of the Hawaiian Islands, has interrupted the normally stronger early August trade wind flow. Rather than the moderate to fresh winds, we find a lighter brand of winds blowing at the moment. As this trough moves away later Monday, our trade winds will begin to pick up going intoTuesday onward through the rest of the week. We have no advisories in our coastal or channel waters now, although small craft advisory flags will be needed during the new week…especially during the second half of the week, when they will get stronger and gusty.
This trough of low pressure, with its associated cold air aloft, will keep our overlying atmosphere unstable…with some heavy showers locally. The daytime heating of the islands, combined with the instability, will trigger afternoon clouds over and around the mountains. There’s a good chance that some of these convective afternoon cumulus clouds may be quite generous, perhaps locally heavy for a time. The leftover moisture from former eastern Pacific tropical cyclone Genevieve, which arrived Sunday, brought increased clouds and showers from that source as well…which may keep Oahu and Kauai more than normally showery into Monday.
A few of the various computer models have recently shown that a tropical system may develop to the east-southeast of the Hawaiian Islands by Monday or Tuesday. At this point, we could say that an area of disturbed weather may form, which several of the computer models are showing strengthening into a tropical depression. If this were to happen, it would pass well south of the Hawaiian Islands next weekend. The most likely influence it would have, would be to enhance our local trade winds, making them stronger and gusty for a few days. If the northern fringe of moisture from this system were extensive enough, we could see some increase in showers for the Big Island, and perhaps Maui. This tropical low pressure system hasn’t formed yet, so we will be watching to see whether the models have a good reading on this over the next few days. Here’s a link to this suspect area, look for that cluster of thunderstorms near 10N, and 135W.
~~~ It’s early Sunday evening as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. The clouds and showers that are what’s left of a former hurricane named Genevieve, that was active in the eastern Pacific a long time ago…kept many parts of the island chain cloudy and showery Sunday, especially from Molokai down through Maui to the Big Island. This satellite image shows the extent of these clouds, which are currently heading westward towards the island of Oahu. Meanwhile, this looping radar image shows the showers, with their tropical origin, taking aim on Oahu, which will eventually reach Kauai early Monday. Here in Kula, Maui, the showers started to fall around noon, with off and on light showers lasting through most of the afternoon. I’ll be back very early Monday morning with your next new weather narrative. I hope you have a great Sunday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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