February 15-16, 2009
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Saturday afternoon:
Lihue, Kauai – 75
Honolulu, Oahu – 80
Kaneohe, Oahu – 75
Kahului, Maui – 79
Hilo, Hawaii – 75
Kailua-kona – 82
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level, and on the highest mountains…at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon:
Honolulu, Oahu – 81F
Lihue, Kauai – 75
Haleakala Crater – 54 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 37 (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 morning:
0.58 Mount Waialaele, Kauai
0.79 South Fork Kaukonahua, Oahu
0.03 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.64 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.70 Piihonua, Big Island
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a 1029 millibar high pressure system located to the northwest of the islands…we’ll see breezy trade winds both Monday and 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. Finally, here’s a looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. 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
Still windy in Hawaii
Photo Credit: flickr.com
We’re through the strongest portion of the recent windy trade wind episode…although the trades will continue to blow well into the future. These gusty trade winds will be dropping a notch today, and along with this gradual slow down in the winds…the gale warning, and the wind advisories have been cancelled as well. This leaves us with just a small craft wind advisory, which covers all of Hawaii’s coastal and channel waters Sunday. As the trade winds ease back a tad more on Monday, the small craft advisory will be scaled back a bit more then.
A dry atmosphere overlies the islands now, with just a few windward biased showers expected…leaving the leeward sides dry and generally sunny during the days. Any showery clouds, being carried along by the trade winds, will remain rather limited, although may pick up briefly at times through the next several days. Since the trade winds will be around through the next week, we’ll likely see periods of showers around through the extended forecast time frame. The atmosphere has taken on a drier aspect now however, so that showers won’t be a problem.
The high surf advisory for the east facing beaches remains in effect Sunday, with our ocean still on the choppy side locally. As the strong and gusty trade winds remain active, we’ll see our local ocean still rather rough under their influence. Since the winds are generally coming in from the east, some of the leeward beaches will be sheltered from the gusty conditions. These beaches, on those south and and west facing exposures, will be where folks will want to go to lay out in the sunshine.
It’s early Sunday morning here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last section of today’s narrative. The winds, despite their relaxing trend starting today, will still be well more strong and gusty than usual. The numbers below show the strongest gusts around the state, on each of the islands, as of 1pm Sunday afternoon:
28 mph on Kauai
38 mph on Oahu
36 mph on Molokai
42 mph on Lanai
42 mph on Kahoolawe
43 mph on Maui
44 mph on the Big Island
~~~ It’s a nice sunny day here on Maui early Sunday afternoon. There’s some low clouds being carried along the windward sides, where I’ll be headed soon. Looking over towards Wailea, Kihei, and Lahaina, from up here in Kula…it looks completely sunny. As noted from the wind speed numbers above, we still have gusty winds blowing, especially from Maui County down through the Big Island. Despite the general call for less windy weather, it won’t be a swift motion into lighter winds anytime soon. As a matter of fact, our trade winds will remain quite blustery as we move through the holiday tomorrow…through most of the next week.
~~~ As noted, I’m heading over to a friend’s house on the windward side, in Haiku, to attend a birthday party. It will be fun to go over there, into the windy weather, and socialize some with old friends. I’ve given this friend a very nice bottle of special red wine, and besides bringing a card…have picked up three packages of organic chicken breasts for the bbq, some really nice cheese from the northern California county of Marin, and some fire roasted crackers that I’ve come to enjoy lately. I’ll more than likely be back later this evening at some point to check in, but I’m not sure exactly when. I therefore want to wish you well, and hope that you enjoy the rest of your Sunday! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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