Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs / December 31-January 1, 2011

December 31-January 1, 2011

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

Lihue airport, Kauai –       79
Honolulu airport, Oahu –   82
Kaneohe, Oahu –             78
Molokai airport –              80
Kahului airport, Maui –      82
Kona airport –                   83
Hilo airport, Hawaii –        76

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Friday evening:

Honolulu, Oahu – 80F
Hilo, Hawaii – 74

Haleakala Crater –    52 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 34 (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 Friday afternoon:

0.52 Mount Waialeale, Kauai  
0.15 Dillingham, Oahu
0.08 Molokai 
0.04 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.79 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.48 Kawainui Stream, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing high pressure systems to our northeast, with a high pressure ridge to the northeast of our islands. Our winds will be lighter and variable in direction through Sunday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with this Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around 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 web cam 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 web cams 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.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest weather information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here. Of course, as we know, our hurricane season won't end until November 31st here in the central Pacific.

 Aloha Paragraphs

Happy New Year everyone…2011!
 

Locally gusty trade winds will give way to lighter breezes this weekend…before stronger trade winds return during the first half of the new work week ahead. This weather map shows high pressure systems to our northeast, with an associated ridge located to the northeast of our islands. These highs and the ridge will keep the trade winds blowing, although they will ending soon. We'll see these winds easing off later Friday night, becoming light and variable this weekend, as a low pressure system digs in our direction from the northwest. This softening of our wind speeds will be temporary however, as the trade winds return later Sunday or Monday…becoming quite strong and gusty as we start our first new work week of 2011. 

Winds are are quickly becoming lighter…although still locally stronger in gusts…the following numbers represent the strongest breezes early Friday evening, along with the directions:

14 mph       Port Allen, Kauai – SE
17              Kahuku, Oahu – NE
07              Molokai – NNE
32                Kahoolawe – NNE
17              Lipoa, Maui – NNE
09              Lanai Airport – W 
27              South Point, Big Island  – NE

A trade wind weather pattern remains active, although is rather quickly starting to break down. This satellite image shows areas of higher and middle level clouds well offshore of the islands to the south…northwest northeast. Looking at this next satellite picture, we see an area of middle level clouds stretched out from the central islands…towards the northeast. Checking out this looping radar image we see very few showers anywhere in our area. As the trade winds back off tonight into the weekend, and an area of low pressure edges over us, showers will become locally heavier late Saturday into Sunday. These showers could pop up just about anywhere, along with a few thunderstorms too. This episode will depend upon how much moisture is in our area at the time.
 
Friday evening after work I went to see a new film called True Grit, starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin…among many others. The storyline: following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. Against his wishes, she joins him in his trek into the Indian Nations in search of Chaney. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who wants Chaney for his own purposes. The unlikely trio find danger and surprises on the journey, and each has his or her "grit" tested. The critics are giving it a B+ grade, while the viewers are giving it this same rating. I've been looking forward to seeing this film ever since I saw the trailer way back when. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and agree completely that it warranted a B+ grade. The acting was great, and I enjoyed all the outdoor scenery in the old west too. The manner of speaking between the main characters was unusual, and added to the story in a positive way. This film was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and produced by Steven Spielberg…men known for their top notch films. Here's the trailer for this film. 

Here in Kula, Maui at around 5pm Friday evening, it was partly to mostly cloudy, with an air temperature of 66.2F degrees. Clouds formed over and around the Haleakala Crater this afternoon, although I've seen nary a drop of rain. As I was mentioning above, today will be the last trade wind day, as conditions become more interesting this weekend. Our local atmosphere becomes unstable again Saturday evening into Sunday, with the chance of heavier showers, or even thunderstorms during that time frame. Then, as we move into the new week, the trade winds come back in no uncertain terms, becoming quite strong and gusty, as they sometimes do during the winter season.

~~~ Now as for tonight, I've been invited over to some friends house in Haiku, over on the windward side of east Maui. I'm bringing several things, including a great bottle of champagne. This is a NV Henri Goutorbe Brut Cuvee Prestige. This French champagne reveals soaring aromatics that lead to a rich expression of apricots, apples, orange peel, flowers and spices. The wine offers superb persistence and a long, refreshing finish. Robert Parker gives it a quite high 91 rating on a scale of 100. There is apparently a higher than normal amount of reserve wines that make up this champagne, giving it a remarkable level of complexity. I'll be sure to let you know what I think in the morning, when I'll be back with your first new weather narrative of the new year. It's been a distinct pleasure bringing you the latest weather reports for the Hawaiian Islands during 2010, and I greatly look forward to serving them up throughout the new year ahead. Happy New Year to each and everyone of you, my valued readers! Aloha for now…Glenn. 

Interesting: They say that fossil fuel riches become a curse to any country that possess them. Where fossil fuels flow — corruption, reduced democracy and increased inequality follow. It is such a recognized pattern that it has become a cliche: the resource curse.

No nation is immune. Even one-time staid and fair-minded Canada has now succumbed to this corruption of democracy, under the pressure from its oil sands provinces. So when Houston-based Noble Energy today confirmed that its Leviathan gas find under the water off the shore of Israel is easily the largest exploration discovery in its history, with an estimated 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas — it is not a moment of rejoicing — but one of trepidation.

Not only is the resource curse the kiss of death for one little democracy in the Middle East, but the huge find straddles the borders of neighbors that have never had neighborly relations. There is an estimated 122 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the entire Levant Basin Province, according to the USGS.

It lies within the offshore territory of Israel, Lebanon, Gaza/Palestinian Authority, the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The Leviathan gas field is within the Levant Basin, and it straddles the border of Israel and Lebanon. The disputes between Israel and Lebanon have already begun.

The Leviathan field is twice as large as the Tamar gas field, which is 50 miles west of Haifa in 5500 feet of water. In June, Lebanon warned Israel not to drill in its waters, and Israel claimed in return that it is not drilling in Lebanese waters. But no matter where the drills actually go in, they would both be tapping into the same reservoir. And it really is a case of "the first in will get to win."

Interesting2: Indonesia has chosen once of its largest and richest provinces to test efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by saving forest and peat lands, a key part of a $1 billion climate deal with Norway. Central Kalimantan province on Borneo Island is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases among Indonesia's 33 provinces because of deforestation, destruction of carbon-rich peat swamps, and land use change, the government says.

"The assessment showed that Central Kalimantan is a province with large forest cover and peatland and faces a real threat of deforestation," top technocrat Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, head of a special presidential delivery unit charged with managing the Norway deal, said in a statement on Thursday.

The agreement aims to test efforts that save and restore forests as a way to fight climate change. Forests soak up and lock away large amounts of carbon, while clearing and burning them releases carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas.

Under the climate deal signed this year, Norway will pay Indonesia for proven emissions reductions based on a transparent auditing system and a key part of the pact is selecting a province to test programs that boost conservation, training and steps to improve livelihoods.

Overhauling the province's land-use plan is also key. The deal imposes a two-year national moratorium on new concessions to clear primary forests and peat lands, a step some palm oil and pulp and paper firms fear could disrupt expansion plans.

Interesting3: Denmark, like, Germany, her neighbor to the south, is a country that takes renewable energy seriously. The wind energy industry alone in Denmark is booming with companies like Vestas and Siemens Wind Power both having production facilities and bases of operation on Danish soil.

Denmark's own wind based energy also grows exponentially each year leaving many optimistic that the nation might be one of the few who can achieve 100% renewable energy in the next several decades. However, wind based renewable energy is not the only kind of clean energy the country has going for it.

In one location, Denmark has proven that wind and hydrogen can be king when it comes to being green. Called the Lolland Hydrogen Community, the project began in the middle of 2007 as a way of taking the excess wind energy produced by the island community and putting it to use.

Since they were generating an impressive fifty percent more wind energy than was needed, they set about finding a way to convert that excess wind into hydrogen for use in powering the island and acting as way to demonstrate to Europe the viability of hydrogen as a renewable energy source.

The way the project began was with the installation of a Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power plant that took the wind energy that was being produced in excess and using it to power an electrolyser that worked to separate the oxygen and hydrogen molecules that comprised water.

Once the hydrogen is separated it is stored in pressure tanks and it is then used to power fuel cells that provide the community with electricity. Although powering the community’s power grid with the hydrogen fuel cells proved to be a success the Lolland Hydrogen Community knew they could take the renewable energy a step forward.

To achieve this end, the researchers on the community developed smaller hydrogen fuel cells that could be placed in a home and act similar to a boiler in order to provide heating, air, and energy.