Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Thursday:
Lihue, Kauai – 81
Honolulu airport, Oahu – 86 (record high Thursday: 90 – 1992)
Kaneohe, Oahu – 81
Molokai airport – 83
Kahului airport, Maui – 85
Kona airport – 84
Hilo airport, Hawaii – 81
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 7pm Thursday evening:
Barking Sands, Kauai – 83
Hilo, Hawaii – 70
Haleakala Crater – 41 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 30 (over 13,500 feet on the Big Island)
Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Thursday evening:
0.66 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.31 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.24 Kahakuloa, Maui
0.39 Glenwood, Big Island
Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a fragmented frontal boundary to our northeast. At the same time we find two 1027 millibar high pressure systems to our north and northeast. Our local winds will be remain rather strong and gusty Friday and Saturday.
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. 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 13,500 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 shining down during the night at times. Plus, during the nights you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise and sunset 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. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here.
Aloha Paragraphs
Strong and gusty trades – windward showers
Our local winds will remain active from the trade wind direction through the upcoming holiday weekend…and beyond. Glancing at this weather map, we find two moderately strong 1027 millibar high pressure systems located to our north and northeast…which will remain the primary source of our trades now. These trade winds will remain strong and gusty, with small craft wind advisory flags remaining up across those windiest channels, and a few coastal zones too.
Our winds will be strong and gusty in many areas…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts, along with directions Thursday evening:
32 Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
30 Honolulu, Oahu – NE
29 Molokai – NE
33 Kahoolawe – ESE
33 Lipoa, Maui – NE
06 Lanai – NE
36 Upolu Point, Big Island – NE
We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Thursday night. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see clear to partly cloudy skies over and around the islands. Most of the clouds are located over the ocean, which are being carried to the windward sides in the gusty trade winds. We can use this looping satellite image to see areas of high clouds to our west, south and east. At lower levels of the atmosphere we can see cloud patches upstream of the islands, to the east of the state…which are being carried our way. Checking out this looping radar image shows showery clouds around the state, which are impacting the windward sides in places.
Sunset Commentary: Thursday was a day filled with lots of sunshine, and of course those locally blustery trade winds. There's really nothing all that unusual about either of these features during the last part of May. The latest satellite imagery shows more of those night time showers starting to impact the windward coasts and slopes, which is very common as well.
I expect Friday to be another really nice day, bringing more or less the same kinds of weather to our islands, as we've seen the last couple of days. Looking a bit further ahead, it appears that both Saturday and Sunday will remain favorably inclined as well. The computer models are trying to increase our local showers somewhat by Monday, although I'd say lets hold that prospect lightly at this point.
Here in Kula, Maui at 805pm, the air temperature was 63.9F degrees, which feels pretty warm, although not too warm by any means. This is at least 10 degrees cooler than almost all sea level locations at the same time. I was surprised to see that Hilo on the Big Island was reporting a cool 70 degrees, under light rain showers. Those showers will continue to impact especially the windward side of the Big Island during the night. I'll catch up with you early Friday morning, when I'll be back with your next new weather narrative. I hope you have a great Thursday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Interesting: Seafood fraud is the practice of misleading consumers about their seafood in order to increase profits. Along with ripping off shoppers, these actions can have negative impacts on marine conservation efforts and human health. Types of seafood fraud include substituting one species for another without changing the label, including less seafood in the package than is indicated on the label, adding too much ice to seafood in order to increase the weight and shipping seafood products through different countries in order to avoid duties and tariffs.
Although seafood is one of the most popular foods in the United States, consumers are routinely given little or no information about where their seafood is from. Plus, the information provided on seafood labels is often misleading or fraudulent. Despite growing concern about where our food comes from, consumers are frequently served the wrong fish — a completely different species than the one they paid for.
This report outlines the problems associated with seafood fraud and the steps that can be taken to ensure that consumers know where their seafood comes from and be able to trace it all the way back to the sea.
Interesting2: Professional sports teams the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC announced they will install the largest solar energy array to date in the state of Washington on the roof of Qwest Field Event Center. The solar installation will cover over 2.5 acres, or approximately 80% of the Event Center roof. The project will consist of 3,750 individual solar panels manufactured in the United States by Solyndra—which produces a unique thin-film technology that captures both direct and reflected sunlight across a unique 360-degree cylinder-type surface.
The panels will take advantage of the facility's new white "cool roof" which conserves energy by reducing the amount of heat absorbed by the roof surface and lowering the need for building cooling. The panels are projected to generate over 830,000 kWh of electricity annually, the equivalent of powering 95 Seattle area homes for a year.
The system is expected to be fully operational in late summer 2011. The Event Center solar array is the latest in a series of "green" investments in professional sports venues made by Seattle Seahawks chairman Paul G. Allen. Earlier this year the Portland Trail Blazers, also owned by Allen, were the first major sports team to earn LEED Gold status for an existing major league sports arena.
The significant investment in energy and water reduction measures was made possible through conservation rebates provided by Seattle's two main utilities, Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities. Through partnerships made with the electrical union, these projects will also provide clean energy jobs training opportunities for local trades' people.
Interesting3: What car is better at least in terms of fuel use, costs and environmental benefits. The decision will never be simple. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have released new fuel economy labels that will help consumers take advantage of the increased efficiency standards achieved under the Obama Administration.
The new labels, which are the most dramatic overhaul to fuel economy labels since the program began more than 30 years ago, will provide more comprehensive fuel efficiency information, including estimated annual fuel costs, savings, as well as information on each vehicle’s environmental impact.
These improvements will give consumers better, more complete information to consider when purchasing new vehicles that are covered by the increased fuel economy standards. Starting with model year 2013, the improved fuel economy labels will be required to be affixed to all new passenger cars and trucks — both conventional gasoline powered and “next generation” cars, such as plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.
Upon taking office, President Obama directed DOT and EPA to prioritize the development of new fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards, resulting in the new standards that will be represented by these labels. This is the latest step in EPA’s and DOT’s joint efforts to improve the fuel economy and environmental performance of vehicles and to provide consumers with useful information to inform their purchasing decisions.
The new label will provide:
-New ways to compare energy use and cost between new-technology cars that use electricity and conventional cars that are gasoline-powered.
-Useful estimates on how much consumers will save or spend on fuel over the next five years compared to the average new vehicle.
-Easy-to-read ratings of how a model compares to all others for smog emissions and emissions of pollution that contribute to climate change. This is a relative comparison of vehicles and their potential to emit pollutants.
-An estimate of how much fuel or electricity it takes to drive 100 miles.
-Information on the driving range and charging time of an electric vehicle.
-A QR Code®1 that will allow users of smartphones to access online information about how various models compare on fuel economy and other environmental and energy factors. This tool will also allow consumers to enter information about their typical commutes and driving behavior in order to get a more precise estimate of fuel costs and savings.
The new labels will begin appearing in dealer showrooms in 2012 when the 2013 models begin to go on display or earlier if automakers voluntarily adopt the new labels for model year 2012 vehicles. As always the individual consumer will have to interpret and decide what is best for them. The new label provides a new way to compare relative value.
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