Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs / July 14-15, 2011

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

Lihue, Kauai –                    84                  
Honolulu airport, Oahu –     87 (record for Thursday – 92 in 1995)
Kaneohe, Oahu –                80
Molokai airport –                 86
Kahului airport, Maui –             86    
Kona airport                       84  
Hilo airport, Hawaii –           83

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

Kahului, Maui  – 83
Kaneohe, Oahu – 77

Haleakala Crater –     50 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 43 (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:  

1.42     N. Wailua Ditch, Kauai
0.43     Nuuanu Upper, Oahu
0.01     Molokai
0.00     Lanai
0.26     Kahoolawe
0.27     West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.39     Kapapala Ranch, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a 1035 millibar high pressure system to the north of our islands. Our local trade winds will remain active through 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.  Here's a tropical cyclone tracking map for the eastern and central Pacific.

 Aloha Paragraphs

Trade winds…off and on passing windward showers

The trade winds will prevail this week…continuing on into next week. Glancing at this weather map, we find a moderately strong 1035 millibar high pressure system located to the north of the islands Thursday night. This dynamic, and large high pressure cell dominates the Pacific, from the International Dateline to the west, across the eastern Pacific to the Baja California coast of Mexico. There’s still no end in sight to this fairly typical summertime trade wind flow. We may finally begin to see small craft wind advisories going up later Friday into the weekend…covering those windiest channels and coasts around Maui County and the Big Island.

Our trade winds will remain active…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts (mph), along with directions Thursday evening: 

21                 Port Allen, Kauai – ENE  
32                 Waianae, Oahu – NNE 
25                 Molokai – NE
20                 Kahoolawe – SE
20                 Kapalua, Maui – NE
00                 Lanai 
31                    South 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 find clouds scattered around the area, generally over the offshore waters.  We can use this looping satellite image to see thunderstorms far to our south-southeast and southwest through the north…out over the ocean. Checking out this looping radar image we see showers being carried along in the trade wind flow…which will be carried to our windward sides…most of which will be light to moderately heavy.

Sunset Commentary:  We find the same high pressure system far to our north, that’s been there all this week. This weather feature doesn’t seem to want to move too far in any one direction…or the other. The computer models show it slipping a little southward, towards Hawaii Friday into the weekend. This should nudge our local wind speeds up a notch in turn. There’s still no small craft wind advisories active in our marine environment. As the winds speed up a touch over the next few days, we will likely see an advisory go up over those windiest channels, and even a few of our windier coastal areas in Maui County…and the Big Island into early next week. 

Rainfall hasn’t been overly generous this week, nor do we hear very much about dry conditions either. The driest areas in the state remain the leeward coasts of Maui and the Big Island. As is always the case, at least with the trade winds blowing, the windward sides continue to find the most abundant showers. This looping radar image shows passing showers being carried through the island chain. The night and early morning hours will have the most frequent showers, focusing their efforts most effectively along our north and east facing windward coasts and slopes. There will be little change in this regard as we push into the upcoming weekend.

Here in Kihei, Maui skies are mostly clear to partly cloudy, with the trade winds blowing steadily as usual. Looking up towards the Haleakala Crater, and over towards the West Maui Mountains, there are more clouds stacked up over those slopes as usual. The main thing tonight by far, will be July's full moon, which will be ablaze with light! If you have a chance step outside and take a look. My weather tower, where I sleep and have my office, will be filled with moon beams tonight, which will likely wake me up many times, which isn't a problem. By the way, thanks to all you folks who wished me a Happy Birthday today! Right now, I'm heading out for the drive back upcountry to Kula. I'll be back early Friday morning with your next new weather commentary. I hope you have a great night here in the islands, or wherever you happen to be spending it. Aloha for now…Glenn

Interesting: Climate change may have wine makers over a barrel. A new study suggests it may drastically affect some of the world's great wine-producing regions. The study, from Stanford University, says vineyards in California could shrink by 50 percent over the next 30 years. California wine is currently a $16.5 billion industry. Other famous regions could be affected, as well.

As CBS News Correspondent John Blackstone points out, the vineyards of California's sunny Napa Valley are known for their top-quality cabernets and chardonnays. Which may explain why the people who make wine there, such as Michael Honig, of Honig Vineyards and Winery, aren't known for their modesty.

"We're perceived as the best, and rightfully so," Honig says. "We make some of the best wines in the world." Others say the great wines come from Europe. Wine writer Tim Atkin points to "places like Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, and Piermonte in Italy and Rioja in Spain."

But climate change may be shifting that landscape, Atkin says, noting, "We could find that certain wine regions in France and Spain and Italy that historically have produced wines are going to be effectively desert." There are now even award-winning Vineyards in England, never before known as a wine region. Says Atkin, "You may find the entire world of wine — in Europe, anyway — shifting northwards."

In America, says Blackstone, temperatures in the Napa Valley could rise by 2 degrees in the next 30 years, according to the new study, by Stanford's Noah Diffenbaugh, an assistant professor of environmental earth science. "This can be" he says, "very damaging to the delicate balances that are so important for making the best wines." Diffenbaugh calculates 50 per cent of Napa vineyards may no longer be suitable for producing the very best wines.

His study of global warming has had a chilly reception among Napa's growers. "It sounds good on paper," says Honig. "I don't think its reality, though." Because, Honig says, Napa is already preparing for climate change. He says Napa growers aren't "at all" global warming deniers. "We know the world's changing," he says.

Honig's vineyard and many others in the valley are now powered by solar energy, cutting their greenhouse gas footprint. Growers are also developing ways to plant and prune their vines to deal with days that may heat up fast. "We've really opened up the cool morning side, so we can get some doppled sunlight in here, some freckled light,' Honig said as he and Blackstone walked through a field.

"On the afternoon side, we've kept it nice and shaded, so the fruit doesn't get burned. Grower Andy Beckstoffer, of Beckstoffer Vineyards, figures NAPA wines are so valuable, wineries here will find answers to global warming. "We can afford the technology," he says. "We can afford to do anything we need to do … to get these things right, because we have the money."

Stanford's Diffenbaugh says, "People are tremendously creative and ingenious in dealing with different environments." He says that, while hotter weather presents a challenge to growers in NAPA, they can start now working on ways to adapt. Beckstoffer says he's confident he'll be able to keep growing exactly what he grows now. In fact, he thinks climate change could even make his grapes better, if the nights aren't so cold.

"This global warming," he says, "it's getting warmer at night, which might mean that we get more flavor development. So, there is a chance for a silver lining here." Napa's wine makers, it seems," Blackstone observes, "never like to see a glass as half-empty, but rather, as half-full. Even the prospect of global warming can't destroy their sunny optimism."