Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Saturday:
Lihue, Kauai – 86
Honolulu airport, Oahu – 88 (record for Saturday – 91 in 2003)
Kaneohe, Oahu – 83
Molokai airport – 81
Kahului airport, Maui – 82
Kona airport 84
Hilo airport, Hawaii – 80
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Saturday evening:
Barking Sands, Kauai – 86
Hilo, Hawaii – 77
Haleakala Crater – 46 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 39 (over 13,500 feet on the Big Island)
Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Saturday evening:
0.02 Lihue, Kauai
0.36 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.10 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.34 Kahoolawe
2.22 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.98 Laupahoehoe, Big Island
Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing high pressure systems to the north-northeast and northeast of our islands. Our local trade winds will be gradually easing up through Monday…strongest around Maui and the Big Island.
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…gradually becoming lighter
Kona
The trade winds will continue…easing up through the weekend and beyond. Glancing at this weather map, we find high pressure systems to the north-northeast and northeast of our islands. Our local trade winds will remain active…strongest around Maui County and the Big Island. The forecast continues to suggest that our trade winds will become lighter Sunday into the first half of the new week ahead.
Our trade winds will remain active, although gradually lighter…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts (mph), along with directions Saturday evening:
29 Port Allen, Kauai – E
21 Kahuku, Oahu – NE
23 Molokai – NE
21 Kahoolawe – NW
25 Kapalua, Maui – SE
25 Lanai – NE
24 Upolu Point, Big Island – ENE
We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Saturday night. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we find a lots of low level clouds around Maui County and the Big Island. We can use this looping satellite image to see areas of thunderstorms over the ocean, far to the south…and high cirrus to the west of the islands. Checking out this looping radar image we see that there are showers being carried along in the trade wind flow…which are arriving along the windward sides of Molokai, Maui and the Big Island…and to the southwest of Oahu over the ocean.
Sunset Commentary: The forecast for Sunday remains favorably inclined…with no obvious deviations through the holiday on Monday. The trade winds will begin their slow easing in strength Sunday, which will continue into the first several days of the new work week. The windiest locations around Maui County and the Big Island will remain quite breezy for the time being. There’s been a few showers along our windward coasts and slopes during the last 24 hours, although nothing remarkable. One area of clouds will be carried our way, bringing some additional showers to the windward sides of Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island tonight.
Looking a bit further ahead, the main thing that our local population will notice, will be the gradually lighter wind flow…although it won’t come to an abrupt stop. There will be a slow reduction in speeds through Sunday and Monday, which will carry forth into the first half of the new week ahead. They will likely bottom-out in strength at some point between Monday and Tuesday, and may begin to rebound later on Wednesday or Thursday.
These lighter trade winds will end our solid trade wind weather pattern, and ease up into at least a modified convective weather pattern. There will still be a few windward showers during the nights, and also a few afternoon upcountry showers along our leeward slopes too. The main thing though, is that whatever showers that do manage to fall will be generally light. This is due to the stable, and drier than normal air mass that the computer forecast models are forecasting during the first half of the new week.
Friday evening after work I went to see a new film in Kaului, called The Debt, starring Helen Mirren, Jessia Chastain, and Sam Worthington…among many others. The synopsis: In 1997, shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel and Stefan about their former colleague David. All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team's mission was accomplished – or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations. The critics are giving this film a B- grade, while regular viewers are being a little more generous with a B rating. This was a serious film, perhaps even downright heavy would be a more accurate way of describing. I thought the acting was quite good, and the entertaining aspect was definitely in place. It was a dark film, although not particularly depressing. Overall, I was glad to have seen it, and felt it deserved a strong B grade. I can't rave about The Debt, although I was glad I saw it. Here's the trailer for this film, just in case you were interested.
Here in Kula, Maui at 530pm HST Saturday evening, skies were partly cloudy, with an air temperature of 68.7F degrees. There were more clouds around today than I expected, at least around Maui County and the Big Island. The area of low clouds that moved in over this part of the state stuck around, rather than burning off today. Satellite shows more of those those arriving during the night, which will bring more showers our way. The other islands will remain less cloudy with fewer showers. Sunday should be a fine day, as will the Labor Day holiday on Monday. ~~~ Today I went to visit a close friend in Haiku, that friend who I visit in Marin County during my vacations. She owns property here and there, and they are both very nice. She had a nice lunch for us, and we walked all around her place, appreciating the beauty, and hunting for ripe stalks of apple bananas. I then went shopping in Paia, and came back here to Kula. I can feel the nice early evening sunshine coming into my weather tower, and my wind chimes are singing a sweet song as well. I'm looking forward to kicking back this evening, I'll catch up with you Sunday morning, when I'll have your next new weather narrative from paradise waiting. I hope you have a great Saturday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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