Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday:
Lihue, Kauai – 84
Honolulu airport, Oahu – 89 (record high for the date – 92 in 1984)
Kaneohe, Oahu – 83
Molokai airport – 85
Kahului airport, Maui – 88
Kona airport 83
Hilo airport, Hawaii – 85
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Friday evening:
Barking Sands, Kauai – 85
Princeville, Kauai – 77
Haleakala Crater – 48 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 34 (over 13,500 feet on the Big Island)
Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Friday evening:
0.45 Omao, Kauai
0.48 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.04 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.01 Kahoolawe
0.63 Oheo Gulch, Maui
0.23 Kaloko-Honaunau, 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 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. This web cam is 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. The Haleakala Crater webcam on Maui just came back online, after being on the blink for several weeks.
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
Locally breezy trade winds, high
clouds, windward showers at times
Our trade winds will remain locally breezy, then mellow out some after the weekend. Glancing at this weather map, it shows a moderately strong 1030 millibar high pressure system far to our northeast. This high pressure cell has an associated ridge extending more or less westward across the International Dateline…into the western Pacific. Our locally trade winds will continue in the moderately strong realms…with a slight weakening after the weekend.
Trade winds continue…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts (mph), along with directions Friday evening:
22 Port Allen, Kauai – NE
25 Bellows, Oahu – NE
27 Molokai – NE
28 Kahoolawe – ESE
29 Kahului, Maui – NE
17 Lanai – NE
24 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 Friday night. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we find low clouds generally offshore of the islands…although they are being carried over the islands locally. At the same time we see considerable high cirrus clouds to our southwest, west and north, which continue to move over the islands on the upper winds. We can use this looping satellite image to see those low clouds moving along in the trade wind flow. There are those high level clouds coming our way from the west, which will mute our daytime sunshine across much of the state during the day Saturday. Checking out this looping radar image we see some showers over the ocean, moving along in the trade wind flow…impacting the windward sides in places.
Sunset Commentary: The trade winds are being driven by a moderately strong high pressure system far to the northeast of the islands. This high is located well over half way towards the California coast, although it has an associated ridge of high pressure extending west-southwest back to a point around 30 degrees north latitude…to the north of our islands. These moderately strong trade winds will hold steady through the weekend, into the first several days of the new week ahead. There’s a chance that some change in our wind speeds and directions could occur beginning during the second half of next week.
Showers will continue to be drawn over the windward sides of the islands, as showery clouds get carried our way on the trade wind flow. We’ve seen a few showers being carried all the way over into the leeward sides on the smaller islands. The clouds upstream of the islands look fairly normal at this time, so there doesn’t appear to be anything unusual on tap in terms of our precipitation through the next 5-6 days. Towards the second half of the upcoming new work week, around next Thursday or Friday, the models are suggesting that we may see some changes coming our way…stay tuned.
This evening I'm heading over to Kahului for dinner and a new film. I'll meet my neighbor Jeff, his daughter Jill, and our mutual friend Joy, the JJJ club. We're going to meet at Whole Foods and get some take out food, and then likely sit outside and talk. Then we'll go see another one of those radical action films, this one called Killer Elite, starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen, and Robert DeNiro…among many others. Synopsis: an ex-special operations agent is lured out of retirement to complete a near-impossible mission, and to rescue his mentor. The Yahoo site critics are giving this film a C+ grade, while the viewers are giving a slightly better B rating. The tough graders on the rotten tomatoes movie review site are giving a low 24 number out of 100. I'm a little nervous about seeing this rather rough edged film with two ladies, although Jeff has assured me that they can handle this film. I'll be sure to let you know what I thought tomorrow morning when I'll be back with your next new weather narrative. Here's the trailer, just in case you have the slightest interest, which likely most of you won't.
Here in Kihei, Maui at around 530pm HST Friday evening, skies are mostly cloudy again, as they have been the last several days. I would imagine that this will hold true on Saturday again, although things should improve later this weekend. I'm heading over to Kahului now, although before I go, here's wishing you a great Friday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Interesting: Look to the sky on October 8th (Saturday evening) and you might catch a falling star — or 750. Astronomers are predicting an outburst of Draconid meteors, up to 750 an hour, this weekend as Earth passes through dust streams of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner.
Unfortunately, the sight may not be a show stopper, as its peak is expected to occur during daylight hours in the U.S. and even the tail end of the show could be drowned out by the moon's light. Other regions have better chances of catching the sky lights.
The Draconids are a regular October occurrence, but 2011 could be a particularly active year, according to NASA. Earth is expected to pass through at least three dust filaments left behind by Comet Giacobini-Zinner.
The comet shoots through the inner solar system about every six-and-a-half years, leaving trails of debris behind. Earth usually grazes a filament or two, according to NASA Science News, but this year the planet should run into several filaments head-on.
When the bits of particle dust enter Earth's atmosphere, they burn up, creating streaks of light across the sky. Most Draconids burn up before reaching the ground, and they're slow enough to pose relatively little risk to satellites and spacecraft like the International Space Station.
It's hard to predict how many meteors will show up during the Draconids. The comet's debris produced serious light shows in 1933 and 1946, with full-on meteor storms of thousands of shooting stars per hour.
In 1988 and 2005, the Draconids also provided impressive meteor outbursts, but some years bring only one or two meteors per hour.
Observers in Europe, north Africa and the Middle East have the best chance of seeing the Draconids at their peak this year. The strongest activity is predicted between 1900 and 2100 UTC on Oct. 8, which is 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT.
That means most meteors will likely occur during daylight hours in the United States, but skywatchers may catch sight of some of the brighter meteors after sunset.
According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the best way to secure a good view of a meteor shower is to get as far away from light pollution as possible and to pay attention to the darkest patch of sky you can find. Meteors travel away from the constellation after which they are named, so look for Draconids that seem to originate from the constellation Draco.
And temper expectations: With a full moon coming on Oct. 12, light from the waxing moon may drown out most shooting stars.
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