Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / November 13-14, 2011

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

Lihue, Kauai –                   79
Honolulu airport, Oahu –   85   (record high for the date – 90 in 1983)  
Kaneohe, Oahu –               81
Molokai airport –                84
Kahului airport, Maui          82
Kona airport                      83
Hilo airport, Hawaii –          79

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

Honolulu, Oahu – 81
Hilo, Hawaii – 73

Haleakala Crater –     48 (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 Sunday afternoon:

0.24     Mount Wailaleale, Kauai
0.53     Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00     Molokai
0.00     Lanai
0.00     Kahoolawe
0.06     Puu Kukui, Maui
0.39     Mountain View, 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

Generally fair weather, trade winds…few windward showers
 

 

 
Light to moderately strong trade winds will prevail through mid-week…then strengthen as we get into next weekend.  Glancing at this weather map, it shows a moderately strong 1031 millibar high pressure system far to our north-northeast. Meanwhile, we see a low pressure system to the northwest…with its associated cold front to our west. The trade winds will gradually mellow-out over the next several days. As a new high pressure system develops and strengthens around Wednesday into Thursday, our trades will increase again into the weekend. Precipitation will be rather limited through the next three days or so, and then begin to increase along our windward sides during the second half of the new week.

Lighter winds will be prevail over the next several days…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts (mph), along with directions Sunday afternoon:

22                 Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
21                 Kahuku, Oahu – ENE
10                 Molokai – NE
27                 Kahoolawe – ESE
27                 Kahului, Maui – NE
08                 Lanai – WNW
28                    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 Sunday afternoon. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we find stable looking low clouds moving into the windward sides of both Maui and the Big Island…some of which will bring a few showers along our windward sides during the night.  We can use this looping satellite image to see a large swath of high clouds to the south and west of the islands, which will likely migrate over the state with time. There are lots of thunderstorms to the northeast and northwest of the state now as well. Checking out this looping radar image we see showers over the ocean to the southeast of the Big Island, which may slide in towards that island with time.

Sunset Commentary:  As noted above, we have a rather straight forward weather forecast on tap through the middle of the new work week. The trade winds will decrease some, although not go completely away by any means. At the same time, our rainfall will slack off some in most places, with relatively drier weather remaining in place through at least mid-week. Meanwhile, our nice sunny skies, at least at the moment, may give way to cloudier skies, if that area of high clouds to our south and west get carried overhead on the strong winds aloft.

The main change ahead will bring stronger trade winds, and wetter weather to our islands during the second half of the new week. The majority of these showers will impact the windward coasts and slopes. The strong and gusty trade winds will likely help carry some of this precipitation over to the leeward sides on the smaller islands too. This blustery and showery reality should begin around Thursday or so, and could persist into the weekend. I'll have more to say about all of this as we move through the next several days.

~~~ Yes as you can see, I'm back from my long three week vacation to California. It was a great experience for me, visiting my family in southern California, and my friends in the northern part of the state. My health remained strong, despite being with all kinds of people, and enjoying the changing weather conditions…and of course the flights from here to there and back. I wrote about my time on the mainland, and if you missed that, or would like to read about those experiences, you can access that by clicking here. By the way, if anyone was interested, there are over five years of archived narratives available! At the same time, it feels great being back here in Hawaii, and I feel perfectly ready to get back to work in Kihei, and of course pick up these daily weather forecasts and discussions too.

Here in Kula, Maui at 330pm Sunday afternoon, its sunny to partly cloudy, with an air temperature of 72.9F degrees. The trade winds are breezy, with my wind chimes singing a nice tune. I started off my day by taking a fast walk down in Keokea, and then came back here to put things back together for my work day early Monday morning. My friend Linda in Marin taught me to make Dandelion soup while I was there, and I'm looking forward to making a pot of that for my work week coming up. I'll saute organic onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, celery, beans, a large can of organic diced tomatoes, and the fresh dandelions. I have a half a loaf of multi-grain bread that was in my refrigerator while I was gone. She taught me to put a hardened slice of dry bread in the bottom of the soup bowl, pour some olive oil over it, and then to add the soup over the bread. The final thing is to grate some nice hard cheese over that, and enjoy. I'll be up at around 4am Monday to begin my day, and will have your next new narrative from paradise waiting for you around 530am HST. I hope you have a great Sunday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.