Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / November 14-15, 2011

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

Lihue, Kauai –                   79
Honolulu airport, Oahu –   87   (record high for the date – 90 in 1995)  
Kaneohe, Oahu –               82
Molokai airport –                85
Kahului airport, Maui          84
Kona airport                      83
Hilo airport, Hawaii –          82

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

Honolulu, Oahu – 82
Hilo, Hawaii – 75

Haleakala Crater –     M (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – M (over 13,500 feet on the Big Island)

Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Monday evening:

0.42     Kapahi, Kauai
0.88     Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00     Molokai
0.00     Lanai
0.00     Kahoolawe
0.00     Maui
0.12     Piihonua, 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 move into the weekend.  Glancing at this weather map, it shows a large moderately strong 1034 millibar high pressure system far to our north-northeast. At the same time we see a low pressure system far to the north-northwest…with its associated cold front to our west. The trade winds will gradually mellow-out a little over the next day or two. As a new high pressure system develops and strengthens Wednesday into Thursday, our trades will increase again into the weekend. Precipitation will be rather limited through the next couple of days, and then will begin to increase, especially along our windward sides during the second half of the week.

Somewhat lighter winds will be prevail over the next few days…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts (mph), along with directions Monday evening:

16                 Port Allen, Kauai – SE
24                 Honolulu, Oahu – NE
18                 Molokai – NE
25                    Kahoolawe – ESE
18                 Lipoa, Maui – NE
08                 Lanai – NW 
23                 South 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 Monday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we find generally clear skies over the state, with some lower level clouds being carried into the windward sides of the Big Island and Maui.  We can use this looping satellite image to see a diminishing swath of high clouds to the south of the islands, which are clipping parts of the Big Island at times. There are lots of clouds located in all directions, some of which are thunderstorms. Checking out this looping radar image we see very few showers over the ocean offshore from the islands, the most active area is to the southeast of the Big Island at the time of this writing.

Sunset Commentary:  As this weather map shows, we find a large and rather strong 1034 millibar high pressure system located far to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands tonight. This high pressure cell has an elongated ridge extending from its southwestern flank, which continues into the area north and northwest of Kauai. At the same time, there are two low pressure systems located to the north and northwest of Hawaii. There are cold fronts that are associated with these low pressure centers, which are helping to limit the strength of our local trade winds…at least for the time being. This in turn is keeping small craft wind advisory trade wind speeds down across our area.

This wind flow is measuring in between gentle to moderately strong, and should remain that way through most of Wednesday. The computer model output strengthens this high pressure system to our northwest thereafter, with a resultant increase in the trade winds through the second half of this week into early next week. As we get into Thursday, and continuing through the weekend, we will see small craft wind advisory flags going up in the major channels, at least around Maui County and the Big Island…and potentially beyond these borders. Besides the stronger winds, the east sides of the islands, those windward sections, will find rough and rising surf then too.

As for precipitation, it will be rather limited for the time being, with generally drier than normal conditions prevailing, even along the windward sides. There will be a possible change in this reality by later Wednesday or Thursday, caused by not only the increased trade wind speeds, but also the arrival of an atmospheric destabilizing upper level low pressure too. This may help to enhance our windward biased showers, while the stronger winds may carry some of this rainfall over into the leeward sides on the smaller islands. Looking even further ahead, there don’t appear to be any cold fronts that will be approaching the islands from the northwest through next Tuesday…despite it being the time of year for those fronts to begin arriving more often.

Here in Kihei, Maui at around 530pm Monday evening, its generally clear, with just a few clouds banked up against the Haleakala Crater. The weather outlook above remains quite reasonable, given the current information available. The very nice weather that we saw today will continue, with lots of sunshine and very little rainfall…although high clouds will begin arriving at some point into Wednesday. We'll likely see an increase in lower level clouds thereafter, with stronger trade winds and more active passing showers during the second half of the week. ~~~ This was my first day back to work in Kihei, and I must admit it felt a little clunky, as my energy was still a bit in the vacation mode. Things began to turn around a bit during the second half of the day, fortunately. I'm just about ready to head back upcountry to Kula now, and to get out for my evening walk. I'm really looking forward to having a big bowl of that dandelion soup I made yesterday afternoon. I'll be back very early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise. I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting – Adaptation is fundamental for a species to survive, especially in hostile environments like the Arctic. When faced with six months of perpetual darkness where snow and ice lays claim to every inch of the land. What kind of extraordinary animals survive in such harsh terrain, and more importantly, how do they do it? During winter in the Arctic, temperatures can drop to a bone-chilling −58 °F.

Rather than going into hibernation however, some animals will stick out the winter and use their cold-conquering adaptations to survive. One such animal that has done this is the arctic fox or the snow fox as it is also commonly known. Ranging far and wide in the arctic and alpine tundra, these jackals of the north, so-called because of their propensity to scavenge on polar bears' kills, have a woolly coat that has the best insulating properties of any mammal.

Other adaptations for life in the arctic include small, heavily furred ears and a short nose. Having a smaller surface area reduces heat loss. They also have fur on the soles of their feet as well as increased blood circulation to the feet which literally stops their paws freezing to the ice!

Another such master of retaining body heat is the walrus. Walrus are covered with short coarse hair that becomes less dense as they get older. Their skin which is folded and wrinkled can be up to 2 inches thick serving as a great insulator. This tough skin is the thickest on the neck and shoulders of adult males where it also serves as a defensive purpose — when these bulls spar the thick skin is intended to resist tusk penetration.

They have a deposit of fatty tissue that is up to an astounding 6 inches thick – in winter it may make up to a third of their body mass. As well as being an excellent insulator it also streamlines the body and is used as an energy reserve.

Their outer defences serve as a pretty hardy armoury but even this thickest of "winter coats" is not sufficient when diving to depths of over 180 meters for nearly half an hour at a time, so the walrus has another trick up its sleeve. When they enter the cold arctic water they become paler because they have a mechanism that restricts blood flow to the skin in order to reduce heat loss.

Conversely, when walruses are warm their skin is flushed with blood and they appear to be very red. The adaptations that allow animals to live in such a hostile environment are incredible; join us again when we check out some even more incredible adaptations — those of the animals who inhabit the coldest place on earth, the Antarctic.