Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday:
Lihue, Kauai – 80
Honolulu airport, Oahu – 85 (record high for the date – 88 in 1980)
Kaneohe, Oahu – 80
Molokai airport – 81
Kahului airport, Maui M
Kona airport 82
Hilo airport, Hawaii – 78
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Monday evening:
Barking Sands, Kauai – 81
Lihue, Kauai – 75
Haleakala Crater – M (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 36 (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:
1.99 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.79 Moanalua RG, Oahu
0.19 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.58 Puu Kukui, Maui
1.01 Glenwood, 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
Partly to mostly cloudy, gusty trade winds, increasing
windward showers…a few on the leeward sides
later tonight into Tuesday morning
As this weather map shows, we find a 1025 millibar high pressure system located to the east-northeast of the Hawaiian Islands, with a second 1028 millibar high pressure cell far to our northwest Monday evening. At the same time, there’s a trough of low pressure parked out to the west of Hawaii. Our trade winds remain strong and gusty, and will remain so for the next couple of days. The computer models continue to suggest that our local trades will decrease on Thanksgiving into Friday. They go on to say that our strong and gusty trade winds will ride in behind a cold front this coming weekend…into early next week.
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Monday evening:
28 Waimea Heights, Kauai – E
32 Kaneohe MCB, Oahu – NE
33 Molokai – NNE
42 Kahoolawe – E
32 Kahului, Maui – NE
00 Lanai
36 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 early Monday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we find that the long lasting high and middle level cloudiness is still over the Big Island, but has cleared the rest of the state…finally. We can use this looping satellite image to see low clouds, at least those that can be viewed through the upper level clouds, are being carried westward in the gusty trade wind flow. Checking out this looping radar image we see showers falling locally over the ocean, most of which are light to moderately heavy. Most of this precipitation remains offshore, although some is falling as showers over the islands in places too.
Sunset Commentary: The long lasting high and middle level clouds of late have finally moved far enough east, that they are gone for most of the state…although are still present near the Big Island. The Big Island was still covered up with rather thick high cirrus clouds, as shown by this satellite image. We may see additional clearing of this high stuff over the next couple of days, although the models are suggesting that they could make another appearance beginning Thanksgiving Day. Meanwhile, lower level clouds continue to carry passing showers. These are riding in on the strong and gusty trade winds, at least at times. Thus, the windward sides are picking up the most generous precipitation totals. The leeward sides will see a few rain drops flying over there too, although on the smaller islands…rather than on the Big Island or Maui.
The trade winds were gusting up over 40 mph today, which makes them strong and gusty. The NWS is keeping the small craft wind advisories active over most of the state, although its not a total coverage. These autumn trades are going to be with us through the rest of this week, right on into early next week at least. They will remain blustery through mid-week, then relax a touch Thursday and Friday, before surging again this weekend. This surge in trade wind speeds will be thanks to both a strengthening high pressure system to our north then, and a cold front that will push through the state…with this surge in wind speeds following closely in its wake. The frontal passage will bring showers, although the following winds will quickly turn very dry. This suggests that those breezes may feel a little cool for a day or so…in a tropical sense that is.
Just a quick note about a very late season hurricane that’s churning the waters of the far eastern Pacific today. It’s name is Kenneth, and he spun up this past weekend. It’s getting very close to the end of the 2011 hurricane season, so that it’s unusual to find not only a hurricane spinning in the eastern Pacific…but also one that may attain the major hurricane designation over the next day or so. Since 1949, there have been just three eastern Pacific named storms that formed after November 18. If in fact Kenneth were to reach the major hurricane status, it would be the latest such occurrence in the eastern Pacific since the beginning of the satellite era! The good thing about the location of this strengthening hurricane, is that it’s staying away from the Mexican coast, and isn’t likely to impact any land areas through the remainder of its life cycle. Here’s a looping satellite image of this hurricane. By the way, this is just information, rather than any warning (whatsoever) for our Hawaiian Islands.
Here in Kihei, Maui at around 515pm Monday evening we have partly cloudy skies, although with more blue skies visible than I've seen in quite a few days…finally. As the readers who live on the Big Island know, they are still present there, although the rest of the state is clearing. Satellite imagery shows that we more showers looming to our east, which will be carried our way on the strong and gusty trade winds tonight into Tuesday. There are just enough leftover high cirrus clouds this evening, that we may see another nice sunset, at least here on Maui. I'm about ready to take the 40 minute drive back up Kula, and if I can get home in time, I'll enjoy my evening walk before it gets dark, which is often the case these days. I'll be up dark and early again on Tuesday, at which I'll begin preparing your next new weather narrative. I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Extra: Hello its Me…music video
Dream Weaver
Interesting: Researchers the world over are seeking reliable ways to predict earthquakes, focusing on identifying seismic precursors that, if detected early enough, could serve as early warnings. New research, published this week in the journal Applied Physics Letters, suggests that ozone gas emitted from fracturing rocks could serve as an indicator of impending earthquakes.
Ozone is a natural gas, a byproduct of electrical discharges into the air from several sources, such as from lightning, or, according to the new research, from rocks breaking under pressure. Scientists in the lab of Raúl A. Baragiola, a professor of engineering physics in the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science set up experiments to measure ozone produced by crushing or drilling into different igneous and metamorphic rocks, including granite, basalt, gneiss, rhyolite and quartz.
Different rocks produced different amounts of ozone, with rhyolite producing the strongest ozone emission. Some time prior to an earthquake, pressures begin to build in underground faults. These pressures fracture rocks, and presumably, would produce detectable ozone.
To distinguish whether the ozone was coming from the rocks or from reactions in the atmosphere, the researchers conducted experiments in pure oxygen, nitrogen, helium and carbon dioxide. They found that ozone was produced by fracturing rocks only in conditions containing oxygen atoms, such as air, carbon dioxide and pure oxygen molecules, indicating that it came from reactions in the gas.
This suggests that rock fractures may be detectable by measuring ozone. Baragiola began the study by wondering if animals, which seem — at least anecdotally — to be capable of anticipating earthquakes, may be sensitive to changing levels of ozone, and therefore able to react in advance to an earthquake.
It occurred to him that if fracturing rocks create ozone, then ozone detectors might be used as warning devices in the same way that animal behavioral changes might be indicators of seismic activity.
He said the research has several implications. "If future research shows a positive correlation between ground-level ozone near geological faults and earthquakes, an array of interconnected ozone detectors could monitor anomalous patterns when rock fracture induces the release of ozone from underground and surface cracks," he said.
"Such an array, located away from areas with high levels of ground ozone, could be useful for giving early warning to earthquakes." He added that detection of an increase of ground ozone might also be useful in anticipating disasters in tunnel excavation, landslides and underground mines.
Interesting2: People who believe there is a lot of disagreement among scientists about global warming tend to be less certain that global warming is happening and less supportive of climate policy, researchers at George Mason, San Diego State, and Yale Universities report in a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. A recent survey of climate scientists conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois found near unanimous agreement among climate scientists that human-caused global warming is happening.
This new George Mason University study, however, using results from a national survey of the American public, finds that many Americans believe that most climate scientists actually disagree about the subject.
In the national survey conducted in June 2010, two-thirds of respondents said they either believed there is a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not global warming is happening (45 percent), that most scientists think it is not happening (5 percent), or that they did not know enough to say (16 percent.)
These respondents were less likely to support climate change policies and to view climate change as a lower priority. By contrast, survey respondents who correctly understood that there is widespread agreement about global warming among scientists were themselves more certain that it is happening, and were more supportive of climate policies.
"Misunderstanding the extent of scientific agreement about climate change is important because it undermines people's certainty that climate change is happening, which in turn reduces their conviction that America should find ways to deal with the problem," says Edward Maibach, director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University.
Maibach argues that a campaign should be mounted to correct this misperception. "It is no accident that so many Americans misunderstand the widespread scientific agreement about human-caused climate change. A well-financed disinformation campaign deliberately created a myth about there being lack of agreement. The climate science community should take all reasonable measures to put this myth to rest."
Interesting3: The presence of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere last year reached its highest levels since pre-industrial times, a report released by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns today. The latest edition of WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which places special focus on rising nitrous oxide concentrations, also notes that the rate of increase of greenhouse gases has recently accelerated.
“Even if we managed to halt our greenhouse gas emissions today – and this is far from the case – they would continue to linger in the atmosphere for decades to come and so continue to affect the delicate balance of our living planet and our climate,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.
According to the report, the 20 years to 2010 saw a 29 per cent increase in “radiative forcing” – the warming effect the gases have on the Earth’s climate – from greenhouse gases, with carbon dioxide accounting for 80 per cent of this increase.
“Now more than ever before, we need to understand the complex, and sometimes unexpected, interactions between greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, Earth’s biosphere and oceans,” Mr. Jarraud said.
Human activities, such as fossil fuel burning and agriculture, are major emitters of greenhouse gases, which trap radiation within the Earth’s atmosphere, causing it to warm and spur climate change. Speaking at a press conference earlier today, WMO Deputy Secretary-General Jeremiah Lengoasa called for further development in the alternative energy sector to stem the rapid growth of greenhouse gases.
“Unless there is the investment made by funding alternative energy sources that are non-polluting, in particular as a viable substitute for fossil fuels, then the kind of steps that are required in scientific terms to cap or stem the growth would not happen and so we anticipate that these investments have to be made,” he told reporters.
Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are the three main contributors to greenhouse gasses, with carbon dioxide’s atmospheric abundance rising by 39 per cent since the start of the industrial era in about 1750.
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