Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Saturday:
Lihue, Kauai – 80
Honolulu airport, Oahu – 83
Kaneohe, Oahu – 80
Molokai airport – 81
Kahului airport, Maui – 85 (Record high temperature on this date – 87F / (1984, 1996)
Kona airport – 79
Hilo airport, Hawaii – 81
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Saturday evening:
Honolulu, Oahu – 81
Hilo, Hawaii – 74
Haleakala Crater – 48 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 34 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)
Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live web cam on the summit of near 13,800 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. Here's the Haleakala Crater webcam on Maui…which is working only sometimes lately.
Aloha Paragraphs
Trade winds – a few windward showers –
nice weather Sunday…voggy weather coming
Small craft wind advisory eastern islands
As this weather map shows low pressure systems to the north and northwest, along with an associated cold front draping southwest. At the same time we have near 1024 millibar high pressure systems sitting out to our east-northeast and northeast, with an associated ridge not far to the north of Kauai. The location of these low pressure systems, and this ridge of high pressure will result in light to moderately strong trade winds Saturday night, strongest near the Big Island and Maui County. Our winds will remain active from the east to east-northeast through Sunday…veering to the southeast to south during the first part of the new week ahead. Lighter southeast to southwest winds will prevail through the remainder of the work week, with trade winds potentially returning next weekend.
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Saturday evening:
23 Port Allen, Kauai – E
24 Kahuku, Oahu – ENE
21 Molokai – NE
38 Kahoolawe – NE
29 Kahului, Maui – NE
08 Lanai – SE
30 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 Saturday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see just a few low level clouds to our to our northeast and southwest, and to the south of the Big Island. We can use this looping satellite image to see a large area of clouds moving towards the state from the northwest. The lower level clouds upstream of the islands are being in our direction on the trade winds. Checking out this looping radar image we see just a few light showers over the ocean for the most part, although coming into windward sides at times.
Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Saturday evening:
0.02 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.19 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.10 Puu Kukui, Maui
0.01 Pohakuloa Keamuku, Big Island
Sunset Commentary: The trade winds will blow across all of the islands tonight, into the first part of Sunday. A high pressure ridge remains north of Kauai at the moment, which has allowed these winds to fill in to its south. The current trade wind episode will be short-lived, as southeast to south winds begin as we push into the new week ahead. An approaching cold front will help to push our high pressure ridge down over the islands again starting Monday. This will prompt lighter winds, blowing from the southeast to southwest. These breezes will draw up tropical moisture locally, first on the Big Island end of the chain, gradually reaching Oahu and Kauai with time. Those same models suggest that we could be looking for more rainfall towards the end of the new week ahead, as another cold front gets closer, or even moves into the state. We'll also see volcanic haze increasing across the state during the new week, along with rather muggy conditions as well.
Here in Kula, Maui at around 615pm HST, it was clear, with an air temperature of 66.7F degrees. As I was mentioning above, the trade winds will prevail for the moment, providing just a few windward biased showers, with generally dry weather prevailing everywhere. Conditions will remain generally nice through Sunday into the first part of the new week ahead. The next change will occur as a cold front approaches the state, prompting a change in our wind directions…among other things. The trade winds will give way to southeast to south breezes, drawing warmer and more humid air into the state, along with an increase in volcanic haze. The cold front to our northwest will stall, and park itself there for several days, like the one last week did. It will have a bearing on our weather, like the previous one did, with shower bearing clouds being drawn across our islands, especially along our leeward slopes at times here and there. Then, later in the new week it could turn wetter, as the cold front finally gets pushed down into the state, especially on the Kauai end of the state…into the weekend.
Friday evening I went to see a new film with a friend in Kahului. This new film is getting good reviews from the critics, and is called Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Rennter, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton…among many others. The synopsis: blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates "Ghost Protocol". Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency's name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know. The tough scoring rotten tomatoes website is giving this a very high 93% rating, which is the top ranked film of the week! As it turned out, it was a good film, although didn't impress me quite as much as many of the films that I've been seeing lately. It was full of the required action, although over all it left me wanting a bit more edge. I will give this film a B grade, while here's a trailer for this film.
I had a great day, starting off with a nice long fast walk this morning, followed by a great breakfast in the early sunshine on my weather deck. I hung out a little while, before taking the drive down to Paia for my weekly food shopping excursion. I made my way back upcountry, with nearly clear skies in all directions. I had a quick lunch, and met some friends for a wonderful walk up in the Olinda Forest. There were adults and some younger kids along, which added a great touch to being out hiking. The weather was perfect, with not a cloud in the sky, where often this area can be fogged-in and cloudy. I'm home to update this website, and for a quick dinner, before heading out for an evening social engagement this evening. The weather just couldn't be better here in the Hawaiian Islands now, as evidenced by this satellite image, showing a very dry and near cloud free reality…with most of the few clouds near the Big Island at the time of this writing. I'll be back Sunday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise, I hope you have a great Saturday night until then! Aloha, Glenn.
Extra: music video…Hall & Oates – Sarah Smiles
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