Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / March 5-6, 2012

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

Lihue, Kauai –                     70  
Honolulu airport, Oahu –       74   
Kaneohe, Oahu –                 M
Molokai airport –                 71
Kahului airport, Maui –           71 
Kona airport –                       81
Hilo airport, Hawaii –           73 

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 6pm Monday evening:

Kailua-kona – 77
Lihue, Kauai – 63

Haleakala Crater –  37 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea –         27 (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…although this webcam is often not working correctly.

 Aloha Paragraphs

(you will have reload/refresh this page to get the latest radar image…if you stay on this page)

Showers or rain, locally heavy…with isolated thunderstorms over
Kauai, Oahu and Maui County Tuesday…showers elsewhere

Wind advisory Big Island summits

As this weather map shows, we have strong high pressure systems to the northeast and north of the islands. At the same time we have a low pressure system closer to the north-northeast, with its associated cold front located in the channel between Kauai and Oahu. Our winds will be generally light and variable in direction…stronger near Kauai tonight. 

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Monday evening:

45                    Lihue, Kauai – NE 
13                 Wheeler AFB, Oahu – SE
05                 Molokai – N  
22                 Kahoolawe – NE   
10                 Lipoa, Maui – ESE  
06                 Lanai – NNW
21                 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 Monday evening.  Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see low, middle and high level clouds over the ocean, stretching over the islands in places…especially near Kauai, Oahu and Maui County. We can use this looping satellite image to see heavy duty showery clouds over parts of the state, with thunderstorms popping-up in places. At the same time, we have a large swath of high clouds streaming up from the tropics…with the northern edge close to the Big Island at the time of this writing. Checking out this looping radar image we see light to moderate showers, with heavy ones too…especially around Oahu, Kauai, and parts of Maui County at the time of this writing.

Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Monday evening
 
15.02               Hanalei, Kauai
7.30               Waihee Pump, Oahu!
0.43               Molokai
0.75               Kahoolawe
1.23               Ulupalakua, Maui
0.52               Kealakomo, Big Island  

Sunset Commentary:  The atmosphere remains unstable and shower prone over the islands, especially near Kauai, Oahu and Maui County. There are still those showery clouds that continue to bring locally heavy rainfall, and even severe thunderstorms located over the ocean…although over the islands in many places too. Meanwhile, there will continues to be lots of moisture in our area, which will keep conditions off and on wet through Tuesday, tapering off some by mid-week.

A cold front/trough is very near Kauai now, in the channel between there and Oahu. This frontal boundary will act as a focus for more locally heavy rainfall, and thus keeping the good possibility of more flooding for the islands. The Big Island won't be under this most intense rain shield, although is apt to see at least some shower activity continuing. It appears that we'll have to wait until around Wednesday or Thursday before we see this inclement weather pattern finally starting to shift away. This will keep the threat of rainfall in our weather forecast, particularly over the the island chain tonight through Tuesday. 

Here in Kula, Maui at 530ppm HST, we had calm winds, cloudy skies, with threatening skies…but no rain at the moment. We certainly had a good downpour at mid-day, with what looks like more not far to the west of here at the time of this writing. Satellite imagery still shows very heavy duty clouds around Kauai, some of which are extending to Oahu into Maui County now too. This looping radar image shows that there is still rainfall happening over and around the islands, especially focusing on Kauai as we head into our sunset hour. All of the islands have received some of this wet weather, with more showers taking aim on the entire state…with the exception of the Big Island at this time.

I would highly suggest that folks drive with extreme care, especially if you find yourself in one of these localized heavy downpours during your commute back home from work. The NWS has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Kauai now, which means that flooding is a sure thing. The soils over many parts of the state are totally saturated, which means that more precipitation will lead to quick flooding situations.  I'll be keeping a close eye on this very wet and unsettled weather pattern, and will come back online this evening. I'll then return early Tuesday morning with your next new sunrise commentary. I hope you have a great Monday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Long dry spells have been a problem in various parts of the world including China, Africa, Russia, Australia, the southern and western United States, and Western Europe. Many are hoping that this is just a cyclical nuisance and not evidence of a permanent change in climate patterns. England in particular is used to being a damp and rainy island, but has been surprised now with three straight winters of drought-level precipitation.

The first to notice and be affected by the changing levels of rainfall are the farmers. However, now public officials are beginning to worry about the long-term stability of their water supplies and the effects that lower rainfall will have on the environment as a whole.

The European Union is taking a lead role in making water resources an important issue in the international community. Occurring next week in Marseille, France, is the World Water Forum, a meeting to discuss the status of water supplies around the world and steps that must be done to protect them.

At the June UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, EU officials intend to make water conservation a major agenda item. Furthermore, the European Commission has named 2012 as the Year of Water, planning an in depth review of the continent's water legislation and policies.

France, Spain, Portugal, and large sections of England have all been affected by recent droughts. As major agricultural areas, many are concerned with food output. The level of food supply would also then affect food prices. In Europe, the issue is mostly a lack of rainfall.

However, around the world, officials agree that the biggest source of water shortages is how the water is used. First of all, populations are exploding in the regions that already strained with water supplies. This includes the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.

In many areas, water is wasted with over-watering crops and gardens, taking long showers, or just general abuse. Just as importantly, water quality is reduced, especially in developing nations, due to pollution. EU officials urge significant steps be taken immediately to protect what is left of the world's water supplies, in order to avoid future social and ecological disasters. European nations are doing what they have to do to be prepared, but cannot do it for the rest of the world.