Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday:
Lihue, Kauai – 82
Honolulu airport, Oahu – 85
Kaneohe, Oahu – 75
Molokai airport – 82
Kahului airport, Maui – 86 (Highest recorded temperature Sunday – 91 / 1980)
Kona airport – 84
Hilo airport, Hawaii – 82
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain top around the state…as of 5pm Sunday evening:
Honolulu, Oahu – 82
Princeville, Kauai – 75
Haleakala Summit – M (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 45 (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 not always working correctly.
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
Moderately strong trade winds…increasing a notch
Occasional windward showers…generally
during the nights and early mornings
As this weather map shows, we have a large near 1029 millibar high pressure system to the north-northwest of the islands. Our local winds will remain active from the trade wind direction…a little lighter today and Monday…then strengthening Tuesday.
The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Sunday evening:
25 Waimea Heights, Kauai – ENE
35 Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
21 Molokai – NE
30 Kahoolawe – NE
36 Kahului, Maui – NE
30 Lanai – NE
36 Puu Mali, Big Island – ESE
We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean. Here's the latest NOAA satellite picture – the latest looping satellite image…and finally the latest looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands.
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Sunday evening:
0.66 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.48 Nuuanu Upper, Oahu
0.19 Molokai
0.05 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.43 Puu Kukui, Maui
0.11 Honaunau, Big Island
Sunset Commentary: Our trade winds will remain at moderately strong levels, and then nudge up some later Monday. There's a good likelihood that these trade winds will be strong enough to prompt small craft wind advisories for those windiest areas in Maui County and the Big Island then, lasting for several days. There will continue to be a few off and on showers falling along our windward sides, running at about normal levels for the most part. These showers won't stretch over into leeward sides very much, with generally dry conditions prevailing there. There are no signs of heavy showers in the forecast well into the future.
As this large view satellite image shows, we have about the average amount of patchy clouds to our east, nothing unusual in sight. Meanwhile, there continues to be those brighter white, high and middle level clouds to the northwest through southwest of our islands. Here's a closer look at our islands using this satellite picture…so we can keep track of those clouds upstream of the islands…as they continue to be carried in our direction on the gusty trade wind flow. In sum, not all that many showers anywhere in the state for the time being, with pulses arriving occasionally along our north and east facing windward sides, during the night and early morning hours for the most part. The Kona and Kau slopes, on the Big Island, should see a few showers falling during the afternoon hours locally too.
This past Friday evening I took the drive down to Kahului to see a new film, one that I wasn't overly excited about seeing, although it was getting high grades by the critics. It was called Moonshine Kingdom, starring Jared Gilman, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Kara Hayward, Bill Murray and Frances McDormand…among many others. The synopsis: set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl's parents. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl. As almost always, I didn't have high hopes going to see a comedy about kids, although I've been fooled before, and I was again! I ended up liking it quite a bit. It was touching and very real, and yet had a few twists and turns…and even a tad bit of a sexy edge to it in a few places. I feel comfortable giving it a good strong B grade, perhaps something in between that and a B+. Here's the trailer…which for once doesn't need me to warn you about violence or the like!
Here in Kula, Maui at 515pm, it was partly cloudy and lightly breezy…with an air temperature of 77.2F degrees. As noted above, our trade winds will continue blowing, carrying those few windward biased showers our way periodically. The winds will be kicking up some soon, although there's nothing unusual about that. Small craft wind advisories have been hoisted over parts of Maui County and the Big Island tonight, a common occurrence this time of year. All looks well and fine, with nothing of threat in our long range Hawaiian Island weather picture, at least not in the moment. ~~~ I'll be back early Monday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Sunday night wherever you're spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Extra: youtube videos: People are Awesome 2011 // People are Awesome 3
[World-wide tropical cyclone activity:
Central Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Eastern Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Western Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
South Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
South and North Indian Oceans: There are no active tropical cyclones
Interesting: Pour a cup of tea, let it steep, and then take a sip as you ponder this fact: After water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world, with 15,000 cups drunk per second. Tea is everywhere — in our cafes, our kitchens, our offices, schools and stores — but how many of us really know the story of each leaf as it travels from field to cup?
The tea supply chain is a complex trade network with many different players. Each and every farmer, worker, exporter, importer, processor, auctioneer, buying agent, retailer, café worker and tea drinker in the chain played an important role in bringing you the world's favorite beverage.
Historically, low market prices for tea have led to poor labor and living conditions for both tea garden workers and tea farmers at the beginning of this supply chain, encapsulating them in a cycle of poverty and hardship.
Fair Trade certification seeks to stop this cycle, giving tea garden farmers and workers in eleven different countries the chance to lift themselves out of poverty, improve their communities, and protect their environment.
Since the Fair Trade Certified™ tea program began in late 2000, certified imports by U.S. traders have totaled more than 9.2 million pounds and generated more than $3.1 million in premium payments to producer groups.
This impact was driven by businesses like Honest Tea, Runa, and Numi, and supplemented by growing awareness and demand from U.S. consumers.
In fact, the annual growth rate of tea imports from 2010 to 2011 increased by 21 percent, reaching imports of over two million pounds for the first time in Fair Trade USA's history.
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