Air Temperatures The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday afternoon:

Lihue, Kauai –                         76  
Honolulu airport, Oahu –      82  

Molokai airport –                     77
Kahului airport, Maui –            79 

Kona airport     –                    81   

Hilo airport, Hawaii –               79

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops around the state…as of 530m Saturday morning:

Barking Sands, Kauai – 71
Port Allen, Kauai – 54

Haleakala Summit    28       (near 10,000 feet on Maui)

Mauna Loa Summit –  M      (13,000+ feet on the Big Island)

Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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…if it's available.

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.  The 2012 hurricane season is over in the eastern and central Pacific…resuming on May 15th and June 1st 2013.

 

Aloha Paragraphs

http://static.grindtv.com/images/1/00/38/80/17/388017.jpg
 

High Surf Warning ~ extra large surf Saturday
  on the north and west shores…gradually lowering ~ be
careful if you go near those beaches where large waves
are breaking!


Small Craft Advisory for extra large northwest swell 

High Wind Warning for summits on the Big Island…
gusts to 65+ mph

Northerly breezes, keeping a cool feeling
in the air this weekend


A light shower producing cold front, followed by
breezy and cool north winds…and generally
dry weather this weekend 

~~~Air temperature at 620m HST Saturday morning,
clear skies, cool and breezy…at my upcountry
Kula, Maui weather tower: 48.7F
degrees~~~



The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Friday evening:

25       Lihue, Kauai – N 

24       Waiane Harbor, Oahu – NW   

21       Molokai – NW   
   
22       Kahoolawe – NE

20       Kapalua, Maui – NE
 

20       South Point, Big Island – SW


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

 

0.08          Kilohana, Kauai
0.09          Kaneohe, Oahu

0.01          Molokai

0.00          Kahoolawe
0.00          Lanai

0.02          Kahului airport, Maui
0.11          Honokaa, Big Island  


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 imageand finally the latest looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands.


                   ~~~ Hawaii Weather Commentary ~~~
 


Our winds will be strengthening from the north this weekend. Here's a weather chart showing high pressure centers located far to the northeast and northwest of Hawaii. At the same time, we see the tail-end of a weak cold front to the east of the Big Island this evening. A second cold front is pushing through the state, although will be dissipating near the Big Island Saturday. Our winds will be increasing from the north in the wake of this front…lasting through the weekend. Winds will gradually shift to the northeast and east-northeast, the classic trade wind direction, later Sunday into the new work week ahead. This trade wind flow will become strong and gusty, although rainfall will be less than normal, even along our along our windward sides, with very few…if any showers on our leeward sides.

Here's a satellite image , showing variable clouds over the state…with some clear areas in places too.   If you look closely, you'll find the weak cold front that passed over Kauai earlier today, and was moving across Oahu early this evening. It will likely keep going, reaching Maui County later tonight…and perhaps will have just enough energy to reach the northern part of the Big Island Saturday morning. A drier and cool air mass moves into the state on the heels of this weak cold front. These breezes will blow in the light to locally moderate range, locally quite gusty in nature. The dry air and gustiness will keep folks feeling a bit chilly Saturday. The air flow will gradually veer around to the classic trade wind directions by Monday, which will be warmer than these winds coming down from more northern latitudes of the Pacific. They will become quite strong Monday into Tuesday…lasting through mid-week at least. There will be some passing showers being carried our way on these blustery winds, although will be quite limited due to a lack of moisture riding in on these trade winds. ~~~ I'll be back Saturday morning with your next new weather narrative.  I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you're spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Friday evening film, again there are so many good ones to see! This time I'm choosing one of the action films, called Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Alexia Fast, Robert Duval…among many others. The synopsis:
Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me. And sure enough, ex-military investigator Jack Reacher is coming. He knows this shooter-a trained military sniper who never should have missed a shot. Reacher is certain something is not right-and soon the slam-dunk case explodes. Now Reacher is teamed with a beautiful young defense lawyer, moving closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. Reacher knows that no two opponents are created equal. This one has come to the heartland from his own kind of hell. And Reacher knows that the only way to take him down is to match his ruthlessness and cunning-and then beat him shot for shot.

The critics are giving good scores for this film, saying: "Jack Reacher is an above-average crime thriller with a smoothly charismatic performance from Tom Cruise." This sound good to me, so I'll check it out this evening, and get back to you Saturday morning with my thoughts. Here's the trailer, just in case you might be interested in taking a peek. Please be forewarned however, that this isn't a light weight film, no doubt about it!

World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean Sea:
  There are no active tropical cyclones

Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones

Eastern Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

Central Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Western Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

South Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones 

North and South Indian Oceans:  There are no active tropical cyclones 


Interesting:
 
Two new reports reiterate the scientific veracity of anthropogenic climate change, while reinforcing the interconnectedness of the economy and the environment. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Risks Report 2013 clearly points to the interrelationship between the environment and the economy. A draft of the third National Climate Assessment Report indicates that climate change is both an environmental and economic issue.

The draft report was prepared by a federal committee and offers a comprehensive analysis of the latest and best peer-reviewed science on the extent and impacts of global warming on the US. The report restates the fact that climate change will have a wide range of impacts ranging from agriculture to water.

The draft report was prepared by a Federal Advisory Committee known as the "National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee" (NCADAC). The report was mandated by Congress in 1990 with the passage of the Global Change Research Act, which requires that a national climate assessment be conducted every four years and the results be issued to the President and Congress.

As a consequence of the 1990 legislation, the US Global Change Research Program was formed, which is an inter-governmental body involving 13 federal agencies and departments. The 2013 NCADAC report, which engaged more than 240 authors, indicated that one of the salient reasons given for the rapidly changing climate is the copious burning of fossil fuels.

Following two consecutive years of extreme weather, the report makes the connection between the increased incidence and severity of extreme weather and anthropogenic climate change. According to Munich Reinsurance America, the North America has seen a five-fold increase in natural disasters in the past 30 years.

In 2011, the German reinsurance giant also produced a report called "Severe Weather in North America." According to the report, between 1980 and 2011, the overall losses from weather catastrophes was over $1 trillion. In 2012, there were a record number of extreme weather events which were eclipsed only by the number of such events in 2011.

Hurricane Sandy alone cost an estimated $60 billion. In an emailed statement, Gene Karpinski, the president of the League of Conservation Voters, said the NCADAC report confirms what many Americans already know: "If we put off action on climate change, the costs of addressing its impacts will only rise and this extreme weather will be just the beginning. This report should serve as a wake-up call that it's time to act."