Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday:
80 Lihue, Kauai
86 Honolulu, Oahu
82 Molokai
89 Kahului, Maui
84 Kona, Hawaii
83 Hilo, Hawaii
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops around the state… as of 810pm Wednesday evening:
Kailua Kona – 79
Hilo, Hawaii – 71
Haleakala Summit – 45 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 36 (13,000+ 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 – if it’s working.
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
Trade winds into Thursday…a few windward showers
The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Wednesday evening:
18 Waimea Heights, Kauai – SE
25 Kahuku Trng, Oahu – ESE
21 Molokai – NE
36 Kahoolawe – ENE
28 Kahului, Maui – NE
24 Upolu airport, Big Island – NE
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Wednesday evening:
0.12 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.55 Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.00 Maui
0.21 Kapapala Ranch, 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 image… and finally the latest looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands.
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Returning trade winds through Friday morning, then slowing down again later Friday into the weekend. Here’s a weather chart showing a near 1037 millibar high pressure system, located far to the northeast of the islands. This high pressure cell has an associated ridge of high pressure extending southwest from its center, over the ocean to our northeast. At the same time, we find what’s left of a dissipating cold front over the ocean to northwest. The trade winds will remain active Thursday, although ease up again Friday, as the next cold front approaches the Kauai side of the chain into the weekend. The localized voggy weather will stick around, until the trade winds finally ventilate it away…around the middle of next week.
Satellite imagery shows clear to partly cloudy skies over the island chain…with just a few minor high clouds to the northwest. As the trade winds continue into Thursday, they will help to carry a few clouds to the windward sides of the islands. The windward sides will be the collecting points for these clouds tonight into Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon will find the typical formation of afternoon clouds, prompted by the daytime heating of the islands. Here’s the looping radar image, showing the trades carrying just a few scattered showers along. We’ll see those incoming clouds bringing a modest increase in windward biased showers locally into Thursday…mostly during the night and early morning hours. We’ll see increased afternoon clouds developing around the leeward sections Friday into the upcoming weekend and beyond, with showers falling locally then too.
The latest forecast continues showing another late season cold front approaching the island chain…Friday into the weekend. This front’s approach will bring lighter winds to us, from the southeast direction, and more voggy conditions between about this Saturday and next Wednesday…a long time! These lighter winds will bring us into a convective weather pattern, with showers falling from clouds that develop over the interior sections of the islands during the afternoon hours. If we can believe the models that far out, we can say goodbye to the trade winds for an extended 5-6 day period. Looking even further ahead, the models are now showing yet another cold front riding down toward the island chain around next Wednesday or Thursday. If this front gets close enough, it would provide precipitation along our windward sides…as the trade winds will be blowing then.
Here on Maui [535pm Wednesday, HST]: The vog is just about gone, with only a hint of its prior denseness still around. The main thing today was the push of trade winds across our island, not only clearing the haze, but also bringing back a certain freshness to our atmosphere…which we haven’t seen for many days. Clouds formed around the edges, and over the mountains this afternoon, although not a drop of anything wet fell here at my place in Kula. Speaking of Kula, the air temperature was 73.4F degrees at the moment, while at the same time, the Kahului airport was showing a warm 84 degrees. I’d expect a few passing showers tonight over our windward sides, although not many. The leeward sides will remain totally dry, as it has been for too long. I’m not sure if you noticed what I was writing about above, although the GFS computer weather model now shows…not only another cold front approaching early this weekend, but also yet another one for next Wednesday. The Navy model doesn’t show next Wednesday’s front, and instead suggests just normal trade wind conditions, stay tuned. I sure wish one of these frontal cloud bands would reach down here to Maui County, as we’re definitely dry now! I’ll be back again early Thursday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise, I hope you have a great Wednesday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha, Glenn
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: Tropical cyclone 23P (Zane) remains active in the northern Coral Sea, located approximately 270 NM north-northwest of Cairns, Australia. The JTWC is showing 35 knot sustained winds, with gusts to 45 knots. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with the satellite image. – Final Warning
North and South Indian Oceans: There are no active tropical cyclones
Email Glenn James: 
cjoffenbach Says:
hawaii has been dodging bullets in rhe past few decades in regards to hurricanes, what is this years forecast as to probabilities in our central pacific region?~~~Hi, the official Central Pacific Hurricane Center’s 2013 outlook comes out later this month…and I will share that with everyone on this website then. Aloha, Glenn
Denise Says:
Aloha Glenn! Thanks as ever for your fantastic daily narratives. It is my required reading whether I am on the mainland or in Hawaii. Headed back to Maui next week Thursday for a month. I notice that the weather is warmer than usual lately but you said a cold front might be in the offing around next Wednesday. What should I expect? Mahalo!~~~Hi Denise, good to hear from you, there on the mainland…and getting ready to travel back here for a month – yahooo. As for that cold front next week, I wouldn’t count too heavy on it, as we are into the month of May, which is very late for cold frontal activity. It might brush by to our north, softening our winds, but otherwise, I’d be expecting lots of trade winds blowing during your stay here. Have fun! Aloha, Glenn
Neil Says:
Hi Glenn always like your wether input, last time i saw you was casanova s
Are we going to see any decent southswell any time soon?
Neil~~~Hi Neil, good to hear from you. Yes, as a matter of fact, we should see larger surf arriving by Sunday into the early part of next week! Aloha, Glenn