Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / May 10-11, 2013

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

79  Lihue, Kauai
82  Honolulu, Oahu
78  Molokai
87  Kahului, Maui
85  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 930pm Friday evening:

Kailua Kona – 78
Lihue, Kauai – 71

Haleakala Summit –   46  (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

Strengthening trade winds…numerous windward showers

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

15  Poipu, Kauai – NE
38  Kuaokala, Oahu – N
16  Molokai – NNE
27  Kahoolawe – N
16  Lipoa, Maui – NE
20  Upolu airport, Big Island – NE

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

1.02  Wainiha, Kauai
0.39  Moanalua RG, Oahu
0.46  Molokai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.88  Wailuku, Maui
0.55  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 image… and finally the latest looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands.

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

The trade winds have returned…and will become stronger this weekend. Here’s a weather chart showing high pressure centers far to the northeast and to the northwest of the state. At the same time, we find low pressure systems far to the north-northeast, with the tail-end of an associated cold fronts just over the Big Island. High pressure will become the dominate weather feature this weekend, with locally blustery trades taking over…lasting well into the new week ahead.

Satellite imagery shows more or less northeast to southwest cloud bands…stretched across the windward sides of islands. Much of this cloudiness is around thanks to the old late season cold front, that passing through last weekend…and has been hanging around the Big Island for awhile. This moisture source will keep lots of passing showers over the windward sides through the weekend into Monday. Here’s the looping radar image, showing a few showers falling locally along the windward sides of all the islands.

Friday evening film: I going to see a new one tonight, after having dinner with my neighbor and his daughter. This time around, we’ll be seeing one called Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Tye Sheridan, Sam Shepard, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, and Paul Sparks. The synopsis: two boys, Ellis and his friend Neckbone, who find a man named Mud hiding out on an island in the Mississippi. Mud describes fantastic scenarios — he killed a man in Texas and vengeful bounty hunters are coming to get him. He says he is planning to meet and escape with the love of his life, Juniper, who is waiting for him in town. Skeptical but intrigued, Ellis and Neckbone agree to help him. It isn’t long until Mud’s visions come true and their small town is besieged by a beautiful girl with a line of bounty hunters in tow. This film is getting high ratings, with one popular reviewing website giving it a 98% liking out of 100! I’ll be sure to let you know what I think Saturday morning, until then, here’s the trailer.

Here on Maui [450pm Friday, HST]:  Today was finally back to normal, at least for the most part. I just got a text from a friend on the windward side of east Maui, and she said it was raining over that way. The leeward beaches were sunny as all get out, and it’s that way here in Kula at the moment too. The windward sides better get used to having rainfall, as for you folks down on the Big Island over the next several days too. The rest of the state will see some passing windward showers as well, although probably not as many. The north shores will have larger waves than usual Saturday, for this time of year at least. The leeward sides, those south and west facing shores, will find a large south swell arriving later next Wednesday into Thursday. Here in Kula, the temperature was a nice warm 76.3F degrees, while at the same time down at the Kahului airport, it was near 80 degrees.  I’ll be back with your next new weather narrative Saturday morning, I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you happen to be spending it, Aloha for now…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: There are no active tropical cyclones

North and South Indian Oceans: Tropical cyclone 24S (Jamala) remains active in the South Indian Ocean…located approximately 900 NM east-southeasat of Diego Garcia. Sustained winds were 35 knots, with gusts to near 45 knots. Here’s the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) graphical track map, along with a satellite image.

North Arabian Sea: Tropical cyclone 01B (Mahasen) remains active in the North Indian Ocean…located approximately 830 NM south-southwest of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Sustained winds were 50 knots, with gusts to near 65 knots. Here’s the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) graphical track map, along with a satellite image.