Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / August 29-30, 2013

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Thursday:

84  Lihue, Kauai
88  Honolulu, Oahu
84  Molokai
88  Kahului, Maui
87  Kona, Hawaii
83  Hilo, Hawaii

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops on Maui and the Big Island…as of 810pm Thursday evening:

Kailua Kona  – 81
Hilo, Hawaii – 73

Haleakala Summit –   46  (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 39 (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.

Aloha Paragraphs

Our local winds…will be somewhat lighter than usual for a few more days

A few light windward showers…some afternoon upcountry leeward

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

16  Poipu, Kauai – NE
28  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE 
22  Molokai – N
27  Lanai – NE
27  Kahoolawe – NE
25  Kapalua, Maui – NE
24  Upolu airport, Big Island – NE

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

1.64  Kilohana, Kauai
0.55  St. Stephens, Oahu
0.08  Molokai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.00  Lanai
0.33  Ulupalakua, Maui
0.42  Pahala, 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 will be a bit lighter than usual into the first part of the weekend. Here’s a weather chart showing a near 1023 millibar high pressure system located to the north-northwest of the islands. There will continue to be unusual softness in our trade wind flow through most of Saturday. The outlook suggests that moderately strong trade winds will rebound later Saturday or Sunday for a few days. The models then show our winds easing back again starting around the middle of next week for several days.

Localized modest windward showers…a few afternoon upcountry leeward showers too. Satellite imagery shows hardly any clouds out over the ocean upwind of the state, with a few covering parts of the islands. Here’s the looping radar image, showing a few light to moderate showers offshore of the lee sides of the islands. As the clouds offshore to our north and northeast arrive at times, we’ll see a little shower activity along our windward coasts and slopes…mostly at night. The leeward upcountry areas may see a few showers again Friday afternoon.

Reflections from Maui: Here on Maui today, skies were mostly clear to partly cloudy all day. The one exception was for heavy clouds that developed over the leeward slopes of the Haleakala Crater during the afternoon hours. These clouds dumped some good rainfall over Keokea and Ulupalakua. Elsewhere, even here next door in upper Kula, we saw not much more than a few minor drops for a few minutes. Looking down towards the beaches at the time of this writing, all of them, I see generally clear skies before sunset. I would expect a repeat performance on Friday, with more generally great late summer weather conditions prevailing. I’ll be back early Friday morning with your next new weather narrative. I hope you have a great Thursday night wherever you happen to be spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

TROPICAL STORM FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE OVER
EXTREME WESTERN AFRICA IS PRODUCING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.  
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS APPEAR CONDUCIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT...AND A
TROPICAL DEPRESSION COULD FORM OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. 
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS ARE LIKELY IN THE CAPE VERDE
ISLANDS AS THE WAVE NEARS THAT AREA LATE SATURDAY.  THIS SYSTEM HAS
A MEDIUM CHANCE...40 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE
DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.  AFTER THAT TIME...ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS SHOULD SUPPORT SOME DEVELOPMENT WHILE THE LOW MOVES
TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST OVER THE EASTERN ATLANTIC.  THE SYSTEM
HAS A HIGH CHANCE...60 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE
DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS.  

A TROPICAL WAVE LOCATED ABOUT 850 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES
IS PRODUCING A LARGE AREA OF DISORGANIZED CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS
OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC OCEAN.  ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORMS HAVE
RECENTLY INCREASED...THIS WAVE IS FORECAST TO MOVE WESTWARD INTO A
REGION WHERE THE UPPER-LEVEL WINDS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY FAVORABLE
FOR DEVELOPMENT. THIS SYSTEM HAS A LOW CHANCE...10 PERCENT...OF
BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND A LOW
CHANCE...20 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE
NEXT 5 DAYS.

Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

Interesting: Sea otter return providing lifeline for dwindling seagrass in California – A significant improvement in the health of seagrass in a central Californian estuary is due to the return of sea otters, according to recent research.

Seagrass has been suffering drastic declines worldwide, and coastal California is no exception. Urbanization has led to a massive increase in nutrient pollution along the state’s coast, with run-off from fields treated with nitrogen-rich fertilizers being blamed for the reduction in seagrass beds in the region. However, new research has revealed that the return of sea otter populations to the area may be enabling seagrass levels to recover.

Sea otters were hunted to near extinction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mainly for their dense pelt which was extremely sought-after for the fur trade. This latest research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggests that the drastic reduction in sea otter numbers may have exacerbated the decline of seagrass in the region.”

Sea otters are now returning to the area, and, despite the continued pollution of the ocean, the water-dwelling plants are now doing much better. It is thought that the return of sea otters has triggered a complex ecological chain reaction which favors the survival of seagrass.

Seagrass saviour

Scientists assessed seagrass levels in part of Monterey Bay, California, over the past 50 years, mapping increases and declines. A whole host of factors which could potentially affect seagrass levels were studied, but the only one which matched the recorded changes was sea otter numbers. The health of the marine ecosystem relies upon a delicate balance of predator and prey species, and scientists have theorized that it is a readjustment in this balance that is now enabling seagrass to thrive.

Increased nutrients in the ocean due to fertilizer run-off have favored the growth of a particular type of algae which grows on seagrass, shading the leaves and causing them to die off. Ordinarily, this algae is kept in check by small invertebrates which feed upon it, but with the reduction in sea otters came an increase in one of its main food sources — crabs. Crabs feed on marine invertebrates, so higher numbers of crabs meant fewer invertebrates to keep algae levels down, therefore contributing to the drastic reduction in seagrass.