Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha Paragraphs / September 3-4, 2013

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

86  Lihue, Kauai
85  Honolulu, Oahu
83  Molokai
87  Kahului, Maui
87  Kona, Hawaii
86  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 210am Wednesday morning:

Kailua Kona – 77
Hana airport, Maui – 68

Haleakala Summit –   43  (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 41 (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 trade winds will remain active…although become
gradually lighter through Friday

A few windward showers…leeward upcountry showers
possible Wednesday-Friday afternoons 

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

22  Port Allen, Kauai – W
33  Kuaokala, Oahu – N
21  Molokai – NNE
33  Lanai – NE
21  Kahoolawe – E
23  Kapalua, Maui – NE
29  PTA West, Big Island – NW

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

0.25  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.11  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.06  Molokai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.00  Lanai
0.08  Ulupalakua, Maui
0.23  Mountain View, 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 gradually weaken during the second half of this work week…rebounding some by the weekend. Here’s a weather chart showing two near 1022 millibar high pressure systems located to the north and north-northeast of the islands. The forecast calls for our winds easing back through Friday…recovering by the weekend into early next week.

Just a few windward showers, mostly during the night and early mornings…with increasing clouds and upcountry afternoon showers locally by Wednesday. Satellite imagery scattered low level clouds over the ocean to our northeast…along with some high cirrus clouds to our southwest. Here’s the looping radar image, showing generally light showers offshore of the islands. As the clouds to our northeast and east arrive at times, we’ll find light shower activity along our windward coasts and slopes. As the trade winds ease up during the second half of the week, we should see a modest increase in afternoon upcountry clouds and showers. As we push into the weekend, we may see tropical moisture arriving along our windward sides both Saturday and Sunday.

Reflections from Maui: Here on Maui this evening, skies were clear to partly cloudy…with most of the clouds over the West Maui Mountains, the Haleakala Crater slopes…and the windward sides. The air temperature here in Kula at 540pm was 78.8F degrees, while at the airport in Kahului, at about the same time, it was a warmer 84 degrees. The trade winds remained well established today, blowing moderately strong in most exposed areas. As I’ve been noting the last couple of days, it will be interesting to see if the models are correct, in their suggestions that tropical moisture will ride up into the windward sides this weekend. I’ll be back early Wednesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Tuesday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Tuesday’s inspiring words:

“At our best, we muddle ahead together –
hoping to get things right occasionally,

and trying not to do too much damage along the way.
It is in the muddling, that we find our humanity –
and in doing so, if we are lucky, we find each other …”

– Andrew Cooper

World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE
CENTERED ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO HAVE
BECOME A LITTLE MORE CONCENTRATED THIS MORNING. ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS APPEAR TO BE FAVORABLE FOR ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT BEFORE
THE SYSTEM INTERACTS WITH THE LAND MASSES OF HISPANIOLA AND PUERTO
RICO.  THIS SYSTEM HAS A MEDIUM CHANCE...40 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A
TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS AS IT MOVES NORTHWESTWARD
AT ABOUT 10 MPH...AND A HIGH CHANCE...60 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A
TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS.  WHETHER A TROPICAL
CYCLONE FORMS OR NOT...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS ARE
EXPECTED TO SPREAD OVER PORTIONS OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS...THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS...PUERTO RICO...AND HISPANIOLA DURING THE NEXT DAY
OR TWO. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS SCHEDULED
TO INVESTIGATE THIS DISTURBANCE THIS AFTERNOON...IF NECESSARY.

DISORGANIZED CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF
MEXICO AND PORTIONS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A
WESTWARD MOVING TROPICAL WAVE. DEVELOPMENT...IF ANY...WILL BE SLOW
TO OCCUR. THIS SYSTEM HAS A LOW CHANCE...20 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.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN ASSOCIATION WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
CENTERED ABOUT 150 MILES SOUTH OF MANZANILLO HAVE BECOME BETTER
ORGANIZED OVERNIGHT. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE CONDUCIVE FOR
ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS LOW...AND THE FORMATION OF A
TROPICAL DEPRESSION IS LIKELY DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THIS
SYSTEM HAS A HIGH CHANCE...60 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL
CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND A HIGH CHANCE...
70 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS
WHILE IT MOVES NORTHWESTWARD AT AROUND 10 MPH. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS
AND GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF MEXICO
DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.

Interesting: Crop Pests Spread Towards Poles – A new study has revealed that global warming is resulting in the spread of crop pests towards the North and South Poles at a rate of nearly 3 feet a year.

The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter and the University of Oxford, shows a strong relationship between increased global temperatures over the past 50 years and expansion in the range of crop pests.

Currently 10-16% of global crop production is lost to pests. Crop pests include fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, nematodes, viroids and oomycetes.

The diversity of crop pests continues to expand and new strains are continually evolving.

Losses of major crops to fungi, and fungi-like microorganisms, amount to enough to feed nearly nine percent of today’s global population. The study suggests that these figures will increase further if global temperatures continue to rise as predicted.

The spread of pests is caused by both human activities and natural processes but is thought to be primarily the result of international freight transportation. The study suggests that the warming climate is allowing pests to become established in previously unsuitable regions.

For example, warming generally stimulates insect herbivory at higher latitudes as seen in outbreaks of the Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) that has destroyed large areas of pine forest in the US Pacific Northwest.

In addition, the rice blast fungus which is present in over 80 countries, and has a dramatic effect both on the agricultural economy and ecosystem health, has now moved to wheat.

Considered a new disease, wheat blast is sharply reducing wheat yields in Brazil.

Dr Dan Bebber from the University of Exeter said: “If crop pests continue to march polewards as the Earth warms the combined effects of a growing world population and the increased loss of crops to pests will pose a serious threat to global food security.”

Professor Sarah Gurr from the University of Exeter (previously at the University of Oxford) said: “Renewed efforts are required to monitor the spread of crop pests and to control their movement from region to region if we are to halt the relentless destruction of crops across the world in the face of climate change.”

The study, funded by the HSBC Climate Partnership and Earthwatch, used published observations of the distribution of 612 crop pests collected over the past 50 years. It revealed that the movement of pests north and south towards the poles, and into new previously un-colonised regions, corresponds to increased temperatures during that period.