Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday:
84 Lihue, Kauai
86 Honolulu, Oahu
85 Molokai
88 Kahului, Maui
86 Kona, Hawaii
84 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 510pm Friday evening:
Honolulu, Oahu – 83
Hilo, Hawaii – 76
Haleakala Summit – 50 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 48 (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 trade winds will be moderately strong, with fairly
normal weather continuing…through Sunday morning
Weather changes arriving later Sunday into next week,
more showers are expected…especially windward sides,
although there could be localized thunderstorms too
The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Friday evening:
24 Waimea Heights, Kauai, Kauai – NE
31 Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
28 Molokai – ESE
32 Lanai – NE
31 Kahoolawe – ENE
32 Kahului, Maui – NE
29 Kamuela airport, Big Island – NE
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Friday evening:
1.01 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.28 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.15 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.35 Hana airport, Maui
0.47 Lower Kahuku, 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 ~~~
Our local trade winds will be moderately strong in general through the weekend into Monday…then up a notch up in strength later Tuesday-Wednesday for several days. Here’s a weather chart showing a near 1030 millibar high pressure center far to the northeast of our islands, with a ridge of high pressure extending southwest from its center…into the area north and northwest of Kauai.
There will be localized showers, mostly along our windward sides…during the night and early morning hours. Satellite imagery shows low clouds over some parts of the island chain, and offshore in most directions too. At the same time, we see a large area of brighter white, higher level clouds now well to the east of the state…moving further away. Here’s the looping radar image, showing light showers moving by, mostly over the offshore waters, although over the islands in places.
The trade winds will rule our Hawaiian Islands weather picture, with the typical windward showers at times…through Sunday morning. Looking beyond that, the models continue pointing out another low pressure system dropping down over, or near the western side of the state later Sunday into the new week ahead. This new low pressure system aloft, like the one that was around earlier this week, may prompt another period of unsettled weather…especially over the Kauai and Oahu end of the chain. There’s even the chance that we’ll see another round of heavy showers, or even thunderstorms then. The models are now suggesting that this unsettled weather pattern could stick around well into the new week ahead, keeping wetter than normal trades going. Sunday and Monday may be the wettest days overall, when heavy showers or thunderstorms may pop-up here and there. ~~~ I’ll be back early 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: This time around I’ll be seeing another film on its opening night, although somehow here on Maui, despite that fact, the theaters don’t always fill up. It’s called Rush, starring Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Daniel Bruhl, and Alexandra Maria Lara…among many others. The synopsis: the true story of two of the greatest rivals the world has ever witnessed — handsome English playboy James Hunt, and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Niki Lauda. Set against the sexy and glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing, Rush follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error. ~~~ This film is getting good to very good grades by both the critics and viewers. I’m going with two of my neighbors, and I’ll be sure to let you know what I thought early Saturday morning. Here’s the trailer of this film, in case you’re interested in taking a peek.
World-wide tropical cyclone activity:
Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones
Gulf of Mexico: Tropical storm 12L (Karen) is active in the Gulf of Mexico. Here’s the NHC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image
Here’s a satellite image of the Caribbean Sea…and the Gulf of Mexico.
Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)
Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones
A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED ABOUT 700 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF THE
SOUTHERN TIP OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA CONTINUES TO PRODUCE
DISORGANIZED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. DEVELOPMENT…IF ANY…OF
THIS DISTURBANCE SHOULD BE SLOW TO OCCUR DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL
DAYS WHILE IT MOVES GENERALLY WESTWARD AT ABOUT 10 MPH. 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.
Here’s a wide satellite image that covers the entire area between Mexico, out through the central Pacific…to the International Dateline.
Central Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
Western Pacific Ocean: Typhoon 22W (Fitow) remains active over the northwest Pacific. Here’s a JTWC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image
Tropical storm 23W (Danas) remains active in the western Pacific. Here’s a JTWC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image
South Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
North and South Indian Oceans: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC
Interesting: Climate Change May Increase Mercury Content in Fish – Mercury pollution can be a serious health threat as once mercury enters our body, it acts as a neurotoxin, interfering with the brain and nervous system. Mercury is emitted to the air by power plants and other industrial facilities and becomes a serious threat when it settles into oceans. As the mercury enters waterways, naturally occurring bacteria absorb it and the pollutant makes it way up the food chain as larger fish consume smaller fish. As an example, mackerel, swordfish, tuna, and grouper rank high when it comes to mercury content. We have known about the effects of mercury in fish for some time now, however, looming changes in climate could make fish accumulate even more mercury, according to a study in the journal PLOS ONE.
Researchers at Dartmouth College studied killifish under varying temperatures in the lab and in salt marsh pools in Maine. Fish in the marshes ate insects, worms and other natural food sources, while the lab fish were fed mercury-enriched food. Results showed the fish in warmer waters ate more but grew less and had higher methylmercury levels in their tissues, suggesting increases in their metabolic rate caused the increased uptake of the toxic metal.
Besides the warming of the water, the paper states that physical factors including wind flows, atmospheric circulation, and precipitation, will also affect mercury deposition and bio-availability.
Until now, little has been known about how global warming may affect mercury bioaccumulation in marine life, and no previous study has demonstrated the effects using fish in both laboratory and field experiments.
The paper suggests that the increase in mercury bio-accumulation at lower trophic levels can be propagated to higher trophic level fish which is consumed by humans. This increases human exposure to these dangerous concentrations. As a result, the paper urges that this effect should be incorporated into policy and management efforts aimed at reducing human health risks from high-level mercury exposure.
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