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

80  Lihue, Kauai
79  Honolulu, Oahu
83  Molokai
84  Kahului, Maui
83  Kona, Hawaii
77  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 Monday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 79
Hilo, Hawaii – 70


Haleakala Summit –   46 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 34 (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


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Light and variable winds for the most part…becoming trades

Cloudy periods with a few showers…most notably on the
Big Island and Kauai ends of the state



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

13  Mana, Kauai – NW
14  Waianae Valley, Oahu – SW
14  Molokai – SE
13  Lanai – NW
25  Kahoolawe – ENE
17  Lipoa, Maui – SE
24  Upolu airport, Big Island – NE


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

0.40  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
1.09  St. Stephens, Oahu
2.92  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.25  Kahoolawe
0.87  Kula Branch Station, Maui
0.46  Glenwood, 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 winds will remain on the soft side through Tuesday…shifting to the east or east-southeast by mid-week. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the Pacific Ocean. We find a near 1030 millibar high pressure system to the northeast, with its associated ridge running southwest…to near the Big Island. At the same time, we see several low pressure systems to the north and northwest of the state, with the tail-end of a weakening cold front over Kauai now. As this frontal boundary dissipates towards mid-week, we’ll see the current light and variable wind flow, shifting over the east and east-southeast for a few days. The winds this week will vary between light to moderately strong trades, then lighter southeast breezes…over the next week.

The weakening cold front is now in the process of dissipating near Kauai. Satellite imagery shows still quite a few lower level clouds over and around the islands. At the same time, we see those bright white streaks of high cirrus clouds too. Here’s the looping radar image, showing showers still falling locally, mostly over the nearby ocean…although some showers are occurring over the islands in places too. Skies will remain partly cloudy with cloudy periods…with still some showers around locally through Tuesday. We’ll likely find skies clearing tonight into Tuesday morning to some degree, although the cirrus will remain around. As the trade winds pick up some by mid-week, most of whatever showers that are around…will fall along our windward sides through Friday.

Looking further ahead, the models point out another possible cold front getting close this coming weekend…and then another early next week. This model output is still a bit sketchy at the moment, as to whether these fronts will actually make it into our area…or not. The various models are not all aligned in their forecasts either, so it seems wise to take a wait and see attitude for the time being. It does however seem quite likely that whatever fronts that do approach, will swing our winds back around to the southeast. These breezes will likely carry at least some volcanic haze (vog) up over the smaller islands when they are around. I’ll have more on all of the above as it becomes more clear. I’ll be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.




World-wide tropical cyclone activity:


Atlantic Ocean: The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th…and has now ended 


Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

Caribbean Sea: 

Gulf of Mexico: 

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: The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15th through November 30th…and has now ended


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: The Central Pacific hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th…and has now ended. Here’s the 2013 hurricane season summary


Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)


Western Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones


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: What is the true cost of food production? Unsustainable farming systems that damage the environment and public health thrive at the expense of sustainable producers. Patrick Holden makes the case for “true cost accounting”


We must account for the real costs of food, or sustainable food systems will never break through to the mainstream.
We live in a time when the need for sustainable food and farming systems has never been more urgent. Earlier this year, over 200 leading scientists signed a consensus statement on Maintaining Humanity’s Life Support Systems in the 21st Century. It expressed deep concern that society has reached the tipping points for a range of environmental and social consequences to our behaviour, which could significantly degrade life on earth by 2050.


Our current industrialized agriculture is at the very heart of these impacts. Increasing demand for food due to population growth, plus changing patterns of consumption as we eat more meat and heavily processed foods, means our systems of farming and food production are coming under increasing pressure.


Yields of conventionally produced food are falling. Soil the world over is being degraded ten times faster than nature can restore it. Widespread damage is being done to the earth’s ecosystems through the use of chemical pesticides and nitrogen based fertilizers. Farming is making an immense contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.


In short we are fast approaching a sustainability cross-roads. The long-term viability of our current globalised food system is being seriously called into question