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

78  Lihue, Kauai
82  Honolulu, Oahu
78  Molokai
80  Kahului, Maui
83  Kona, Hawaii
80  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 843pm Friday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 75
Hilo, Hawaii – 69


Haleakala Summit –   39
(near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 30 (13,000+ feet on the Big Island)


Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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.

 


Aloha Paragraphs

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/cb/30/67/cb30675b34cd81b43c61fa9d7fe6ca22.jpg

We’ll find winds from the south and southeast – with vog
and muggy conditions this weekend…lighter winds into
the new week ahead


Showers falling locally at times this weekend, a few
will be heavy…with an isolated thunderstorm –
chance of some flooding here and there 

High Surf Advisory…for the east shores of Kauai,
Oahu,
Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island

Small Craft Advisory…building seas around Kauai





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

18  Poipu, Kauai – NNE
36  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
17  Molokai – NNE
23  Lanai – E
21  Kahoolawe – NE
10  Kaupo Gap, Maui – SSE
22  South Point, Big Island – NE


Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Friday evening (845pm totals):


1.52  Kilohana, Kauai
1.20  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
2.50  Molokai
0.12  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.43  Kahakuloa, Maui
0.21  Kawainui Stream – 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 trade winds will give way to lighter southeasterly breezes, with vog and increased humidity…this weekend into the new week ahead. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. ~~~ We find high pressure systems over the ocean to the north and northeast of the state. At the same time, we see a surface low pressure trough over our islands, moving west…along with an approaching cold front over the ocean to our north. Our winds are still blowing from the trade wind direction, although will be calming down and veering to the southeast this weekend. These breezes will bring warmer and muggy weather during the days, along with an influx of volcanic haze (vog) locally. 

Satellite imagery shows clear to partly cloudy skies, with areas of deeper clouds over the ocean to the east, north, and west of the state.
There are heavy showers, and even thunderstorms embedded in these areas of clouds surrounding our islands. The bulk of these showers remain offshore however, and are associated with the trough of low pressure near our islands now, and an upper level low approaching as well. Here’s the looping radar image, showing light to moderately heavy showers falling mostly over the ocean, although a few have been able to reach our windward sides of the islands…along with a few over the interior sections, which will evaporate quickly after dark. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we can still see an impressive area of clouds to the west of Kauai. At the same time, there are deep clouds with thunderstorms firing-off  far to the south, and closer to our east, and now to the north of the islands as well.

We have some weather changes on the horizon…taking us into a period of locally wet weather. As the southeast winds arrive this weekend, we’ll gradually see volcanic haze venturing up over the smaller islands, from the vents on the Big Island. We’ll also see an increase in rainfall, some of which will likely be rather heavy, with localized flooding not out of the question. These heaviest showers will be spotty for the most part, along with thunderstorms here and there as well. There’s a cold front approaching the state, although the models continue to show it stalling just before reaching Kauai. It will likely merge with a trough of low pressure in our area, both at the surface and aloft, and make our atmosphere shower prone. Be careful if you find yourself driving on wet streets! As we get into the new week, the winds will remain light, with afternoon clouds and showers in the upcountry slopes, along with chilly early mornings Monday through Wednesday or Thursday. ~~~ I’ll be back again early Saturday morning with more information on this upcoming locally wet weather episode, I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you happen to be spending it. Aloha for now…Glenn.

Friday evening Film:
There are so many interesting films that are out now, it’s difficult for me to know which to see. Many of them are just coming out tonight, so there’s a good chance that that will make for crowded theaters. I’ve decided to see the one called Inside Llewyn Davis, starring Oscar Isaac, Justin Timerlake, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, and Jeanine Serrales, …among many others. The synopsis: Inside Llewyn Davis follows a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles — some of them of his own making. ~~~ The critics are being generous, which is often, although not always a good indicator. The Coen Brothers, Ethan and Joel, are the directors of this film, and I’ve honestly never seen a film of theirs that I didn’t appreciate greatly. I’ll be sure to give you my impression Saturday morning, and until then, here’s a trailer of this film.



World-wide tropical cyclone activity:


Atlantic Ocean:
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th. Here’s the 2013 hurricane season summary


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. Here’s the 2013 hurricane season summary


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. 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:
Tropical Cyclone 07P (Ian) remains active in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, here’s the JTWC graphical track map…and a NOAA satellite image


North and South Indian Oceans:
Tropical Cyclone 08S (Colin) remains active in the South Indian Ocean, here’s the JTWC graphical track map…and a NOAA satellite image

Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)


Interesting: Increase in Tourism Impacts Seashell Loss – Walking down the beach you see the perfect shell. You pick it up, put it in your pocket and decide to keep it to remind you of your trip to paradise. While different agencies, states, and countries have specific regulations on taking shells, vials of sand, or any other object from its natural environment, you are generally not allowed to bring these souvenirs home with you, especially to another country.


Why? Mainly because if everyone did it, there would be none left. But despite airports seizing tons of shells each week, seashells are still disappearing at various tourist locations and according to a new study, as global tourism increases, human-induced seashell loss may harm natural habitats worldwide.


A new study conducted by researchers from the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida campus and the University of Barcelona demonstrates that increased tourism on the Mediterranean coast of Spain correlated with a 70 percent decrease in mollusk shells during the tourist season in July and August and a 60 percent decrease in other months.


Scientists fear shell removal could cause significant damage to natural ecosystems and organisms that rely on shells, said lead author Michal Kowalewski, the Thompson Chair of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Florida Museum. How? For one, shells provide a home or attachment surface for organisms like algae, seagrass, and sponges. Hermit crabs also use shells as protective armor while some fish use these shells to hide from predators. In addition, shells are mostly made of calcium carbonate and in many coastal habitats they dissolve slowly and recycle back into the ocean.


In the study, researchers conducted multiple monthly surveys from 1978 to 1981 and from 2008 to 2010 on Llarga Beach, a small stretch of shoreline on the coast of Spain. Based on area hotel sales data, researchers estimate the number of tourists visiting the beach increased threefold over the last 30 years, with most visits during the summer. Over the same time period, the number of shells on the beach decreased by more than 60 percent. The survey area has experienced no new commercial fisheries or urban development since the 1970s, suggesting human activity unrelated to tourism is unlikely to have contributed substantially to the shell loss, Kowalewski said. Changes in ecosystem structure and local environmental conditions, which could potentially contribute to a natural decrease in shell numbers, were not observed, he said.