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

78  Lihue, Kauai
79  Honolulu, Oahu
83  Molokai
82  Kahului, Maui
84  Kona, Hawaii
82  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 Saturday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 77
Port Allen, Kauai – 70


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://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif

blue and green equals light to moderate rain –
yellow/red – moderate to heavy


We’ll find light winds from the south and southeast – with
vog
and muggy conditions this weekend…continuing
through most of the new week ahead – trade winds
holding off until next weekend

Showers falling locally at times, a few will be heavy, with
a thunderstorm
…gradually decreasing later today – with
afternoon upcountry rainfall possible through Friday

Flood Advisory…windward Big Island – until 8am


A major high surf event will arrive along our north and
west shores by late this coming Thursday…and may
turn out to be very hazardous into next Saturday!





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

15  Puu Lua, Kauai – NE
17  Makua Range, Oahu – NE
08  Molokai – ESE
13  Lanai – NE
14  Kahoolawe – NE
14  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 Saturday evening (845pm totals):


1.14  Kilohana, Kauai
0.74  Palehua, Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.19  Kaupo Gap, Maui
1.45  Kealakomo – 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 ~~~



Light winds now into the new week ahead, from the south and southeast…with volcanic haze and humidity.  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-northeast and far northeast of the state. At the same time, we see a surface low pressure trough over our islands, moving west…along with the ail-end of a cold front just north of the state. Our winds 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 too. This lighter wind regime will last through most of the new week ahead, keeping a rather stagnant air mass over our Aloha state…with restricted visibilities for an extended period.

Satellite imagery shows clear to partly cloudy skies over the state, although with areas of deeper clouds, and heavy rains over the nearby ocean. 
There are  a few heavy showers embedded in these areas of clouds to the southwest of Maui County…and an even more impressive display of thunderstorms near the Big Island. The bulk of these showers remain offshore however, and are associated with the trough of low pressure over our islands now, and an upper level low now moving over us as well. Here’s the looping radar image, showing light to moderately heavy showers falling mostly over the ocean, although some are edging over land in places too, with an occasional thunderstorm bringing heavy rains. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we can still see an impressive area of deepening clouds to the north, northeast…and south of the state too. 

Unsettled winter weather…with a few heavy showers close by. As the south and southeast winds blow this weekend, we’ll see volcanic haze migrating up over the smaller islands, from the vents on the Big Island. We’ll also see off and on showers, some of which will be heavy here and there. These showers, and especially the heaviest ones will be spotty for the most part. There’s a cold front just to the north of the state, although it isn’t expected to dip down into the state. It will 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, especially where thunderstorms are going off! 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 Thursday or Friday. ~~~ I’ll be back a few more times this evening with news on this locally wet weather episode, I hope you have a great Saturday evening 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 was surprised that there were so few people in the theater on its opening night, as there were lots of people in the line to buy tickets to many of the other films. 

This was a very interesting film, much different than anything I’ve seen, well, perhaps since some of their past films. It is just now hitting me what a great film it was, as during the viewing, it was all rather depressing. I absolutely knew that I was seeing an outstanding film, although it was so impersonal, so full of failure, that it sort of drove me down into myself…into that place where there’s not much hope in life. It was so dark and very smart, and profoundly full of melancholy…those sorts of things that most of us avoid in life. A bitter pill to swallow, that made me so aware of the detail of life, and how down and out one can get, portraying a real loser. The acting was superb, and I greatly appreciated the authenticity of this period piece, and the outstanding artistic flair. Well, after all that, I’m going to lay an A grade on this film, in no uncertain terms!  Here’s a trailer, and there really isn’t anything that should intimidate you in checking it out.



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.