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

70  Lihue, Kauai
80  Honolulu, Oahu
76  Molokai
80  Kahului, Maui
82  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 943pm Friday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 77
Lihue, Kauai – 64


Haleakala Summit –   43 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 36 (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.

 


Aloha Paragraphs

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/ir4.jpg

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

Some showers, generally along the windward
sides…and around the mountains

Trade winds  into the weekend…becoming lighter
from the southeast late Sunday into Monday







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

24  Mana, Kauai – NNW
23  Kuaokala, Oahu -NE
14  Molokai – NE
17  Lanai – NE
15  Kahoolawe – NE
08  Kaupo Gap, Maui – SE
16  Upolu airport, Big Island – NE


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

1.44  Hanalei, Kauai
2.07  Poamoho, Oahu
0.34  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.11  Kahoolawe
0.39  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.13  Pohakuloa Keamuku, 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 ~~~



Trade winds blowing Saturday…lighter Sunday into Monday. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. Here’s a real-time wind profile of the central Pacific…centered on the Hawaiian Islands. ~~~ We find low pressure systems to the north and northeast of the islands, with an associated trough over the state. At the same time, we see a high pressure system well offshore to east-northeast…with its ridge extending westward to towards Hawaii. Our winds will be from the trade wind direction into the weekend…followed by a brief period of southeast and south winds late Sunday into Monday, as a weak cold front moves by just to the north of the state. It looks as if we may get right back into a trade wind flow thereafter, stay tuned.

Satellite imagery shows high, middle and lower level clouds remain over the state. Most of this higher level cloudiness is oriented southwest to northeast at the time of this writing. Here’s the looping radar image, showing showers coming into the state in only a few spots, carried our way on the trade wind breezes. There is no primary focus of these showers, with a few falling along our windward sides, and on the slopes of some of our mountains. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we can see clouds being pulled northeastward across our area, some of which are the high and middle level variety…although with a few showery lower level clouds around too.

We’re seeing the return of trade winds now, which will last over the next couple of days, with a few windward showers…and generally dry conditions for our leeward beaches. The computer models suggest that another low pressure system will approach the state right after the weekend, although its associated cold front should remain just north of our area. As this front moves by or stalls to our northwest, we should see the return of the trade winds, ushering in a decent weather pattern for several days thereafter. I’ll be back with your next new weather narrative early Saturday morning, I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui, at the 3,100 foot elevation, at my upper Kula, Maui weather tower, the air temperature was 60.6F degrees at 550am on this early Friday morning. I can’t see any stars, so I’m assuming that its still quite cloudy before sunrise.  As the sun comes up, and I can see what’s going on, I’ll come back and give you a reflection of what I’m seeing then. By the way, good morning Hawaii…and everywhere else for that matter!

~~~ It’s now 712am, and the skies have lightened up enough, that I can see what’s going on. The mid and high level clouds are moving eastward, making way for clearing skies below. Therefore, we will see lots more sunshine today, which will feel really nice! The air temperature is 60.6, just like it was at 550 this morning. Just as the sun was coming up to the east, some of the higher level cirrus clouds lit up very briefly…into a nice pink color. My wind chimes are sounding off sweetly, giving notice that the trade winds are back in town.

~~~ Hi again at 1010am, it has turned out to be a mostly sunny day, the first one I remember in quite a while. There are a few clouds around the edges, although all the high and middle level stuff, which has been dimming our sunshine so much lately, has now departed. It’s heading east, and so before long, even the Big Island will be free of this long lasting cloudiness. The air temperature here at my place was 69.8 degrees, with a pleasant breeze blowing through this area. I’m sitting here looking at some flight dates for late next month, as it will be time to go see my Mom and friends on the west coast…I was last there in November.

~~~ Well, the sun came out this morning, although as it turned out, not for long…at least up here on the m0untain. It’s now 1235pm, under cloudy and patchy fog, with the air temperature running 69.4 degrees. We just had a light shower, and now its backed off to a light mist. Interestingly enough, I can see bright sunny skies down in the Central Valley, with Kahului reporting mostly sunny skies, with a temperature of 80 degrees at the moment.

~~~ Ok, we’re at the end of another work week, and the weekend looms just up ahead. Here in Upcountry Maui, at my Kula weather tower, it’s foggy, with a light drizzle falling. At 545pm HST, the air temperature is 65.7 degrees, with a light breeze blowing. There was one short spell of sunshine today up here, but that went away shortly after it arrived. I’m about ready to drive down to Kahului to see that film I wrote about below. I’ll catch a little dinner at Whole Foods, before driving to the other shopping mall, where the film is showing. If there’s anything interesting to report when I get back, I’ll get back online, otherwise I’ll meet you here dark and early Saturday morning.  

Friday Evening Film: Well, by now I’ve seen all those great films that came out around Christmas, and enjoyed them very much. There are many available films to see here on Maui, although in terms of films that appeal to me, it’s pretty slim pickin’s this week. Therefore, I’m going to see Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, starring Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, and Michael Starke…among many others. The synopsis: Based on the character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy, “Jack Ryan” is a global action thriller set in the present day. This original story follow a young Jack (Chris Pine) as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot. The story follows him from 9/11, through his tour of duty in Afghanistan, which scarred him forever, and into his early days in the Financial Intelligence Unit of the modern CIA where he becomes an analyst, under the guardianship of his handler, Harper (Kevin Costner). When Ryan believes he’s uncovered a Russian plot to collapse the United States economy, he goes from being an analyst to becoming a spy and must fight to save his own life and those of countless others, while also trying to protect the thing that’s more important to him than anything, his relationship with his fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley). ~~~ The critics are giving this good enough ratings, not great…nor terrible. Given the trailer, which is pretty wild, it looks good enough for me to drive down to Kahului this evening to see it. I’ll let you know what I thought Saturday morning.



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: There are no active tropical cyclones


North and South Indian Oceans: Tropical Cyclone 13S (Edilson) remains active in the South Indian Ocean. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with a satellite image. – Final Warning


Tropical Cyclone 14S remains active in the South Indian Ocean. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with a satellite image.

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


Interesting: USGS Develops Tool to Help Track Oil Spills – Each year, tons of oil can be spilled into the ocean. Whether it comes from an oil tank spill, a leak that occurs during offshore drilling, or even natural seeps that occur within the ocean, oil spills can cause grave environmental and economic damage to marine and coastal ecosystems.


When an oil spill occurs, the oil that floats on water will usually spreads out rapidly across the water surface to form a thin layer called an oil slick. As the oil continues spreading, the layer becomes thinner and thinner, eventually turning into a thin layer called a sheen. Managing and predicting the spread and path of oil is often very difficult for first-responders and clean up crews, however, a newly developed computer model holds promise to helping scientists track a spill.


U.S. Geological Survey scientists developed the model as a way of tracking the movement of sand and oil found along the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.


Following the Deepwater Horizon spill, denser-than-water conglomerates of sand and oil have been found in the surf zone, ranging in size from less than a millimeter to mats up to a few meters in size. The surf zone is where waves break as they approach the shore. The USGS study looked at conglomerates several centimeters thick — known as “surface residual balls,” or “SRBs”, which continue to emerge in some beach locations more than three years after the first oil reached the shoreline.


Applying the model to movement of SRBs along the coast of Alabama and western Florida showed that normal wave conditions, less than 1.5 to 2 meters, will not move centimeter-sized SRBs alongshore. However, tropical storms, or winter storms can mobilize and redistribute these SRBs alongshore.


The numerical model indicated that inlets trap SRBs, where they could accumulate over time. The model also suggests that when larger SRBs are found they are more likely to have been formed locally when the oil came ashore, rather than being transported from a different location along the coast.


“The techniques developed here can be applied to evaluate the potential alongshore movement of SRBs in other locations or from any future spill where large quantities of oil and sand mix in the surf zone”, said Dalyander.