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

76  Lihue, Kauai
82  Honolulu, Oahu
81  Molokai
86  Kahului, Maui
84  Kona, Hawaii
83  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 Sunday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 78
Poipu, Kauai
– 70


Haleakala Summit –   46
(near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 34 (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-cd0.pinimg.com/736x/70/cf/b4/70cfb4194dfd60b2e7831d2b4ba21ae1.jpg

Generally good weather, with just a few
showers here and there for the next
few days


Trade winds giving way to lighter
southeast breezes through
Wednesday








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


18  Waimea Heights, Kauai – ESE
18  Makua Range, Oahu – SE
20  Molokai – ESE
25  Lanai – SE
33  Kahoolawe – SE

15  Hana, Maui – SE
32  South Point, Big Island – NE


Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands…as of Sunday evening (545pm totals):


0.28  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
1.93  Ahuimanu Loop, Oahu
0.47  Molokai
0.08  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.25  Ulupalakua, Maui
0.02  Pahoa, 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 ~~~



Winds becoming lighter for the next several days…from the southeast. 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. There’s also a gale low pressure system well offshore to the west of the state…moving in our direction. At the same time, we see high pressure systems offshore to the east-northeast, northeast of Hawaii. Our trade winds will give way to a period of southeast and south winds Monday through mid-week, 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 Thursday into the weekend.

Satellite imagery shows partly cloudy skies over the state, although with clear areas, and some cloudy areas over the mountains too.
We can see areas of deeper white clouds to the northwest of our islands…which are generally of the cirrus variety. There’s also lower level clouds over and around the state, associated with the trough of low pressure now moving away towards the northeast. Here’s the looping radar image, showing just a few showers coming into the state in a few areas,…carried our way on the light southeasterly breezes. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we can see an impressive area of deep clouds to our west…although it shouldn’t influence our island weather with increased showers.

Satellite imagery shows a rather dynamic low pressure system approaching the state to our west, although its associated cold front should remain northwest and north of our area into Wednesday. We are expecting fairly dry weather conditions to prevail through the next several days, although with a few showers locally. Later in the new week, this front, which will be to the northeast of the state then, may bring increasing windward showers…on the strengthening trade winds Thursday into the weekend. The leeward sides of the islands should be in pretty good shape through the next 3-5 days. I’ll be back early Monday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Sunday 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 55.6F degrees at 625am on this early Sunday morning. It’s still rather dark, although with all the stars I see, it looks like a pretty clear start to the day.


~~~
It’s now 920am, and it’s turned out to be our best day in a long time, with mostly clear skies. There were some low clouds that threatened to roll up the mountain into my area, although they evaporated shortly thereafter. I just had some hot cereal and a bowl of papaya and banana, with french vanilla yogurt. It’s such a nice day, I see no reason not to drive up the mountain for some hiking or skateboarding, or just being up there communing with nature. It’s almost like going to church, being up there in the beauty of nature. I’m going to brew some tea to take with me, and maybe a bite of chocolate too. I’ll catch up with you upon my return.

~~~ We’re into the afternoon hours now, at 115pm. I just got back from skateboarding up the mountain from here, which was fun and good exercise too. It was totally clear when I got up there at the 5,000 foot elevation, although there were brief periods of fog that was being carried up the mountain. I didn’t fall, which is always a chance, although I did skid one time a little…but fortunately was able to self correct. There were so many fast motorcycles up there, speeding around. Some of them did that thing where they lift the front wheel off the ground, while their going really fast. They go around corners at break neck speeds too, with one of their knees stretched way out. It’s kind of fun seeing that blaze by, as I kind of enjoy the roar of their engines. It’s just recently turned mostly cloudy here in Kula, although its a nice warm 72.1 degrees.

~~~ It’s now 355pm, under thick fog, light drizzle…and an air temperature of 67.8 degrees. Things have really shut down up here over the last couple of hours, in terms of cloudiness and lack of sunshine. Speaking of the sun, I can see it shining brightly down in the Central Valley, with both Kahului and Kapalua both reporting mostly sunny weather conditions at this time.

~~~ We’re into the evening period now, with the air temperature at 530pm, reading a fairly typical 66.4 degrees. The earlier fog and light drizzle have backed off now, although it was still cloudy. The sunshine that was in the Central Valley earlier, has now been covered up by cloudiness. Now its later, at 825pm, and rather than those afternoon clouds evaporating, they have hung on, with cloudy skies persisting.

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…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 film good enough ratings, not great…nor terrible. Given the trailer, which is pretty wild, it looked good enough for me to drive down to Kahului to see it.

As it turned out, which is often the case, as I’m very easily entertained…I liked this film quite a bit. It was great to see the classic acting of Kevin Costner…who doesn’t like this handsome man. Then, there was the love affair between Chris Pine and Keira Knightley, which was very believable and attractive. Perhaps one of the high points was the dynamic chase scene, which was breath taking in my opinion. Reading what many of the critics had to say, it sounded like a different film than the one I saw. I hadn’t read the Clancy novel Jack Ryan, although I’ve read a few of his books many years ago, and always found them to be page turners. As a side thought, it did remind me of many of the other thriller films that I’ve seen. However, for me, I say, bring em on…I like them! As for a grade, I’d go so far as to give it a soft B+, and was very happy to have seen it. / Alright, alright, I’ll admit it, I’ve always had a crush on Keira Knightley, which may have swayed me towards a greater appreciation of the 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:
There are no active tropical cyclones


North and South Indian Oceans:
Tropical Cyclone 14S (Fobane) 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: With Climate Change, Greenland Is Bracing For Exploitation –
The ill effects of climate change are becoming well known, and now here’s another: The melting ice cap in Greenland has the country now bracing for a gold rush.


As the ice melts at record pace in Greenland, the world’s miners, oil workers and construction teams are planning to descend on the country in the next few years, to start digging below the retreating icecap for its ores, hydrocarbons and minerals.


In addition, the dramatic melt of the Arctic sea ice may within one or two generations locate Greenland on a vastly profitable trans-polar trading route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.


Greenland is the world’s largest island, with a total area of around 2.2 million square kilometres. How is the country responding to these changes?


Prime Minister Aleqa Hammond Is Watching Carefully

It was at the end of March 2013 that 47-year-old Hammond became Greenland’s first female prime minister, ushering in the first change in parties in 30 years. Greenland is officially a part of Denmark, but has a great deal of autonomy in almost every area. The country is four times the size of France, but has a population of just 56,000.


At that time the new government of Greenland announced that it would not grant any fresh offshore oil and gas drilling licenses in the country’s Arctic waters and would also place existing licenses under greater scrutiny. The moratorium was a result of concerns raised by Greenpeace about the risk of oil spills and the fear that offshore oil and gas operations would increase climate change.


It seems that the Prime Minister has changed her mind.


Hammond is being courted by world leaders who see the Arctic as an emerging strategic zone.
Greenland Has Awarded Over 120 Licenses to Explore
Chinese, American, Russian, British, Japanese and Korean companies, among others, have all staked claims for its resources, and her government has awarded more than 120 licenses to explore for oil and gas, iron ore, uranium, emeralds and nickel as well as what are thought to be the largest deposits of rare earths vital for digital technologies outside China.


Greenlanders have traditionally lived in remote, scattered communities, largely supported by fishing and hunting, and Hammond is well aware that the arrival of tens of thousands of foreign workers will be as economically important and as culturally disruptive as anything in Greenland’s history.


“The shock will be profound. But we have faced colonisation, epidemics and modernisation before,” she says. “The decisions we are making [to open up the country to mining and oil exploitation] will have enormous impact on lifestyles, and our indigenous culture. But we have always come out on top.”
Should Greenland Be Encouraging the Gold Rush?
Not everyone thinks that handing out licenses is the right way to go.


Aqqaluk Lynge is chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council which represents Inuits from Alaska, Greenland and Canada at the U.N. and other forums. He believes that if you want to become rich, it comes with a price.


“People have to imagine the consequences of what the influx of foreign labour will be. Being a minority in your own country, is that what you want? We have to be more realistic. We should be very careful inviting foreign mining companies. We have had experiences before when whole towns have been changed with the influx of Danish contractors. We lack experts in many areas like health. 56,000 people cannot [do] everything,” he says.