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

75  Lihue, Kauai
80  Honolulu, Oahu
75  Molokai
80  Kahului, Maui
86  Kailua Kona
81  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 Saturday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 74
Poipu, Kauai – 66


Haleakala Summit –   37 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 30 (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://hnonline.sk/sites/default/files/attachments/images/810/38477810-kauai-beaches-kee-beach-rough-surf.jpg


It’s windy,  as winds may gust as high as 60 mph in some
areas today

Showers will fall mostly along the windward sides and
around the mountains…although elsewhere at times too –
carried by the strong trade winds

Flood Advisory…parts of the Big Island – until 845am

Small Craft Wind Advisory…all coastal and channel
waters

High Surf Advisory…for rising northwest swell along
the north and west shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai,
the north shores of Maui, and the west shore of
the Big Island – the east shores will have elevated
surf…which will be rough and choppy, as will the
north facing beaches

Gale Warning…over Big Island leeward waters, Kauai
Channel, Kaiwi Channel, Maalaea Bay,Pailolo Channel,
Alenuihaha Channel, Big Island windward waters,
Big Island southeast waters, Kauai northwest waters,
Kauai leeward waters – through Monday morning

High Wind Warning…leeward areas this weekend,
including the island of Lanai and Kahoolawe 


Wind Advisory…through 6pm this evening

IMPACTS: WINDS THIS STRONG CAN RESULT IN DAMAGED ROOFS…
BROKEN AND FALLING TREE BRANCHES…DOWNED POWER POLES
AND POWER LINES LEADING TO INTERRUPTIONS TO POWER…
DOWNED TREES…AND FLYING DEBRIS IF OUTDOOR ITEMS ARE
NOT PROPERLY TIED DOWN

Wind Profile Map…in real time – centered over the Hawaiian Islands




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

42  Lihue, Kauai – NNE
50  Kuaokala, Oahu – NNE
39  Molokai – NNE
42  Lanai – NE
54  Kahoolawe – NNE
33  Kahului AP, Maui – NE
47  Kohala Ranch, Big Island – NNE


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

3.53  Kokee, Kauai
2.21  Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
2.41  Molokai
0.04  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
5.11  Puu Kukui, Maui
1.77  Laupahoehoe, 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 remaining much stronger than normal through Sunday…gradually easing up as we get into the new week ahead. 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…focused on the Hawaiian Islands. ~~~ We see a strong, near 1037 millibar high pressure system to our north-northwest…moving quickly eastward. Our winds will be from the north to northeast…which will remain blustery into Sunday. They will ease up gradually as we move through the first couple of days of the new week ahead.

Satellite imagery shows a ton of clouds over and around the islands…which will bring off and on showers to many areas of the state into Sunday. We see an area of brighter white clouds near Kauai, and another larger area to the southeast of the Big Island…at the time of this writing. Here’s a looping radar image, showing generally light to moderately heavy showers moving across the island chain…on the northeast trade wind flow. The bulk of these showers are concentrating their efforts best along the windward coasts and slopes…although will be carried over into the leeward sides at times. There may turn out to be some flooding problems on Oahu, Maui County and down to the Big Island through this last weekend of the winter season. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we have a weak cold front…which is pushing down through our islands now.

A dramatic change in our weather has occurred…which will be followed by a more normal trade wind weather pattern during the new week ahead. We find the tail-end of a cold front, and an associated surface trough moving down into the state, which is bringing showers to the state, some of which will remain quite heavy through Sunday. The headline weather news however will focus on the winds, which will be blowing in the 35 to 45 mph range in general. However, gusts may reach 60+ mph in those most exposed areas into Sunday. The models suggest that these blustery trades will continue…although mellow-out during the first day or two of the new week. I’ll be back a few more times this evening with additional updates, please use caution when going outside through the next 24 hours, and while driving too! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui, at the 3,100 foot elevation, at my upper Kula, Maui weather tower, the air temperature was 59.7 degrees at 435am on this Saturday morning. It’s still dark outside at the time of this writing, although there is no wind to speak of…and light rain falling at 520am. Oops, it just started to get windier, enough in fact that I had to shut my windward side window, to keep the rain from coming in…at 545am.

~~~ It’s now 820am, under still cloudy skies, and the breezy winds earlier have calmed back down…with an air temperature of 64 degrees. I just got back from my fast walk, and wore my raincoat, but ended up not needing it. Looking around though, it looks like more showers are heading this way now. I’ll be taking a quick trip down to Paia to shop in a little while, although will be right back with you as soon as I return. It’s interesting, and as you may have noticed above, the NWS office in Honolulu has thrown just about every advisory and warning it has in its arsenal…at this upcoming windy weather event! I just noticed that we have had our first 40 mph gust this morning (on Oahu), which may sound a little extreme, although I’m afraid it’s going to get much stronger…in terms of what we have coming later today into Sunday.

~~~ Hi, I’m back from my quick drive down to Paia, where I went shopping at the health food store. It rained .75″ here while I was gone, although I found only mist down near the coast, and hardly any breeze. Here in Kula at 1155am, its breezy, moderately breezy, not what I would call windy yet, with heavy mist falling. The air temperature is 63.5 degrees, while down in Kahului at the same time, its a relatively cool 71 degrees. I see that there are 30+ mph gusts on all the islands late this morning, with 40+ mph gusts on Oahu and Kahoolawe. Now at 1250pm, its graded into windy, no longer just breezy…and becoming more gusty by the minute. I see that the windiest parts of the state are starting to edge up towards 50 mph in gusts,  on their way to 60+ with time. By the way, the strongest winds here on Maui aren’t being registered by wind gauges. If the Maalaea Bay anemometer was still working, it would be way up there among the other big gusts around the state today.

~~~ Ok, it’s now 215pm, and we seem to be turning a corner, in terms of the winds strength now. It’s getting to get that feel of right on the edge of really strong winds. I’d estimate that the gusts are getting up over 30 mph at times, although not nearly 40 mph at the  moment. I don’t know just how strong they will get here in upper Kula, although it’s still early in this event, with the peak period being after 4pm this afternoon, and through most of the day Sunday. It’s still not quite windy enough that I’ve tied my ping pong table down, although the thought is beginning to cross my mind. The air temperature is 63.9 degrees, and we’re right on the edge of the clouds…with drizzle flying by at times.

~~~ Here it is 520pm Saturday evening here on Maui, just about the time that the strongest part of this windy episode is forecast to begin…continuing through the night into Sunday. The winds have gusted up to just short of 50 mph at the time of this writing, with at least four of the islands experiencing gusts of 40+ mph. As I have been mentioning the last several days, it seems likely that the winds will top 50 and perhaps even 60 mph before everything is said and done. At my weather tower now, it’s cloudy, and lightly raining, and it has been most of the day, with an air temperature of 61 degrees.

I’ll be back again this evening, with more updates on how strong the winds have gotten, so check back later if you like. I might even have a music video or two, for your listening pleasure later as well. By the way, I want to thank all those folks who have written me responses today, which are located down at the bottom of this page. As far as I’m concerned…the more the merrier. I enjoy relating to my weather friends out there in this way, its fun for me. Don’t forget to click on the View All button, so you can see all of them…there were 14 at the time of this writing.

~~~ It’s lightly raining here in Kula, although the winds have calmed down at the moment, which is 8pm. The air temperature is 57.4 degrees, which feels good. I know its still windy around the state, as we’ve recently had our first 50+ mph gust of the day, which took place at a wind gauge on Oahu…called Makua Range.

~~~ We’re into the early part of the ten o’clock hour, with a very full bodied wind flow over us now! You know, its not often that we get a Gale Warning going on, at the same time as we have a High Wind Warning. I’d call it highly unusual, and often not even once a year that the wind is kickin’ up her heels this much. I’ll go quickly check to see the strongest wind gusts in the state, and it turned out to be 54 on the small island of Kahoolawe at around 10pm.

Here’s a music video, called Honolulu City Lights, by Keola and Kapono Beamer – full screen viewing is good


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)


North 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:  Making the United States “anti-car” – Visit Amsterdam, which feels like the bicycle capital of the world, and you’ll see everyone on bikes, from chic ladies on their way to coffeehouses (a longstanding tradition in this European city) to office workers. The city offers dedicated bicycle paths, ample bike parking and lots more options to encourage people to cycle and it create active disincentives for driving. It’s a decision born of practical and environmental concerns: Amsterdam is a small, easily crowded city, where cars could become a serious hazard and frustration if they multiplied on the streets, and its residents are very eco-conscious.


It’s not the only city that’s effectively taken an aggressive anti-car stance; London, for example, charges a high toll for entering the heart of the city in a car, encouraging drivers to think twice about making the trip. Around the world, cities are making themselves car-unfriendly to get people out from behind the wheel and into more ecologically-friendly forms of transit, like bicycle saddles, train seats, bus benches and good old fashioned shoes. The United States, however, seems to be struggling with this; in a nation where the car is practically a national icon, few cities want to make the first move when it comes to getting drivers off the road, and Emily Badger at The Atlantic suggests this is because we are too afraid.


The situation is a complicated one, though, as she herself acknowledges. On the one hand, disincentivizing driving is an excellent way to get people to stop doing it. Fuel is much more expensive globally than in the United States, for example, and pushing fuel costs up to a more natural level could be effective, as could increasing taxes to turn them into a realistic reflection of the costs of road maintenance. Eliminating parking spaces, increasing parking fees and tolls and replacing parts of the road with walkways and bike paths are more options, limiting the space available for cars. There’s also the carrot approach; employers can pay employees for not using parking and provide other rewards for using alternate transit to get to work, for instance.


All these approaches might seem sound on the surface, but there are several problems with them. The first is that they don’t acknowledge the fundamental infrastructure problems that can make it difficult for people to switch to public transit. In centralized, logically built cities, the choice can be obvious: drive a car, or take excellent public transit.