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

76 Lihue, Kauai
79 Honolulu, Oahu
77 Molokai
82 Kahului, Maui
82 Kailua Kona
79 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 743pm Wednesday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 77
Hana airport, Maui
– 68


Haleakala Summit –   34
(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://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/ir4.jpg

The next cold front is moving in our direction, and will bring
increasing clouds…then showers arriving later Thursday
into Saturday – some locally heavy starting Friday


Winds
will turn southeast to south, and then southwest into
Thursday and Friday, warming things up and bringing an
increase in showers, along with more volcanic haze…
with northeast winds arriving this weekend into
next week

In the wake of this cold front, cool air and windward
showers will settle in over us – with drier conditions over
our leeward sides – stronger trade winds most of next week,
with off and on passing showers








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


12  Mana, Kauai – NW
15  Waianae Valley, Oahu – SW
14  Molokai – E
10  Lanai – SW
18  Kahoolawe  – E
21  Kaupo Gap,
Maui – SE
22  South Point, Big Island – NE


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


0.21  Kokee, Kauai
0.01  Makua Range, Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.00  Maui
0.38  Kahua Ranch, 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 ~~~



The recent cool and dry weather will gradually give way to warmer breezes…with winds becoming southeast and south, then southwest ahead of the next cold front. 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 continue to see a whole host of low pressure systems far northwest through northeast of the state, with the tail-end of a cold front trailing to the south and southwest…stalled to the southeast of the Big Island. Meanwhile, we see a high pressure system offshore well to the east-northeast of the state. Our winds will remain light as we move through this mid-week period. These light and variable breezes will gradually shift to the southeast and south Thursday, ending up south and southwest as the next cold front approaches the state. Our winds will veer to the north and northeast in the wake of the frontal passage later Saturday, with trade winds remaining active through all…or most of next week.

Satellite imagery shows areas of bright white clouds, one to the east, and the other to the northwest of the state…this second area is now bringing increasing clouds our way.
The high and middle level clouds that were over the eastern islands yesterday, will continue to slip further away to the east. Meanwhile, the high and middle level clouds to our northwest are moving in our direction, and are arriving now…and will stay over us for a couple of days. Here’s the looping radar image, showing hardly any showers falling statewide. Looking at this larger satellite image, which is in the looping mode, we can see two large areas of bright whiter clouds, which are middle and higher level clouds…again one coming towards us, and the other moving away.  

This next cold front, arriving Friday into Saturday, will bring our next pronounced weather change, with showers out ahead of it later Thursday…and windward showers moving in behind it into Sunday. Today was a nice day for the most part, although a new area of high and middle level clouds increased clouds during the afternoon into the evening hours. Thursday will find the next cold front approaching the state, with a further increase in clouds. Late Thursday through Saturday will be showery at times, first on Kauai and then Oahu. There’s a good chance that some of these showers, associated with the cold front, will turn out to be quite generous locally. Looking ahead even further, the models are now indicating a period of gusty trade winds through most of next week. These trades are apt to keep some passing showers falling along our windward coasts and slopes, although not an excessive amount. As is often the case, and in contrast, the leeward sides typically find drier and generally pleasant weather prevailing during these extended trade wind episodes. I’ll be back again early Thursday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you all have a great Wednesday 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 49.3 degrees at 625am on this Wednesday morning.
It’s light enough now that I can see mostly clear skies, and it’s chilly here in upcountry Maui…and even down at sea level statewide! The thick haze that was around yesterday, seems to have cleared quite a bit this morning, which is a good thing. We’re not done with hazy conditions however, as the winds will be veering back toward the southeast and south tomorrow…bringing lots of vog with it then. This will be a good day weatherwise, with things beginning to slip again tomorrow…so make good use of our generally nice conditions today!

~~~ It’s now 1010am, with a much warmer 64.2 degree reading on my thermometer. The clear skies and toasty sunshine is definitely helping. Looking out around the island now, its just about totally clear, with just a few puffs of rising cumulus over the West Maui Mountains. There’s a bit of a breeze, say about 5-10 mph, which is going to support my clothes drying out on the line really well today. As I was saying above, it sure seems like its going to be one of our better days lately. The haze is much reduced from yesterday, although it will very likely return as early as later tomorrow…riding up over the smaller islands on the southeast breezes.

~~~ We’re into our early afternoon hours now, at 1235pm, under mostly clear skies, with an air temperature of 66.7 degrees. This is certainly what I would consider a banner day, in terms of sunshine. There are the typically clouds banking up over the mountains in places, although our surrounding beaches are generally in really nice shape. Our visitors here on vacation, must be in seventh heaven about now! As for the haze situation, its very light at best, although I’m afraid that will be changing over the next few days. I would highly recommend getting outside today if you can, and enjoy our lovely islands at their finest.

~~~ Wow, what a change a couple of hours can make, as our mostly clear day, became mostly cloudy by early evening. It’s 520pm now, and a deck of middle level altostratus clouds have moved overhead. There isn’t any rain falling from these clouds, although they sure have gotten in the way of the plentiful sunshine we were enjoying before their arrival…that’s for sure! They are the forerunners of more clouds that are taking aim on our islands now, loosely associated with the next cold front. Oh yeah, the air temperature here in Kula was 65.3 degrees. These clouds will limit the degree of cooling that we’ll see tonight, so Thursday morning won’t be as chilly as the last two really cool morning’s that we’ve had. This being said, it still might be a good idea to keep that extra blanket on the bed one more night.



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: Tropical Cyclone 03W (Faxai) remains active in the northwestern Pacific, to the southeast of Guam. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite imageFinal warning


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: 250 Million Pounds of Toxic Beads at Mardi Gras –
Were you celebrating Mardi Gras yesterday, or were you more concerned about the environmental and ethical impact of 250 million pounds of plastic beads imported from China?

A Christian holiday with origins in Europe, Mardi Gras, meaning “Fat Tuesday” in French, is recognized as a day of indulgence before the beginning of the penitential season of Lent on Ash today.

But there is a dark underside to the Mardi Gras festivities.

Every year, an estimated 25 million pounds of plastic beads make their way to New Orleans.

The beads are central to the ritualized gift exchanges of Mardi Gras season, a multi-day series of parties and parades that brings an estimated million revelers to the streets for what is sometimes called “the Greatest Free Show on Earth.”

Members of Mardi Gras “krewes,” the private social organizations that stage the parades, spend thousands to purchase the shiny baubles before flinging them to crowds who beg for them with the exclamation, “Throw me something, mister!”

These beads from China are made from toxic waste the U.S. ships off, and are likely to end up in the bodies, landfills and water supply of the citizens of New Orleans.

As WWLTV.com reports:

“There isn’t a system in the body that isn’t affected by lead,” said Dr. Howard Mielke, a Tulane toxicologist who has been studying lead levels in the city for many years

Dr. Mielke, along with the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based non-profit group HealthyStuff.org and Dr. Holly Groh, a founder of VerdiGras in New Orleans, studied beads from China. They found lead and an array of toxic and cancer-causing metals and chemicals, including bromine, chlorine, cadmium, arsenic, tin, phthalates and mercury.

Add that to the lead the beads pick up from the city ground and hands — especially those of children — that end up in mouths, and there can be permanent brain damage.
At least one of the harmful chemicals was found in 90 percent of the beads at levels higher than allowed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

“Basically, if you have lead exposure early on in childhood, it does change the ability throughout life,” Dr. Mielke said.