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

82  Lihue, Kauai
81  Honolulu, Oahu
82  Molokai
87  Kahului, Maui
86  Kailua Kona
85  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 830pm Saturday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 81
Lihue, Kauai
– 71


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

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

Our winds will be be generally light from the southwest, south and
southeast this weekend, bringing humid weather our way – followed
by the return of strengthening  trade winds Monday onwards

Look for localized afternoon showers over the interior sections,
and along the southwest through southeast sides of the islands –
locally heavy around Kauai, Oahu…perhaps even reaching
Maui County with time

We’ll see locally heavy showers falling over Kauai and Oahu –
with thunderstorms locally – followed by less muggy weather
by the Memorial Day holiday…with fairly active windward
showers for several days into the new week

 




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


27  Mana, Kauai – NNW
21  Honolulu airport, Oahu – SE
09  Molokai – NE
13  Lanai – SW
12  Kahoolawe – SSW
16  Hana,
Maui – SE
23  South Point, Big Island – ENE


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


3.82  Mana, Kauai
1.99  Waihee Pump, Oahu
1.25  Molokai
0.05  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.46  Ulupalakua, Maui
0.38  Kiholo RG, 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 ~~~



Our winds will be coming up from the southwest through southeast…with the trade winds finally returning on Memorial Day onwards. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean, along with a real-time wind profile of the central Pacific…focused on the Hawaiian Islands. ~~~ We see a low pressure system to our north-northeast moving east…along with its late season cold front just offshore to the northwest of Kauai…and a trough of low pressure to the southwest of Kauai and Oahu as well. We have a moderately strong high pressure system to our northeast…with a ridge extending southwest over the eastern islands. As a result of these weather features, our local winds will remain on the light side, although locally stronger in a few places from the southwest, south and southeast. The forecast continues to indicate that the trade winds will return Monday…becoming quite breezy into the middle of the new week.

Satellite imagery shows towering cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds forming over and around Kauai and Oahu, with generally clear to partly cloudy conditions elsewhere around the state…while clouds are collecting around the mountains too.
Looking at this larger satellite image, we see those heavy duty clouds most focused over and around Kauai…which are spreading down through Oahu as well. Meanwhile, we continue to see the unusual cold front just to the northwest of Kauai…which has rather intense showers popping-up along the frontal boundary. Here’s a looping radar image, showing generally light to moderately heavy showers falling, which are riding in on the humid winds coming up from the deeper tropics…to our southwest, south and southeast. There are heavier showers near Kauai and Oahu at the time of this writing, with thunderstorms over the offshore waters of Kauai…and in the channel between Kauai and Oahu. None of the islands will be immune from heavy showers, although the western side of the state will find the most generous rainfall…for the most part at least.

An upper level low pressure system, in combination with a surface low pressure system, will be combining their efforts this weekend…prompting locally heavy rain and thunderstorms over and around Kauai and Oahu. The eastern islands of Maui County and the Big Island are expected to be outside of this heavy shower area for the most part…and may continue to see decent weather…at least along the beaches. There will however be a chance for generous showers falling over those eastern sides of the state over the next couple of days. Looking further ahead, we’ll find strengthening trade winds picking up into the new week, bringing active showers to our windward sides for several days, and at the same time taking away the threat of continued heavy showers. The latest model output shows that either the trade winds will continue through next weekend, once they start later this Monday…or they could ease up again next weekend – stay tuned. I’ll be back Sunday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Saturday 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 58.8 degrees at 550am on this Saturday morning. Skies were clear overhead, although I can see rather threatening clouds over on the west side of the island, towards Olowalu and Lahaina. It’s so remarkable to be writing about these highly unusual weather conditions so late in the month of May, so late in our spring season! The unseasonably cold air aloft over the western islands, mixing with the abundant moisture near the surface, will spark thunderstorms over those western islands, with possible waterspouts. Here on Maui, and down on the Big Island too, we’ll have to keep an eye out for possible localized heavy showers, although as noted above…they aren’t as likely. ~~~ By the way, before I went to bed last night at around 1045pm, I stepped outside on my weather deck for about 15 minutes, looking for shooting stars…and saw nary a one. I got up later in the night, although found nothing but clouds overhead, so I didn’t get to enjoy the much advertised meteor shower.

It’s now 1245pm under very cloudy and off and on foggy skies, and a quick shower just occurred, with light winds generally, and an air temperature of 69.8 degrees. I just got back from a quick trip down to Paia, where I did my weekly food shopping at the health food store. Paia was quite sunny and very warm and humid, at least that’s how it seemed to me. There wasn’t any sign of rain down there, although as I was driving back upcountry, I could see that the clouds were getting thick quickly, and I expected rain. Just as I drove in the driveway of my place, the drops started to fall, and I barely had time to bring my stuff in from the car. I expect more rain showers later today, although not as many, or as intense as what’s been, or going to happen over the western islands.

We’re now into the early evening hours at 530pm, with pea soup fog, light showers, near calm winds, and an air temperature of 65.5 degrees. Fog has muffled us during the last several hours, really quietening things down in this area…as only thick fog can do during the daytime hours. About the only thing that I can hear, besides the drops of water falling off the eaves, is the occasional rooster crowing not far away. Looking at that satellite image above, as well as the radar too, I can see that the western islands have no shortage of showers…which have now stretched down to Molokai and Lanai and parts of Maui too. The Big Island has some showers falling over the upper Kona slopes…and the southeast coasts and slopes of the Big Island too.

Friday evening film: As many of you know, I’m really into my Friday evening films, look forward to sitting in that theatre seat, having the lights go down, watching the many trailers…and finally settling into whatever film that I’m seeing. The one this time, is one that I’ve been looking forward to seeing. It’s called Chef, starring Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr….among many others. The synopsis: Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what’s next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen.The critics are giving this film high scores, you know like…right up there in the high 80’s in most cases.

What I was gathering from reading a few reviews, is that its charming, funny and real…these words took most of the guess work out of wondering whether I’d like it or not. As it turned out, I did like it quite a bit, as it was a fun film for the most part. There was a young boy and his father that played the starring roles, which was touching at times. As you probably figured out from the title, food, cooking food, and lots of eating food were the primary focus. I enjoy all those things to, so it was engaging on that front. The sound track was great, and I found myself tapping my feet many times during this almost 2 hour film. I was surprised that there weren’t more people in the theater, as many seats were empty, probably at least 1/2 empty on this opening night. As for a grade, I’d say it was a strong B movie, one well worth seeing for me. Here’s the  trailer just in case it might have an interest in seeing it.



NOAA expects near-normal or above-normal Central Pacific hurricane season
/ For 2014, the outlook calls for a 40% chance of a near-normal season, a 40% chance of an above-normal season, and a 20% chance of a below-normal season. They expect 4 to 7 tropical cyclones to affect the central Pacific this season. An average season has 4-5 tropical cyclones, which include tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes.


This outlook is based upon the expectation of El Niño developing during the 2014 hurricane season. El Niño decreases the vertical wind shear over the tropical central Pacific, favoring the development of more and stronger tropical cyclones. Since 1995 the central Pacific has been in an era of low activity for hurricanes, but this pattern will be offset in 2014 by the impacts of El Niño.

This outlook is a general guide to the overall seasonal hurricane activity in the central Pacific and does not predict whether, where, when, or how many of these systems will affect Hawaii.


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:
Hurricane Amanda remains active offshore south of the Mexican coast. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, with a broad satellite picture of the northeastern Pacific…along with a close-up satellite image of this system. Here’s what the computer models are showing for this still strengthening hurricane.


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 begins on June 1st…and runs 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: African nation seeks $1 billion to save its rainforest The Democratic Republic of Congo is seeking a billion dollars for a plan to protect up to 9 million hectares of rainforests, reports the Financial Times.


In a presentation given at the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday, DR Congo Minister of Environment Bavon N’sa Mputu Elima said his country needed foreign assistance to protect forests. He cited Indonesia as a precedent for such an approach.


“We have more forests than Indonesia and they got $1 billion,” he was quoted as saying, referring to a 2010 agreement Indonesia signed with Norway that would pay the nation up to a billion dollars if it successfully reduces deforestation from a specified level. Indonesia lost almost 10 million more hectares of forest than DRC since 2000, according to data from Global Forest Watch.


“The DRC accepts its responsibility to protect its forests for the benefit of humanity,” the Minister said. “But as a developing country we require a partnership with industrialized nations to provide the financial support needed by the program.”


Deforestation in DRC has been on a downward trend since the early 1990’s but environmentalists fear that growing stability and associated investment could drive an increase in forest clearing and degradation from industrial logging, oil palm expansion, and mining. DRC is therefore seeking payments under the U.N.-endorsed REDD+ program, which aims to provide performance-based compensation for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation. Money from the program would go into a green development program that funds livelihoods and activities that help maintain forest cover.


Wildlife Works, a U.S.-based company that operates a REDD+ project in Kenya, has been helping the Congolese government design the program.


“The program is unlike anything attempted before and will utilize the UN’s REDD+ mechanism to protect nearly 9M hectares of primary tropical rainforest, in a 12M-hectare landscape, almost the size of England,” said the company in a statement. “The program area is home to approximately 1.8M people and to many magnificent endangered species, including the forest elephant and the bonobo, the great ape known as the closest relative to humans that lives only in the DRC.”


The Congo Basin and surrounding region has the second largest extent of rainforest after the Amazon.