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

79  Lihue, Kauai
84  Honolulu, Oahu
83  Molokai
91  Kahului, Maui – tied the record high temperature for today…which occurred back in 1951 and 1992
84  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 710pm Monday evening:

 

Kailua Kona – 80
Hilo, Hawaii
– 73


Haleakala Summit –   48 
(near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 37 (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



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Rebounding trade winds the rest of this week…into next

W
indward showers arriving in an off and on manner…
along with some afternoon showers over the leeward
upcountry areas locally. As the trade winds pick up,
windward showers will dominate generally




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


12  Port Allen, Kauai – NNE
16  Kii, Oahu – ESE
22  Molokai – ENE
24  Lanai – NE
20  Kahoolawe – NE
14  Lipoa,
Maui – E
24  Upolu airport, Big Island – NE


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


2.88  Lihue, Kauai
0.89  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.15  Molokai
0.09  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
1.61  Puu Kukui, Maui
1.78  Kealakomo, 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 picking up through the rest of the week…right on into next week. 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 have a moderately strong high pressure system located far to our northeast…with its associated ridge extending southwest to the northeast of the state. At the same time, we have a low pressure system well to the north, with its associated cold front to the northwest of Kauai. This very late season cold front won’t make it down into the state. 

Satellite imagery shows patchy lower level clouds over the ocean, and over the islands in places too…especially Kauai.
Looking at this larger satellite image, we see a large, counterclockwise rotating upper level low pressure system far to our west. At the same time, there are large areas of high clouds being moved along on the upper level winds to our north, southeast and southwest and west too…some of which may eventually begin to move over some parts of the state. Here’s a looping radar image, showing light showers being carried along in our easterly wind flow, impacting the islands locally. Kauai and Oahu received the greatest amounts of locally heavy rain, with still some good showers falling over parts of Oahu…at the time of this writing.

We’re about to re-enter a well established trade wind weather pattern…that will last a good distance into the future. The windward sides, as the trade winds come back online soon, will have off and on showers through the next week. The locally heavy showers that fell over the western islands today, should gradually move away. The upper low pressure system to our west, and its associated instability, are what triggered the locally heavy showers today. These necessitate flash flood warnings and advisories on Kauai and Oahu. As this upper low gradually starts to fill, we should see less chance of heavy showers Tuesday, with them completely gone by mid-week. I’ll be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday 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 55.9 degrees at 550am on this Monday morning. Skies are mostly clear everywhere on Maui, along with what looks like a thin layer of haze too.

We’ve moved into the early afternoon now at 1245pm, under partly cloudy skies, light breezes…and an air temperature of 76.5 degrees. Looking down at the central valley, I can definitely see light to moderately thick haze. The overhead clouds now are getting a bit darker as we go through the day, although don’t have that rainy look to them at the moment. Update: it just started to lightly shower at 315pm.

It’s now 550pm under clear to partly cloudy skies, light breezes, and an air temperature of 77.7 degrees. The expected showers this afternoon didn’t materialize over the eastern islands. They did however, definitely show up over the western side of the state, with localized flooding in a few areas on both Kauai and Oahu. I would imagine that this threat of heavy showers will fade tomorrow, and be long gone by Wednesday. Otherwise, it looks very likely that we’ll be dropping into a very typical, late spring trade wind weather pattern over the next week plus. Update at 715pm, its just after sunset, and there’s just a little bit of thin high cirrus, which is giving a faint pink color to our northwest and northerly skies. The air temperature has dropped down to 69.6 degrees…it’s very pleasant!



World-wide tropical cyclone activity:


Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones


Here’s a
satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean


Caribbean Sea:
There are no active tropical cyclones

Gulf of Mexico:
There are no active tropical cyclones – Here’s a graphical outlook image of the area described below

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:
Tropical Cyclone 02E remains active in the northeast Pacific. Here’s the NHC graphical track map…along with a satellite image of this strengthening tropical depression. As it becomes a tropical storm tomorrow, it will take on the name Boris.


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:
No tropical cyclones are expected through Wednesday afternoon


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: US EPA Releases Clean Power Plan ProposalThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is releasing the Clean Power Plan proposal today. This is the first attempt to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, the single largest source of carbon pollution in the United States.


“Climate change, fueled by carbon pollution, supercharges risks to our health, our economy, and our way of life. EPA is delivering on a vital piece of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan by proposing a Clean Power Plan that will cut harmful carbon pollution from our largest source–power plants,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “By leveraging cleaner energy sources and cutting energy waste, this plan will clean the air we breathe while helping slow climate change so we can leave a safe and healthy future for our kids. We don’t have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy environment–our action will sharpen America’s competitive edge, spur innovation, and create jobs.”


According to the EPA, power plants account for roughly one-third of all domestic greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. While there are already standards for the level of arsenic, mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particle pollution that power plants can emit, there are currently no national limits on carbon pollution levels.


By 2030, the EPA is planning to:


– Cut carbon emission from the power sector by 30 percent nationwide below 2005 levels, which is equal to the emissions from powering more than half the homes in the United States for one year;

– Cut particle pollution, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide by more than 25 percent as a co-benefit;

– Avoid up to 6,600 premature deaths, up to 150,000 asthma attacks in children, and up to 490,000 missed work or school days—providing up to $93 billion in climate and public health benefits; and

– Shrink electricity bills roughly 8 percent by increasing energy efficiency and reducing demand in the electricity system.


Also included in today’s proposal is a flexible timeline for states to follow for submitting plans to the agency—with plans due in June 2016, with the option to use a two-step process for submitting final plans if more time is needed. States that have already invested in energy efficiency programs will be able to build on these programs during the compliance period to help make progress toward meeting their goal.


Today’s announcement marks the beginning of the second phase of the agency’s outreach efforts.