Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / September 15-16, 2015

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday…along with the minimums Tuesday:

79 – 75  Lihue, Kauai
89 – 77  Honolulu, Oahu
85 – 75  Molokai
89 – 75  Kahului AP, Maui
90 – 79  Kailua Kona AP
84 – 73  Hilo, Hawaii

Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands, as of  Tuesday evening:

7.80  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
7.36  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
1.26  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.10  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
5.44  Puu Kukui, Maui
2.29  Waiakea Uka, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Tuesday evening:

25  Waimea Heights, Kauai – ENE
30  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
25  Molokai – NNE
28  Lanai – NE
35  Kahoolawe – ENE
28  Maalaea Bay, Maui – NW
29  Upolu AP, Big Island – ENE

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

A low pressure system spinning…far to the northwest

Here’s a wind profile…of the area around the islands

Thunderstorms offshore to the far northwest,
southwest, south and well southeast

Lots of low clouds in our area…in addition to
thunderstorms southwest and south

There are showers in our area, arriving along our
windward sides mostly…although not exclusively
looping radar image

Small Craft Advisory…windiest coasts and channels
around Maui County and the Big Island

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

Rather strong and gusty trade winds…continuing through the week. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean, along with a wind profiler of the central Pacific. We find a moderately strong high pressure system to the north of the state…moving closer to our area. At the same time we see a storm low pressure system far northwest of the islands. Our winds are arriving from the trade wind direction. This in turn will keep a late summer trade wind weather pattern in place for the time being. These trades will likely give way to east-southeasterly winds later this week into early next week.

There will be windward showers…and some elsewhere at times too.  The windward sides will see a parade of incoming showers, which will be carried over into the leeward sides at times, at least on the smaller islands…on the trade winds. There will be off and on showery clouds riding in on these trades through the mid-week period. The leeward beaches will see fewer showers, although will get into the act at times locally too. Looking ahead, we may dry out a little Thursday, and then likely find moisture being carried our way on the gusty trade winds…with the threat heavier showers returning Friday into the weekend.

Here on Maui…It’s 535am Tuesday morning, and still too dark for me to see what’s going on out there, I’ll let you know in a few minutes. It’s light enough now, for me to see that there are more than the normal amount of clouds in our early morning skies, many of which are dropping showers. It can also tell you that it’s a relatively warm morning up here in Kula…one of the few mornings that I haven’t had to reach for my fleece parka lately. / Now at 715am, I just looked down towards Kihei, Wailea and Maui Meadows, and it’s nice and clear over there. / 1020am it just started lightly raining here in Kula.

– We just slipped into the early afternoon, with cloudy skies in most places visible to me…from here in Kula. We’ve had a couple of light showers here at my place, although nothing that got even close to serious. / 250pm, pouring rain, one of those good heavy downpours, leaving nothing to the imagination…it’s just wet wet wet!

– We’re into the early evening now, after a rainy afternoon, at least here in Kula. Looking at the precipitation numbers, it appears that the slopes of Haleakala, and the windward sides, took the brunt of these downpours. At the moment, the showers have stopped, as they’ve done a couple of times over the last 5-6 hours, with not much left but the dripping eaves. Oops, here it comes again, lightly though for a change, plus we now have fog. Meanwhile, I can see the sun down the mountain, at least a little poking through a few holes in the otherwise cloudy skies.

I’ll be back with many more updates on all of the above and below, I hope you have a great Tuesday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

>>> Atlantic Ocean:

Tropical Depression 09L is now active, located 1215 NM east of the Lesser Antilles, with sustained winds of 30 mph. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this strengthening system…along with what the computer models show

1.)  A broad area of low pressure located about 350 miles southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands continues to produce disorganized shower activity. Environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for the formation of a tropical depression over the next few days while the system moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…70 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…80 percent

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 satellite image of the Caribbean Sea…and the Gulf of Mexico

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

>>> Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

1.)   Showers and thunderstorms have changed little in organization near a weak and elongated low pressure area located several hundred miles south of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. Any development of this system should be slow to occur during the next several days while it moves slowly west-northwestward.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…10 percent

Here’s a wide satellite image that covers the entire area between Mexico, out through the central Pacific…to the International Dateline.

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

>>> Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

1.)  A broad area of low pressure is located about 1300 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. Showers and thunderstorms associated with this system have increased during the night, and gradual development is possible during the next couple of days as this area of low pressure moves slowly toward the northwest.

* Formation chance through 48 hours, low…30 percent

Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)