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

79 – 66  Lihue, Kauai
81 – 63  Honolulu, Oahu
79 – 67  Molokai
81 – 67  Kahului AP, Maui
82 – 64  Hilo, Hawaii

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

0.01  Waialae, Kauai
0.00  Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.00  Maui
0.02  Kawainui Stream, Big Island

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

22  Port Allen, Kauai – SE
21  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
18  Molokai – E
22  Lanai – NE
27  Kahoolawe – ENE
29  Kapalua, Maui – NNE
27  Kealakomo, 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

http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_ir_enh_west_loop-12.gif
We see a ragged cold front brushing the islands

Here’s a wind profile…of the offshore waters
around the islands – with a closer view

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/vis.jpg
Fragmenting cold front just north of Hawaii

 

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg
Th0se clouds with their showers to our north…will be carried
southward to our islands on the strengthening trades


http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/RadarImg/hawaii.gif
Just a few showers with the remnants of a weak cold front
north…increasing into Tuesday – looping radar image

 

High Surf Advisory…for the north and west shores of Kauai,
Oahu, Molokai / north shore of Maui /west shore of the Big Island

Small Craft Advisory…most coastal areas, and all of the major
channels between the islands


~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~



Stronger trade winds into Wednesday. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. We find a high pressure system to our northwest…moving quickly eastward. At the same time, we find storm and gale low pressure systems to our northwest through northeast. There’s a cold front to our north, which is just brushing Kauai. Stronger trades will prevail during the first half of this week. Our winds will turn southeast starting later Wednesday or Thursday morning…bringing a possible extended period of volcanic haze, ahead of yet another couple of cold fronts into the weekend.

Very dry and stable conditions…giving way to increased windward showers into Tuesday night. A cold front is moving by just to the north over the ocean now. This front will contribute passing showers, carried by the trades along our windward coasts and slopes…later this evening into Tuesday. The leeward beaches may see some of these showers as well. This will be followed by another cold front, although the chances of it making it all the way into the state later Thursday and Friday isn’t too likely. Finally, yet another cold front will  approach the state by the weekend. There’s no clear indication of our weather changing towards a significantly wetter reality – thanks to our strong El Nino this winter.

Here in Maui County…It’s mostly clear across the island this morning before sunrise. Here in upcountry Kula it’s calm and clear…with a very cool air temperature of 43.8 F degrees at 555am. The temperature was 68 degrees down near sea level in Kahului, with 66 out in Hana, 52 in Kaupo Gap…and 44 atop the Haleakala Crater at the same time. Meanwhile, Kahoolawe’s highest elevation was reporting 63 degrees, with 64 degrees at Lanai City.

– A wonderfully sunny winter day, that’s the long and short of it…with strengthening trade winds and just a few showers.

– Skies at sunset are mostly clear, with air temperatures set to diminish quickly during the night. As the trade winds are picking up however, our minimum temperatures should moderate a little Tuesday…compared to the last few chilly mornings. The main change we’ll see Tuesday will be the increase in clouds and showers, especially along our windward sides…less so leeward beaches. / Now at 805pm its 51.4 degrees, and the temperature has dropped from 60 at 6pm, very likely heading down into the 40’s…as it has been most nights of late.

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


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

>>> Atlantic Ocean: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant. Here’s the 2015 hurricane season summary

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

>>> Caribbean Sea: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant.

>>> Gulf of Mexico: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant.

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 last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 North Pacific hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on May 15, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant. Here’s the 2015 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.

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

>>> Central Pacific: The central north Pacific hurricane season has officially ended. Routine issuance of the tropical weather outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, special tropical weather outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant. Here’s the 2015 hurricane season summary

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> South Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 06P (Ula) remains active to the south of Fiji…in the southwest Pacific. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this system…and finally what the computer models are showing.


>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)


Interesting: Will Styrofoam Get the Plastic Bag Treatment? – Say farewell to Styrofoam take-out containers in the nation’s capital. It’s been a few years in the making, but Washington, D.C. has finally enacted a firm ban on polystyrene food and beverage containers. Henceforth, all restaurants will have to provide biodegradable alternatives if they want to send their patrons home with leftovers.

The ordinance is a big score for the environment since Styrofoam is a harmful material that takes hundreds of years to decompose. Although it was recently discovered that meal worms can safely digest polystyrene, that’s not currently a practical approach to handling the world’s massive foam waste problem. As it stands, Styrofoam products account for about 30 percent of all space in landfills in the U.S. Altogether, Americans toss approximately 25 billion Styrofoam cups each year.

Styrofoam may be a nationwide problem, but lawmakers also factored in local concerns when deciding to enact the ban. The city has undergone a serious effort to clean the highly polluted Anacostia River, and the Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) notes that foam containers are some of the most common types of litter fished out of the river. By eliminating Styrofoam boxes and cups, the river should become that much cleaner.

The D.C. law pertains specifically to food and drink containers obtained at restaurants. Styrofoam will still be allowed for a number of other uses, including to pack and ship food products. The DOEE says it will conduct regular inspections to determine that food industry businesses are complying with the law, and it invites citizens to call in tips to report restaurants that continue to serve Styrofoam.

While D.C. may be the current largest populated city in the United States to ban foam, it’s certainly not the first. The Surfrider Foundation compiles a list of places across America that have similarly kicked out polystyrene containers, including Seattle, Wash., Portland, Ore., and over 60 communities scattered throughout California. Though most municipalities are recent adopters, a handful of places have laws dating back to the late 1980s/early 1990s.

New York City was the biggest city to get rid of foam containers until a few months ago. A judge in New York state undid the ban on polystyrene containers throughout New York City, saying that the city had the responsibility to find better ways to recycle the material before outright banning it.\Despite NYC backtracking thanks to an outside judge, the overall shift toward eliminating foam is a reassuring trend. For years, it seemed like banning plastic bags was too far fetched to succeed, but for every city that takes the plunge, more and more follow suit. If a couple other major cities join D.C., Seattle and Portland in requiring biodegradable container options, other vaguely eco-conscious cities will probably follow their example once they see how feasible it is.