Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Saturday…along with the minimums Saturday:
80 – 67 Lihue, Kauai
86 – 69 Honolulu, Oahu
82 – 65 Molokai AP
84 – 71 Kahului AP, Maui
84 – 75 Kailua Kona
86 – 73 Hilo AP, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands, as of Saturday evening:
0.05 Lihue, Kauai
0.04 Olomana, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.04 Kahoolawe
0.84 West Wailuaiki, Maui
2.44 Saddle Quarry, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Saturday evening:
21 Port Allen, Kauai – NE
25 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – SSW
24 Molokai – N
27 Lanai – NE
27 Kahoolawe – NE
28 Kapalua, Maui – NNE
24 Kealakomo, Big Island – E
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
Low pressure systems over the ocean to the northeast
through north
Scattered clouds…with high cirrus to the southwest –
a cold front breaking apart to the north-northeast
Clear to partly cloudy across the state, some cloudy
areas…especially around the Big Island
A few showers falling…mostly around the eastern islands
looping radar image
Small Craft Advisory…coasts and channel waters around
Maui County and the Alenuihaha Channel
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Returning trade winds into Sunday…gradually reducing our volcanic haze. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. We find high pressure systems to the north and east-northeast of Hawaii…with an associated ridge to the area north and northeast of the islands. At the same time, we see numerous low pressure systems northwest, north and northeast of the islands…along with trailing cold fronts. We’ll find moderately strong trade winds blowing through Sunday. An approaching cold front early in the new week will cause our winds to veer to the southeast and become lighter Monday into Tuesday…which in turn will bring volcanic haze back over us again then. The models go on to suggest gusty north to northeasterly winds arriving during the middle of the week, in the wake of the frontal passage. These breezes will bring a little chill to our area for a day or two…before the winds shift to a more typical trade wind direction. The winds will likely calm down again by next weekend, as another cold front approaches the state then.
Here’s a wind profile…of the offshore waters around the islands – with a closer view
Here’s the Hawaiian Islands Sulfate Aerosol…animated graphic – showing vog forecast
Generally fair weather…continuing into Monday. The outlook shows pretty good weather on tap through Monday, with routine windward showers at times, as the trade winds strengthen. The leeward sides should have nice weather during this forecast period, with just a few showers at times. The models show a cold front approaching the islands Monday into Tuesday. This looks to be yet another of our many weak cold fronts, although it should have enough push to make it down through the state later Tuesday into Wednesday. The gusty trade winds following in the front’s wake will carry some windward showers our way for a couple days thereafter. The trades should remain active through Friday, before easing up from the east to southeast and south…ahead of another cold front next weekend.
Marine environment details: The morning observations showed that winds had not picked up as fast as expected, with 20 knots through the Alenuihaha channel, and only 15 knots south of the Big Island. However, we should see winds pick up as we start to feel the more full effect of the trades Sunday. For now will stick with the current small craft advisory setup as winds are expected to increase. As the direction veers more easterly on Sunday, waters south of the Big Island may be added to the existing advisory. After a brief decrease in winds early next week, the stronger high building in behind the front may lead to small craft conditions for most coastal waters by Wednesday.
The increasing trades will generate some choppy, short period swell along east facing shores Sunday into Monday. A slightly larger trade swell is expected Wednesday and Thursday, which will gradually diminish through the weekend. Otherwise a series of small north to northwest swells will continue through the week.
Returning trade winds…generally small surf
Here in Maui County…It’s clear and calm in upcountry Kula early this Saturday morning, along with still some volcanic haze still evident down in the central valley…with an air temperature 49.1F degrees. The temperature at nearly the same time was 73 degrees down in Kahului under mostly cloudy skies, 75 out in Hana, 73 at Maalaea Bay, and 46 atop the Haleakala summit. Meanwhile, Kahoolawe was 66 degrees, 68 at Lanai City, with 71 at the Molokai airport with clear skies. According to satellite imagery, it looks like most of Maui County, although with partly to mostly cloudy skies along the windward sides…with a few passing showers. / 850am under mostly cloud free skies, and less vog …although it’s still visible. It’s a lovely morning, with just a few minor clouds around the edges.
– Early Saturday afternoon, under clear to partly cloudy skies, light to moderately strong trade winds…and voggy conditions despite the winds. / Mid-afternoon, still mostly clear, with a few scattered clouds around the edges, and rather breezy trade winds blowing. This all sounds and looks good, except for one thing…the thick vog that doesn’t want to go away yet!
– Early Saturday evening, under mostly clear skies with scattered clouds about. I must point out…that as we head into sunset, our persistent volcanic haze remains in place.
Friday Evening Film – There’s all kinds of new films playing in our Kahului theaters now, several of which I’d like to eventually see. Tonight’s pick is called Eye In The Sky, starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Kim Engelbrecht, Barkhad Abdi, Iain Glen, and Phoebe Fox…among many others. The synopsis: Eye in the Sky stars Helen Mirren as Colonel Katherine Powell, a UK-based military officer in command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya. Through remote surveillance and on-the-ground intel, Powell discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing and the mission escalates from “capture” to “kill.” But as an American pilot is about to engage, a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute, reaching the highest levels of US and British government, over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare.
I saw this film with my friends Jeff, Svetlana, and a friend of hers from Germany, and we all thought highly of it, although her friend a bit less so. Let me start off by saying that this was a disturbing film, showing just how good the military is getting at killing. The film centered around how impressive the drone warfare is now. There was an even balance between sitting there in our seats sweating it out with such important decisions to be made…and thinking what you would do under these same situations. It all boiled down to this question: is the life of one, more important than the life of the many? There were no easy answers in this thriller, only difficult questions about following orders…and the cost of war. As for grades, Svetlana gave it an A, Jeff and I both came in at A minus, and the 4th person dropped it down to a B rating. If you have any interest in seeing a little of this film…here’s the trailer.
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)
>>> South Pacific Ocean: No active tropical cyclones
>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: No active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: Scotland shuts down its last coal-fired electric power plant – After nearly 50 years of service, Scotland’s last coal-fired power plant — Longannet Power Station — has finally gone offline, putting an end to over 100 years of burning coal for electricity.
It’s an important moment for Scottish Power, which looks ahead to clean power initiatives with the goal of going all-renewable by 2020,
But it’s also a very symbolic action for the world. Hopefully other nations will follow suit, creating a domino effect as country by country eliminates its coal plants — like the one above — in favor of renewable alternatives.
Brought online in 1969, Longannet was only designed to be used for 25 years. The plant had four generating units producing 2,400 megawatts at maximum capacity — enough to power 25 percent of Scottish homes.
When Longannet was initially constructed, it was the largest coal-fired plant in Europe. It remained a critical element of Scotland’s energy plan — one reason why it took so long to decommission. Scottish Power had to move carefully to ensure that they didn’t jeopardize the power supply during the transition.
Over its lifetime, the plant generated 400 terrawatt hours worth of electricity, used four million tons of coal annually and ran for 918,315 hours in total. The shutoff of the final generating unit marked the end of an era.
It was a very timely end. Longannet’s size has since been supplanted. At the time of its closure, it was the third-largest coal plant in Europe.
But it was also one of the United Kingdom’s biggest polluters. Changing policies on carbon pollution made the plant extremely expensive to operate, between routine maintenance, retrofits and carbon fines – and forced Scottish Power to take it offline.
The ultimate unsustainability of the plant serves as an excellent illustration of why aggressive carbon emission regulation works — it forced Scotland’s hand much sooner than a call for renewable energy could have ever done. Sometimes, it’s necessary to appeal to base economic realities rather than principles.
Some engineers caution that the closure could be a costly experiment. They argue that because the plant generated such a huge segment of the country’s power supply, taking it offline could create instability on the electrical grid.
Scottish Power has clearly planned ahead and feels otherwise. If the company can successfully balance the electrical needs of the country, it could provide a blueprint for other nations considering the elimination of coal power.
Taking the clean energy plunge might feel intimidating until nations see someone else take the lead. And that makes Scotland’s highly progressive move very important.
Over 200 people worked at the power plant, and up to 1,000 jobs related to Longannet may also be at risk with the closure.
Scottish Power explains that it has been working closely with employees to offer them placements elsewhere in the country, provide them with retirement options or facilitate transitions to other careers. A skeleton crew will also be remaining behind at the plant during the decommissioning phase.
Meanwhile, Scottish Power has major wave and solar projects in the works, and they’ll require workers familiar with the electricity generation industry and its auxiliary needs.
Today, Scotland, tomorrow, the world?
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