Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Thursday…and the low temperatures Thursday:
83 – 75 Lihue, Kauai
87 – 75 Honolulu, Oahu
84 – 72 Molokai AP
88 – 70 Kahului AP, Maui
86 – 76 Kailua Kona
82 – 70 Hilo AP, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands…as of Thursday evening:
1.06 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.40 Waiawa, Oahu
0.11 Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
1.33 Puu Kukui, Maui
1.66 Mountain View, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Thursday evening:
15 Port Allen, Kauai
35 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
24 Molokai
29 Lanai
28 Kahoolawe
20 Kahului, Maui
24 Upolu AP, Big Island
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 system over the ocean far to the north…
with it’s frontal cloud band draping southwest
We see a weakening cold front to the northwest of the state…
with a few thunderstorms far southwest
Clear to partly cloudy skies for the most part…some
cloudy areas locally
Showers falling locally – Looping radar image
Small Craft Advisory…windiest coasts and channels around
Maui County and the Big Island
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Moderate easterly trade winds will pick up Friday…remaining locally breezy through the weekend. Here’s the latest weather map, showing a strong high pressure system well to the north-northeast of Hawaii, with another far northwest. At the same time, there’s a gale low pressure system north-northwest of the state, with its comma shaped cold front draping southwest from its center. This late season cold front will approach the state, although won’t get into our area. The models show some fluctuations in wind speeds through the next week…although they will generally blow in the moderately strong realms.
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
Showers will continue to favor windward and mountain areas, with periodic increases in shower activity…as pockets of moisture move along the trade wind flow. Satellite imagery shows clear to partly cloudy skies in place across the state. There’s some enhanced cloud cover over windward and mountain areas, where radar imagery shows scattered showers moving through our island chain locally. The periods of enhancement will prompt locally heavier showers at times into the weekend. It appears we can look for somewhat wetter than normal weather, especially over the Maui and Big Island side of the chain.
Marine environment details: Trade winds are expected to increase, and confidence is high that small craft advisory conditions will develop across the typically windy waters around the Big Island and Maui County Friday. Trades will increase further on Saturday, and any small craft advisory issued, may need to be expanded to additional marine zones for the weekend. A slow decrease in winds is due next week.
Surf will remain below advisory levels on all shores through the forecast period. Expect a drop in the current south and south- southwest swell over the next couple of days. Rough surf along east facing shores will continue through much of the week…with the largest surf expected during the weekend.
Oahu
Here on Maui – Before sunrise on this Thursday morning, we find clear to partly cloudy skies. Here at my place in upcountry Kula, it’s calm and clear…with an air temperature of 51.2F degrees at 540am.
– Early evening, another nice day, with clear to partly cloudy skies, and cloudiness over and around the mountains. Have you noticed that the May moon is getting closer and closer to being full? / Now at 615pm, we’re having a very light shower here at my place in upcountry Kula…which doesn’t seem like it will amount to much.
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: No active tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.
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:
Tropical Cyclone 01B (Roanu) remains active in the Bay of Bengal, well offshore from the east coast of India. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing.
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: Increased vegetation in the Arctic region may counteract global warming – Climate change creates more shrub vegetation in barren, arctic ecosystems. A study at Lund University in Sweden shows that organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, are triggered to break down particularly nutritious dead parts of shrubbery. Meanwhile, the total amount of decomposition is reducing. This could have an inhibiting effect on global warming.
A large amount of the Earth’s carbon and nitrogen is stored in arctic ecosystems where the ground is permanently frozen, known as permafrost. Climate change causes such soil to heat up. Johannes Rousk at Lund University, together with colleagues Kathrin Rousk och Anders Michelsen from the University of Copenhagen and the Center for Permafrost (CENPERM), have conducted field studies outside Abisko in the very north of Sweden, studying what happens to the decomposition of organic material as the climate gets warmer.
“As the Arctic region becomes warmer, more shrubs start to grow, rather than moss which is difficult to break down. The shrubs have leaves and roots that are easy to break down and secrete sugar. What we have shown is that decomposition organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, are triggered to look for nutrient-rich organic materials that contain more nitrogen, while decomposition as a whole is reduced”, says Johannes Rousk.
When the nutrient-rich material is decomposed, the nutrient-poor part of the organic material is enriched, probably causing the amount of carbon to increase. Current climate models do not consider the connection between increased shrub vegetation as a result of ongoing climate change, and soil becoming less nutritious.
“It will be exciting to see how this will affect the soil carbon turnover in the long term. Perhaps our results will help complement future climate models”, says Johannes Rousk.
Today no one knows what less nutritious soil in the Arctic ecosystem and an overall decreased decomposition of organic material will lead to. However, Johannes Rousk dares to venture a guess:
“I suspect it will have an inhibiting effect on global warming”, he says.
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