Air Temperatures – The following high temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday…along with the low temperatures Wednesday
80 – 73 Lihue, Kauai
85 – 74 Honolulu, Oahu
86 – 70 Molokai
86 – 63 Kahului AP, Maui
84 – 72 Kona Int’l AP
84 – 67 Hilo AP, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Wednesday evening:
0.02 Lihue, Kauai
0.01 Tunnel RG, Oahu
0.02 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.04 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.06 Kawainui Stream, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) as of Wednesday evening:
15 Port Allen, Kauai
15 Kahuku Trng, Oahu
20 Molokai
18 Lanai
30 Kahoolawe
28 Kula 1, Maui
25 South Point, Big Island
Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of our tallest mountain Mauna Kea (nearly 13,800 feet high) on the Big Island of Hawaii. This webcam is available during the daylight hours here in the islands, and at night whenever there’s a big moon shining down. Also, at night you will be able to see the stars — and the sunrise and sunset too — depending upon weather conditions.
Aloha Paragraphs
A storm low pressure system is spinning far north
A cold front is located well northwest…which won’t reach the islands
Mostly clear to partly cloudy, with higher level clouds north…shifting south
Just a few showers – Looping radar image
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Broad brush overview: We can look for dry trade wind weather through most of Friday, with brief showers focused over the windward sides, although with limited rainfall accumulations. The trades will increase later Friday…along with a slight increase in shower activity into Saturday.
Details: A near 1027 millibar high pressure system is centered northeast of the Big Island…with a second high pressure cell north-northwest. Satellite imagery shows mostly clear skies along the leeward shores, with a few low clouds being carried over the windward areas on the gusty trade wind flow. Meanwhile, an area of higher level clouds are slipping over the state from the north.
A cold front to the north of the islands is expected to shift eastward, staying north of the islands. This will help to push a high pressure ridge closer to the islands, causing our winds to become southeasterly. As the winds shift southeast…we’ll likely see volcanic haze (vog) moving over parts of the smaller islands into Friday. We may see an increase in showers as well, mainly over Maui County and the Big Island.
Looking ahead: High pressure will gradually rebuild north of the area, resulting in returning trade winds into the weekend. Meanwhile, the models show an upper level trough of low pressure edging into the area northeast of the Big Island. If this occurs as expected, it would likely produce slightly elevated inversion heights, and potentially lead to an increase in trade wind showers…particularly along windward sides of the eastern islands.
As we get into the middle of next week, a couple of cold fronts may be passing by to the north of the state, which could bring a few clouds and showers across the island chain. However, from this vantage point at least, most of the precipitation looks like it would stay well north of the state. At the same time, our winds may veer to the southeast again…carrying more volcanic haze our way then.
Here’s a wind profile of the Pacific Ocean – Closer view of the islands / Here’s the vog forecast animation / Here’s the latest weather map
Marine environment details: A moderately strong high pressure system is located far northeast of the area with a surface ridge trailing west to the north of Kauai. The high will move east and the ridge will weaken over the next couple of days…as cold fronts pass north of the area.
The surface ridge will strengthen again north of the area Friday. Winds are expected to reach small craft advisory strength Saturday, and may reach near gale strength around the Big Island and Maui over the weekend. Choppy surf along east facing shores will increase as the trade winds strengthen.
A storm east of Japan will produce a very large west-northwest swell reaching the islands Saturday. Surf from this swell will be well above the advisory threshold through early next week, and may reach warning levels. Surf will be highest on Kauai, which will block some of the swell, so that surf will be smaller on the rest of the islands. As this swell lowers next Tuesday, a new northwest swell is expected to arrive.
Generally pleasant weather into Thursday
Southern California Weather Summary: A storm system has moved across the area, bringing showers and a few localized thunderstorms. Thursday and Friday will be dry, with gusty northwest winds. By Friday night and Saturday…another storm system will bring additional precipitation to the area.
Clearing skies…until the next storm arrives late Friday into Saturday
Clear to partly cloudy…a few thunderstorms – Looping radar
World-wide tropical cyclone activity
>>> Here’s the Wednesday Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) Weather Wall Presentation…covering tropical disturbances 90S and 91P.
>>> Atlantic Ocean: The 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
>>> Caribbean: The 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st
>>> Gulf of Mexico: The 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st
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 2017 hurricane season begins May 15th
Here’s the NOAA 2016 Hurricane Season Summary for the Eastern Pacific Basin
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 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st
Here’s the NOAA 2016 Hurricane Season Summary for the Central Pacific Basin
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: No active tropical cyclones
>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: No active tropical cyclone
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: Weather –
There is weather on the day you are born
and weather on the day you die. There is
the year of drought, and the year of floods,
when everything rises and swells,
the year when winter will not stop falling,
and the year when summer lightning
burns the prairie, makes it disappear.
There are the weather vanes, dizzy
on top of farmhouses, hurricanes
curled like cats on a map of sky:
there are cows under the trees outlined
in flies. There is the weather that blows
a stranger into town and the weather
that changes suddenly: an argument,
a sickness, a baby born
too soon. Crops fail and a field becomes
a study in hunger; storm clouds
billow over the sea;
tornadoes appear like the drunk
trunks of elephants. People talking about
weather are people who don’t know what to say
and yet the weather is what happens to all of us:
the blizzard that makes our neighborhoods
strange, the flood that carries away
our plans. We are getting ready for the weather,
or cleaning up after the weather, or enduring
the weather. We are drenched in rain
or sweat: we are looking for an umbrella,
a second mitten; we are gathering
wood to build a fire.
Maggie Says:
Beautiful poem Glen. Thank you, it made my day.
~~~ Hi Maggie, glad you liked that poem!
Aloha, Glenn
Douglas MacDougal Says:
Aloha Glen
Through the trials and tribulations of the last few months…. you still provide poetry for us all to enjoy and ponder…..
Mahalo
Douglas
~~~ Hi Douglas, I enjoy what I see and read, and really enjoy sharing with you…and all the others who frequent my weather website.
Aloha, Glenn
p.s. Richard Huddleston sent the Weather piece via an email message