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

85 – 72  Lihue, Kauai
85 – 74  Honolulu, Oahu
86 – 73  Molokai
89 – 68  Kahului AP, Maui
86 – 75  Kailua Kona
84 – 70  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

0.32  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.42  Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
 0.07  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
 0.01  Kahoolawe
0.24  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.26  Piihonua, Big Island

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

28  Port Allen, Kauai
35  Palehua, Oahu
27  Molokai
 27  Lanai
39  Kahoolawe
31  Kahului AP, Maui
28  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

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Pacific storm track remains north of the islands

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High level clouds…are moving away

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Variable clouds


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A few showers locally…especially offshore
Looping radar image

 

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

High Surf Advisory…south facing shores statewide

 

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Broad Brush Overview: The trades bounced back to the breezy levels today, thanks to a subtropical ridge of high pressure north of the islands. The trades will moderate some Tuesday, as the ridge begins to weaken, as a weak trough of low pressure develops west of the islands. These trades are expected to continue Wednesday and Thursday, as a low pressure system passes by far to the north. Trades will then increase a little Friday through the weekend. Tonight is the last of the Spring season, with the official start of Summer (Summer Solstice 2017) occurring at 624pm tomorrow evening – HST.

Details: Moderately strong high pressure cells are located well northeast of Hawaii, with a ridge extending southwestward from its center. The placement of this high pressure system, with its associated ridge to our north, will provide moderate trade winds across the island chain. Meanwhile, satellite imagery shows high level cirrus clouds being drawn up over the eastern islands…from the deeper tropics. At the same time, radar images show scattered light showers moving into the windward areas…with generally dry conditions elsewhere.

The trades will ease back into the light to moderate range by mid-week…as a weakening cold front approaches well northwest of the state. The airmass will remain rather dry and stable through this period, with just light showers arriving along the over windward coasts and slopes. Streaks of higher level clouds will move overhead tonight, before moving away Tuesday.  They will continue to dim and filter our Hawaiian sunshine at times, and providing some color to our sunrise and sunsets locally.

Looking Further Ahead: Light to moderate trade winds will blow through the second half of this week into the weekend, as high pressure remains parked to the north and northeast of the island chain. Model solutions suggest that the overlying atmosphere will become somewhat more shower prone later in the week. As a result, we could see a slight increase in showers then, favoring the windward areas. The light to moderate trades may allow localized sea breeze development in sheltered leeward areas…with some corresponding shower development in the afternoons locally.

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 surface ridge of high pressure building north of the state, continues to produce moderate to locally strong trade winds. As a result, a Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect through Tuesday afternoon, over the typically windy waters adjacent to the islands of Maui County and the Big Island. Trade wind speeds are forecast to weaken Tuesday night, so that the SCA will likely not be required from Wednesday through Friday.

Energy associated with a new south-southwest swell has already arrived at the buoys located south and southeast of the islands. This new swell is expected to slowly fill in across the islands later today and tonight. This swell will likely produce surf reaching the High Surf Advisory criteria along south facing shores starting Tuesday, and continue into Thursday. In addition, a reinforcing southeast swell arriving Tuesday night will likely continue into this weekend.

The strengthening trade winds will cause a slight rise in choppy surf along windward shores early this week. A moderate north-northwest swell is expected to peak later today or tonight, and then slowly lower Tuesday through mid-week. Resulting surf will remain well below the High Surf Advisory criteria along north and west facing shores.

Elevated water levels associated with another round of king tides will occur once again later this week into the weekend. Highest tides are expected Friday. King tides are simply the very highest tides. They are naturally occurring, predictable events. Tides are the movement of water across Earth’s surface caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon, Sun, and the rotation of Earth…which manifest in the local rise and fall of sea levels.

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Summer starts later today

 

>>> Southern California Weather Brief: Strong high pressure over the area will bring near record temperatures to the interior portions, including the Antelope Valley through the weekend. Expect well above normal temperatures for most areas away from the coast. There will continue to be night through morning low clouds and fog across some coastal areas. High pressure will begin to give way early next week…as a weak upper trough of low pressure moves closer to Southern California.

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Clear with low clouds offshore…moving inland locally


World-wide tropical cyclone activity


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>>> Atlantic Ocean: 

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm 02L (Bret), located about 20 miles east-northeast of Isla Margarita

NHC graphical track map, with a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing

>>> Caribbean: No active tropical cyclones

>>> Gulf of Mexico: No active tropical cyclones

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone 03L, located about 265 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River

NHC graphical track map, with a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing

* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…90 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…90 percent

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 cyclone

No tropical cyclones are 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: No active tropical cyclones

No tropical cyclones are expected during the next 5-days

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

>>> 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: Plastic pollution in the Antarctic worse than expected – The levels of microplastic particles accumulating in the Antarctic are much worse than expected, a team of experts has warned.

The continent is considered to be a pristine wilderness compared to other regions and was thought to be relatively free from plastic pollution. However new findings by scientists from University of Hull and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have revealed that recorded levels of microplastics are five times higher than you would expect to find from local sources such as research stations and ships.

Microplastics are particles less than 5mm in diameter and are present in many everyday items such toothpaste, shampoo, shower gels and clothing. They can also result from the breakdown of plastic ocean debris.

The results, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, have raised the possibility that plastic originating from outside the region may be getting across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, historically thought to be almost impenetrable.

Lead author Dr Catherine Waller, an expert in ecology and marine biology at University of Hull, says:

“Antarctica is thought to be a highly isolated, pristine wilderness. The ecosystem is very fragile with whales, seals and penguins consuming krill and other zooplankton as a major component of their diet.

“Our research highlights the urgent need for a coordinated effort to monitor and assess the levels of microplastics around the Antarctic continent and Southern Ocean.”

The Southern Ocean covers approximately 8.5 million square miles and represents 5.4% of the world’s oceans. The region is under increasing threat from fishing, pollution and the introduction of non-native species, while climate change is leading to rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification. Concern is growing about pollution from floating plastic debris, which can be become entangled with or ingested by wildlife.

Microplastics enter the oceans via wastewater and through the breakdown of plastic debris and have been shown to be persistent in surface and deep ocean waters and in deep sea sediments. Tests have shown that a single polyester fleece jacket can release more than 1,900 fibers per wash, while around half of discarded plastics are buoyant in seawater and may be subject to degradation by ultraviolet radiation and decomposition.  More than half of the research stations in the Antarctic have no wastewater treatment systems, the research reports.

It’s estimated that up to 500kg of microplastic particles from personal care products and up to 25.5 billion clothing fibers enter the Southern Ocean per decade as a result of tourism, fishing and scientific research activities. While this is negligible at the scale of the Southern Ocean, the researchers say it may be significant at a local scale.

Co-author Dr Huw Griffiths, a marine biogeographer with British Antarctic Survey, says:

“Our understanding of the sources and fate of plastics in these waters is limited at best. Given the low numbers of people present in Antarctica, direct input of microplastic from wastewater is likely to be below detectable limits at a Southern Ocean scale.

“However, microplastics generated from degradation of larger pieces of plastic or transferred into the Southern Ocean across the polar front may be a major contributor to the high levels of microplastics recorded at some open ocean sites.

“We have monitored the presence of large plastic items in Antarctica for over 30 years. While we know that bigger pieces of plastic can be ingested by seabirds or cause entanglements in seals, the effects of microplastics on marine animals in the Southern Ocean are as yet unknown”.

“This paper represents an excellent first step towards recognizing the presence of microplastics in Antarctica and allows us to call for international effort in monitoring the situation while it’s still in its earliest stages”.