Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / November 14-15, 2017

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

83 – 75  Lihue, Kauai
86 – 73  Honolulu, Oahu
81 – 71  Molokai
85 – 71  Kahului AP, Maui
84 – 70  Kailua Kona
80 – 65  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

2.04  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.49  Nuuanu Upper, Oahu
0.36  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.19  Kahoolawe
0.53  Hana AP, Maui
0.29  Mountain View, Big Island

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

20  Port Allen, Kauai
30  Kuaokala, Oahu
22  Molokai
28  Lanai
29  Kahoolawe
27  Maalaea Bay, Maui 
28  Pali 2, 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

High pressure north…cold fronts west through north

Thunderstorms are active well offshore…in several directions

High clouds approaching from the west…low clouds north dropping southward

Showers increasing – Looping image

Small Craft Advisory…stronger trades across most coastal and channel waters

High Surf Advisory…east facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and the Big Island

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

Broad Brush Overview: The incoming trades will carry clouds and showers over windward slopes for the most part. Leeward portions of the smaller islands will see abundant sunshine. Moisture associated with a dissipated front will move down the island chain tonight and Wednesday, bringing an increase in showers. A cool and breezy trade wind flow will develop in the wake of the front….persisting for several days.

Details: A moderate and slightly unstable trade wind flow remains in place over the islands. The relatively strong high is parked north of Kauai, along with a dissipating cold front a couple hundred miles north of the state. The presence of this frontal boundary is keeping the trades limited at moderate levels. The islands continue to be under the influence of an upper trough to the northeast, leading to slight instability that is enhancing showers moving along the trade wind flow.

The front to our north will bring showers, affecting windward areas from Kauai to Maui this evening, then to the Big Island by morning. Shower activity will decrease from Kauai to Maui Wednesday, although remain near the Big island. The surface high further to the north will move closer to the islands at this time, causing trade winds to become locally stronger behind the old front. The breezy trades will also usher in a cooler and drier air mass.

Looking Further Ahead: Northeasterly trade winds are expected to become lighter heading into the weekend. The models show the upper level trough to the northeast of the state becoming invigorated, which will likely push another dissipating front toward the islands and weaken the winds. The details for the upcoming weekend into early next week remain a bit uncertain, since forecast models have been showing run-to-run inconsistencies in the degree of instability over the islands…and the handling of the dissipating front.

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: There are no marine advisories or warnings in effect at the moment. A surface high located far north of the islands will continue to move slowly southward during the next couple of days. This will cause the trade winds to strengthen across the islands. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) will likely be required for the typically windier waters adjacent to the islands of Maui County and the Big Island, as well as most of the waters adjacent to Kauai and Oahu…starting tonight.

A modest west-northwest swell will continue to spread across the islands and peak later today, before slowly lowering Wednesday. Kauai will likely block some of this swell energy from the remainder of the smaller islands. In addition, the first of a series of north-northeast swells will continue to build. This swell will likely continue through Wednesday night. Additional reinforcing north-northeast swells are forecast from Thursday through the weekend. Rough surf will likely reach the High Surf Advisory criteria along most east facing shores across the state from tonight into this weekend.

Even though the trade winds may ease below the SCA criteria by Thursday night, the combination of the trade wind generated waves and the north-northeast swells will likely cause seas to reach the SCA threshold over some coastal waters into Thursday.

Finally, a series of small south to southwest swells will maintain small surf along most south facing shores through the weekend.

 
A Blue Footed Booby…Galapagos Islands

World-wide Tropical Cyclone activity

>>> Here’s the latest PDC Weather Wall Presentation, covering the Pacific and Indian Oceans

>>> Here’s the latest PDC Weather Wall Presentation, covering a tropical disturbance being referred to as Invest 96L…in the Atlantic Ocean

>>> Atlantic Ocean: No active tropical cyclones

A broad area of low pressure located near the central and eastern Azores is producing disorganized shower activity while it moves northeastward at around 10 mph. Environmental conditions are expected to remain unfavorable for subtropical cyclone formation before the low dissipates in the next day or so.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…10 percent

>>> Caribbean Sea: No active tropical cyclones

>>> Gulf of Mexico: No active tropical cyclones

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

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

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: No active tropical cyclones