Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / June 9-10, 2018

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

83 – 75  Lihue, Kauai
88 – 75  Honolulu, Oahu
88 – 73  Molokai AP
90 – 67  Kahului AP, Maui
84 – 75  Kailua Kona
83 – 73  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

2.09  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
3.18  Moanalua RG, Oahu
0.07  Molokai
0.02  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.51  Puu Kukui, Maui
1.20  Pahoa, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) Saturday evening:

28  Port Allen, Kauai
27  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
30  Molokai
27  Lanai
42  Kahoolawe
36  Maalaea Bay, Maui
30  Waikoloa, 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. Here’s the webcam for the 10,000+ feet high Haleakala Crater on Maui. These webcams are 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

Tropical Storms Aletta…and Bud in the eastern Pacific (click to enlarge)

Upper level lows west and east of the state

Mostly clear to partly cloudy…clouds approaching the windward sides

Showers locally and offshore – Looping image

 

Here’s the latest Vog Forecast Animation

Here’s the Vog Information website

Special Weather Statement…PERIODS OF VOLCANIC EMISSIONS ARE LIKELY FROM KILAUEA VOLCANO AND A VENT ALONG THE EAST RIFT ZONE…

Over the past 24 hours web cams and local reports indicate volcanic emissions continue to erupt from Halemaumau Crater, an active fissure in Leilani Estates, and from lava flowing into the ocean near Kapoho.

Wind directions in the boundary layer will remain easterly to southeasterly through Saturday morning, pushing any ash and particulates toward the west and northwest of these volcano emission sources. Trace amounts of volcanic ash and Pele’s hair fallout will likely fall over the northern Kau District, the Puna District, portions of South Hilo area and the Saddle region. This includes the communities of Pahoa, Kapoho, Hawaiian Beaches, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Glenwood, Mountain View, Nanawale, and portions of Hilo.

Pele’s hair and other lightweight volcanic glass particles from a high fountaining fissure in Leilani Estates are being carried downwind. These volcanic particles can cause skin and eye irritation similar to volcanic ash, so avoid exposure. Pele’s hair can scratch glass and car finishes. Use plenty of water to rinse Pele’s hair off vehicles and avoid using windshield wipers.

Avoid excessive exposure to ash which is an eye and respiratory irritant. Those with respiratory sensitivities should take extra precaution to minimize exposure.

High Surf Advisory…south shores of all islands

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

 

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Broad Brush Overview: A trade wind producing high pressure ridge remains north of the state, while a low level trough moves westward across the state. Wind directions in the lower levels will remain east to southeast, elevating volcanic haze (vog) levels from the Kilauea volcano across all islands. Trade winds return tonight, pushing the vog away from most population areas. Otherwise, showers will favor the windward slopes…with isolated showers possible elsewhere.

Details: Weather maps show a surface high pressure system in the northeast Pacific, with a ridge extending into the Central Pacific. A low level trough continues to drift across Oahu and Kauai, causing a southeasterly shift in the wind direction. This trough will continue to drift westward, moving away from the islands tonight. The high pressure ridge will build in across the state as the trough departs, allowing the winds to shift back to the trade wind direction.

Drier air and more stable air aloft will filter in from the northeast keeping chances for showers to a minimum, with scattered showers favoring the windward slopes of the island chain…through the rest of this Kamehameha Holiday weekend. Vog will also be driven away from the smaller islands later tonight, with the vog impacts limited to the southern and western portions of the Big Island by Sunday.

Looking Ahead:  The high pressure ridge will remain in place far to the north of the islands through Wednesday, with passing showers favoring the windward coasts and slopes. The models show a series of cold fronts moving across the North Pacific, weakening this ridge by next Thursday and Friday. The weakening of the ridge will potentially decrease the trade wind flow for the second half of the week.

Tropical cyclone activity here in the central Pacific will remain absent, although we see Tropical Storm 02E (Aletta) and Tropical Storm 03E (Bud) in the eastern Pacific. None of the models show these storms making their way to Hawaii.

Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – along with a Closer View of the islands / Here’s the latest Weather Map

Marine Environmental Conditions: High pressure far northeast of the islands will maintain locally strong trade winds for the next several days.

A High Surf Advisory (HSA) remains in effect for the south facing shores of all islands. Surf may briefly drop below the advisory criteria, although a new reinforcing south swell is forecast to arrive tonight. This reinforcing swell will likely cause surf to reach the HSA threshold again. The south swell will gradually subside early in the new week. The latest model guidance continues to show another south swell spreading across the state next Thursday and Friday.

Near average trade wind swells will likely maintain rough surf along east facing shores into the middle of the upcoming week. The current small northwest swell will keep very small waves breaking across most north facing shores of the smaller islands, before lowering Sunday. The forecast models show another small northwest swell from Tuesday into Wednesday, and the potential for a slightly larger northwest swell toward the end of the week.

World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity

Here’s the latest Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) Weather Wall Presentation covering Tropical Cyclone 06W (Maliksi), Tropical Storm 02E (Aletta), and Tropical Storm 03E (Bud)

Here’s the latest Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) Weather Wall Presentation covering the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico

 

>>> Atlantic Ocean: No active tropical cyclones

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.

>>> Caribbean Sea: No active tropical cyclones

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.

>>> Gulf of Mexico: No active tropical cyclones

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.

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:

Tropical Cyclone 02E (Aletta)

NHC texual advisory
NHC graphical track map
NOAA satellite image

Tropical Cyclone 03E (Bud)

NHC texual advisory
NHC graphical track map
NOAA satellite image

Here’s a looping satellite image of the eastern Pacific and south of Mexico

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

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 06W (Maliksi)

JTWC textual Warning
JTWC graphical track map
NOAA satellite image

>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: No active tropical cyclones

Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)


Interesting: Scorching-Hot Lava Evaporates Entire Lake in Hawaii – Fiery lava from Hawaii’s ongoing volcanic eruption has completely evaporated the water from Green Lake, the Big Island’s largest freshwater lake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The assassination by evaporation began this past June 2, when lava from Fissure 8 flowed into the lake and boiled the water away. The lake didn’t go peacefully, either. Rather, the boiling water turned into a thick white plume that reached high into the sky, the USGS reported.

The Hawaii County Fire Department (HCFD) snapped a photo showing the tail end of the annihilation. The image shows the still-steaming lava in Green Lake, which is located near the intersection of highways 132 and 137, the USGS said.

Green Lake, also known as Ka Wai a Pele, was a popular swimming spot and was about 200 feet deep, according to Hawaii News Now. Reviewers of Green Lake on Google Maps mourned the loss of the lake and wrote a few funny quips about how the “lake is lit” and how it “should be renamed Lava Lake.”

Lava from the roughly month-old Kilauea volcano eruption has covered about 7.7 square miles of land so far, CNN reported. Lava has also poured into Kapoho Bay and formed a delta there, forever changing Hawaii’s landscape, the USGS reported.