The latest update to this website was at 905am Saturday (HST)

 

Here are the highest temperatures Friday afternoon…and the lowest Saturday morning:

81 / 73  Lihue AP, Kauai
m / m  Honolulu AP, Oahu
m / m  Molokai AP, Molokai
85 / 72  Kahului AP, Maui
84 / 72  Kona AP, Big Island
82 / 68  Hilo AP, Big Island

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

0.06  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.02  Waihee Pump, Oahu
0.01  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.21  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.62  Kawainui Stream, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) as of Saturday morning:

18  Poipu, Kauai
28  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
27  Makapulapai, Molokai
25  Lanai 1, Lanai
23  Kahului AP, Maui
27  Puhe CS, Big Island

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcams on the summit of our tallest mountain Mauna Kea (~13,800 feet high) on the Big Island of Hawaii, and atop the Haleakala Crater (~10,023 feet) 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.

 

https://weather.gc.ca/data/satellite/goes_gwdisk11_1070_100.jpg

Big Blue…click twice for largest version

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/tpw/13/GOES17-TPW-13-900x540.gif 

 A cold front northwest…thunderstorms in the deeper tropics


https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/GOES17-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Variably cloudy across the state

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/hi/13/GOES17-HI-13-600x600.gif

Higher level clouds south

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/HAWAII_loop.gif

Localized showers…mostly windward

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Kauai_VIS_loop.gif

Kauai and Oahu (Satellite)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHKI_loop.gif

Kauai and Oahu (Radar)

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Oahu-Maui_VIS_loop.gif

Oahu and Maui County (Satellite)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHMO_loop.gif

Oahu and Maui County (Radar)

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Hawaii_VIS_loop.gif

 Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, and the Big Island (Satellite)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHKM_loop.gif

Maui County and the Big Island (Radar)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHWA_loop.gif

Big Island (Radar)

 

Model showing precipitation through 8-days (you can slow this animation down)

 

https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/png/hfo.png

Please open this link to see details on any current Watches, Warnings and Advisories noted above

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/graphics/pmsl.gif

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Saturday comments:  I’m home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii. I hope you have a good Saturday wherever you happen to be spending it.

It’s mostly clear, with a cool low temperature of 48.5 degrees degrees according to my outside temperature sensor.

Heading down to Haiku for some fun Pickleball!

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  A relatively dry moderate to breezy trade wind pattern will continue through Sunday, as a high pressure ridge lingers north of the Hawaiian Islands.

Light winds are expected through the first half of next week, as a cold front approaches from the northwest. This front may drift into the western islands by Thursday, potentially increasing showers along the frontal cloud band.

Hawaii’s Weather Details:  The satellite picture shows a fairly stable cloud pattern with pillow shaped clouds moving in on the easterly trade winds. Only brief periods of passing showers are forecast today. A trough in the upper levels is currently approaching Hawaii from the northwest, this upper trough will move over the islands later today, briefly increasing local showers through Sunday.

The subtropical ridge at the surface will remain locked in place just north of the island chain, keeping moderate to breezy trade winds in the forecast into Sunday. The upper level portion of this subtropical ridge stacks back towards the equator, positioned directly over the Hawaiian Islands. Strong subsidence (downward vertical motions) under this upper level ridge will produce stable conditions, capping cloud heights and limiting shower activity for most days into Wednesday.

One wrinkle to this large scale forecast is the approaching upper level trough drifting into the Hawaiian region starting later this afternoon through Sunday. Upper level divergence ahead of this trough will counteract some of the large scale subsidence, decreasing atmospheric stability and producing a brief increase in island shower activity. The best chances for showers are forecast over windward and mountain areas, favoring tonight through Sunday morning.

Two weakening cold fronts will approach the Hawaiian Islands from the northwest from Monday through Wednesday, cold air moving in behind these troughs will help break down the ridge north of the state, and producing variable winds with a stable land and sea breeze regime over all islands.

The second cold front will weaken on final approach to the western half of the state. The current timing of the frontal band continues to be based on a model consensus as follows: The frontal band will potentially reach Kauai by Thursday morning, Oahu by Thursday afternoon, and the island of Maui from Thursday night into Friday morning. Less certain if the Big Island will see any noticeable rainfall impacts from this system.

Expect a brief period of widespread clouds and showers as the frontal band passes through each island. Rainfall totals will likely fall on the low side, and be limited to areas along the frontal cloud band. Light to moderate trade winds will then build back into the region as the front passes through each island. The frontal cloud band will then break apart, sending a few pockets of unstable clouds and brief showers into some of our windward mountain slopes lasting into next Saturday morning.

A few uncertainties remain in the track and timing of this next frontal system. Operational forecast guidance between the American (GFS) and the European (ECMWF) models has improved over the past 24 hours. That said, the forward motion on these weak frontal band intrusions are notorious for stalling at some point, and then dissipating as the trade winds build back into the region. This means the frontal cloud band could stall over any island, limiting the eastward movement of enhanced shower activity.

Fire weather:  Critical fire weather conditions are not expected for the next seven days. Relatively dry conditions will persist statewide through Wednesday. A weakening cold front may drift into the western islands from Thursday to Friday, briefly increasing shower activity especially over the western half of the state.

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 / Vog map animation

Hawaii’s Marine Environment:  Fresh to strong easterly trade winds will prevail through Sunday, easing Sunday night into early next week, as the ridge weakens and shifts south due to a series of cold fronts passing to the north. The Small Craft Advisory has been extended through the weekend over the the windier channels and waters around Maui County and the Big Island.

Starting late Sunday night, the trades will quickly ease, likely enough for overnight and early morning land breezes and daytime sea breezes. This pattern will persist through the first half of next week, as the background flow shifts southeast Sunday night into Monday, then south to southwest Tuesday through mid-week as a cold front approaches.

Surf along exposed north and west-facing shores will gradually ease this weekend, as the swell that filled in Friday moves out. By Tuesday, surf will begin to rise again, with a significant upward trend anticipated through the second half of next week. This increase will be driven by a decent-sized fetch developing over the far northwest Pacific, near the Aleutians from the Date Line to the Kuril Islands. Heights could exceed warning-levels late next week if conditions evolve as projected.

Surf along east-facing shores will remain rough through the weekend, but will gradually decrease late Sunday and into much of next week as the trade winds diminish.

Surf along south-facing shores will remain near seasonal averages, influenced by a mix of southeast swells and occasional background south-southwest swells.

Peak monthly tides combined with water levels running higher than predicted could lead to minor coastal flooding issues for vulnerable low-lying coastal areas. The best chance for these impacts will occur during the early morning high tides between midnight and daybreak through the weekend.

 

 

 

World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity

 

Atlantic Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Caribbean Sea:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Gulf of Mexico:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Northeastern Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

North Central Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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

Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Southwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

North and South Indian Ocean: 

Tropical Cyclone 04S (Chido) is located approximately 399 NM north-northwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Arabian Sea:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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

>>> Here’s a link to the Pacific Disaster Center’s (PDC Global) Weather Wall website

 

Interesting:  Floods, Insufficient Water, Sinking River Deltas: Hydrologists Map Changing River Landscapes Across the Globe

A new study in Science by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of Cincinnati has mapped 35 years of river changes on a global scale for the first time. The work has revealed that 44% of the largest, downstream rivers saw a decrease in how much water flows through them every year, while 17% of the smallest upstream rivers saw increases. These changes have implications for flooding, ecosystem disruption, hydropower development interference and insufficient freshwater supplies.

Previous attempts to quantify changes in rivers over time have only looked at specific outlet reaches or a rear basin part of a river, explains Dongmei Feng, lead author, assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati and former research assistant professor in the Fluvial@UMass lab run by the paper’s co-author Colin Gleason, Armstrong Professional Development Professor of civil and environmental engineering at UMass Amherst.

“But as we know, rivers are not isolated,” she says. “So even if we are interested in one location, we have to think about how it’s impacted both upstream and downstream. We think about the river system as a whole, organically connected system. The takeaway from this paper is: The rivers respond to factors — climate change or human regulation — differently [and] we provide the finer detail of those responses.”

Read more at University of Massachusetts Amherst