Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennMay 17 – 18 2006
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across Hawaii Wednesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 78F
Honolulu, Oahu – 77
Kaneohe, Oahu – 75
Kahului, Maui – 79
Hilo, Hawaii – 79
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 82
Temperatures early Thursday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:
Kailua-kona – 72
Molokai airport – 66
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Thursday morning) on each of the major islands, including:
0.30 KAPAHI, KAUAI
0.85 WAIHEE PUMP, OAHU
1.60 MOLOKAI
0.09 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
2.70 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
0.22 HAKALAU, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a high pressure system located far to the north of the islands. At the same time we still have a low pressure system to the NE of Hawaii. The interaction of these two pressure systems will keep NE breezes blowing…gradually becoming trade winds later Thursday into Friday. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those funny weather symbols mean.
Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.
Satellite Images – To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image.
Blow hole here in Hawaii
An unusual gale low pressure system, located to our NE, has a cold front moving through the islands Wednesday. This frontal cloud band dropped down to Kauai and Oahu during the night, and has brought a few showers, although nothing too impressive as of this writing. During the day Wednesday it will slowly progress down to Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and perhaps even the Big Island. The meteorological dynamics aren’t such that we expect any heavy rainfall from it however. It will bring the most generous showers to the windward coasts and slopes, with perhaps a few showers falling elsewhere too.
This low pressure system, along with its associated north through NE winds, has kept our islands unusually chilly lately. There has even been some record breaking temperatures involved in this tropical “cool snap.†These cool breezes will be going away soon however, as a new trade wind producing high pressure system moves into position NW of the Hawaiian Islands soon. This high pressure cell will swing our winds around to the trade wind direction by Thursday. This in turn will help to warm us back up into normal temperature realms, and provide fine late spring weather conditions, very likely through the rest of this week…and quite possibly through much of the rest of the month.
Climatology would suggest that the trade winds would be blowing steadily through the remainder of May. Typically, the leeward sides would find lots of warm sunshine, with daytime temperatures rising well into the 80F’s…with those warmest beach areas climbing to near 90F. The cooler windward sides will find air temperatures rising into the lower 80F’s generally. The nights at sea level, on both the windward and leeward sides, would be expected to dip down to near 70F, give or a take a few degrees. As for showers, we would commonly see a few passing showers along the windward coasts and slopes, with generally dry conditions prevailing on the leeward coasts. The one exception can be those few afternoon showers that can fall along the Kona slopes of the Big Island.
It’s early Wednesday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I begin this sunset commentary. I’m thinking back to Wednesday morning’s TV weather show, when I can oh so clearly remember saying: “the cold front’s showers won’t make it over to the leeward sides in Kihei and Lahaina.” Right Glenn! That certainly didn’t turn out to be an accurate statement. As it actually showered most of the day, and especially on the leeward sides. The cold front, despite the lateness of the season, was able to deposit some decent showers across the state of Hawaii today. It showered from the moment I left work in Kihei, all the home here in Kula. However, now as the day winds down, I can see that skies are clearing, and that the showers have stopped down in Kihei and Wailea. It still looks a little misty over towards Pukalani and Makawao, and probably Haiku too. Wow, what an usual day, to have such a cold front, bringing showers after the middle of May…or for that matter, just about anytime during the month of May! It was a cool day too, with most sea level locations being restricted to the 70F’s. Here in Kula, at my house, the high temperature was only 65.5F degrees! I must say that I love these rare days during the late spring, when it actually feels more like winter. It will be, and trust me on this one, more like summer than spring soon enough! I hope you have a great Wednesday night. I’ll be back here very early Thursday morning, typing away on this keyboard again then, producing the next weather narrative from paradise for you. Aloha for now…Glenn.
P.S. Here’s a link to one of the advertisers on the left hand margin: Hana Botanicals… Candles, bath, body products, finest ingredients…created on Maui.
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