Weather Details and Aloha Paragraphs

July 21-22 2006

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across Hawaii Friday:

Lihue, Kauai – 83F
Honolulu, Oahu – 85
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 89
Hilo, Hawaii – 82
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 85

Temperatures early Saturday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 5 a.m. hour:

KANEOHE, OAHU – 76
MOLOKAI AIRPORT – 67

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours (as of Saturday morning) on each of the major islands:

1.65 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.17 PUNALUU PUMP, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.01 HANA AIRPORT, MAUI
1.21 KEALAKEKUA, BIG ISLAND

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure systems located far to the NW and NE of our islands. At the same time we find a trough of low pressure just northwest of Kauai. Our local trade winds will remain light today, then pick up a little on Sunday. 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.

Tropical Cyclone Activity – The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 through November 30…while the central Pacific (where Hawaii is) runs from June 1 through November 30. The latest storm information for the eastern Pacific can be found by clicking here. A storm tracking map for both the central and eastern areas can be found by clicking here . For the central Pacific, the latest storm information can be found by clicking here.

Great sunset and sunrise colors now!

The Hawaiian Islands will see one more day of lighter than normal trade winds blowing. These lighter than normal breezes have kept our local atmosphere feeling pretty hot and locally muggy for the last several days. The usual July trade wind flow has been interrupted by the passage to our north of former hurricane Bud, and an usually deep low pressure system far to the north, sending its cold front/trough southward in our direction. This trough has broken the connection (ridge) between two high pressure systems, one located to the NE and the other to the NW. The latest weather charts show that the trade winds will start picking up in strength this weekend, and remain active into next week. High cirrus clouds are covering many parts of the islands now, with good sunrise and sunset colors to see!

Most rain gauges have remained quite dry this week, although there have been a few showers around in places. Most of those have been on the light side, although there have been a couple of occasions when a few briefly heavier showers have fallen over some of the islands. The softer than normal trade winds now may set the stage for a few more of those locally heavy showers here and there, although it certainly won’t be wide spread. As the trade winds return this weekend, the bias for showers will move back over to the windward sides of the islands. Satellite images show an area of moisture to our east, which is associated with former eastern Pacific hurricane Carlotta. There will be a slim chance of seeing a modest increase in windward showers later Sunday into Monday from this source.

The big news of course is very impressive hurricane Daniel far to the ESE of Hawaii, spinning wildly in the eastern Pacific. It’s now a category 4 hurricane, with an impressive nearly circular form, as shown by this satellite image. As you can see, it has a definite central eye, surrounded by a tight field of clouds. Winds are very strong around the center of this fifth tropical cyclone of the hurricane season in the eastern Pacific…raging all the way up into the 180+ mph range in gusts! It is peaking in strength Friday into the night, and then forecast to very gradually begin weakening this weekend. A new tropical cyclone, 06E has formed to the east of Daniel, and will be called Emilia. It’s still too early to know exactly what influence Daniel will have, late next week, when it might get near to the Hawaiian Islands, although indicators are that whatever is left of this storm will be in a much weaker form then…and may move to the north of the Hawaiian Islands. I’ve added this tracking map for your convenience, to keep you updated on Daniel's progress westward.

 
It’s early Friday morning here in Kula, Maui, as I start this last paragraph of today's narrative. Glancing out of my weather tower window I see the planet Venus low on the eastern horizon, and then up above that love planet, we find the sliver of a crescent moon shining. If you have any interest in hurricane Daniel, now in the eastern Pacific, I highly suggest you scroll back up this page and read about this powerful category 4 tempest. I'm not sweating over this storm, although it certainly is a force to be monitored closely. The way it looks at the moment, the track would take whatever is left of Daniel to the north of the Hawaiian Islands, perhaps cutting off our trade winds late next week. Although there is at least one computer forecast model that suggests it would come quite close to Hawaii, which could then bring some increase in showers with it then. It's still too early to know for sure, and there will be lots more information coming out in regards to Mr. Daniel! I'll be back later with more weather updates, I hope you have a great Friday. Aloha for now…Glenn.

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