Weather Details and Aloha Paragraphs

August 13-14 2006

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

Lihue, Kauai – 83F
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 86
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86

KAILUA-KONA – 78
HILO AIRPORT – 68

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

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing high pressure systems located far to the north of our islands. At the same time we have troughing of low pressure affecting the state now. The net result will be for slightly lighter winds through Monday, although remaining near moderate levels into Tuesday.  Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.

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.

  Ulua
Photo Credit: flikr.com
 

The trade winds will start to ease back some Sunday, remaining lighter than recent days through Tuesday.  The latest weather charts continue showing a trough of low pressure moving closer to the islands for the time being. This will help to weaken trade wind speeds, remaining lighter through Tuesday, then rebounding around the middle of the new week ahead.

The trough’s presence will make the overlying atmosphere somewhat more shower prone now. As the trough gets closer, we could see an increase in showers starting locally later Sunday through Tuesday. Satellite images show some form of tropical moisture coming up from the deeper tropics to our SE.  This would suggest that the Big  Island has the best chance for heavier afternoon showers, which may spread to Maui’s slopes by Monday afternoon.

It’s late Sunday afternoon here in Kula, Maui, as I begin this pre-sunset commentary.  Hi everyone, it was yet another great day here on  the island, how could it not be!? As I was mentioning in my morning writing, I was down in a very pretty bay, along the south Maui coast today. Rather than kayaking to this spot, we decided to take the walk across the lava fields, ending up at the ocean’s edge. We slipped into the warm water and immediately started to see an amazing array of colorful tropical fish. At one point, I swam around the corner of this one area, and there were these seven rather large Ulua’s (the picture above) swimming in a group. When they saw me, rather than swimming away, they stopped, literally within arms reach, and checked me out! Then they started to swim slowly away, when I signaled my friend to come over, who was nearby. We swam with them for several minutes, and as my friend said later, "that was worth the price of admission." Of course there was no charge, other than wanting to get there, and then be willing to trek across the rather rough lava. Afterwards we sat there on the sharp rocks and ate triscuts with avocado and salsa snacks at the waters edge. It was a great adventure, which is a fun thing to do, that is , when there’s no surf to ride! I hope you have a good Sunday night, and that you will join me here again early Monday morning for the next weather narrative from paradise. Aloha for now…Glenn.