Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennJune 14-15 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Thursday:
Lihue, Kauai – 84F
Honolulu, Oahu – 85
Kaneohe, Oahu – 81
Kahului, Maui – 84
Hilo, Hawaii – 81
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 83
Temperatures early Friday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:
Lihue, Kauai – 76F
Kahului, Maui – 68
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Friday morning:
1.40 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
1.12 POAMOHO 2, OAHU
0.03 MOLOKAI
0.00 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.78 WEST WAILUAIKI, MAUI
1.28 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a moderately strong high pressure system to the NE of the islands…again now nearly stationary. The trade winds will be moderately strong Friday and Saturday…stronger and gusty in those windiest areas around the state. 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.
Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
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.
Perfect little breaking wave
There’s no end in sight for this fine trade wind weather pattern. Weather maps show the same moderately strong 1030 millibar high pressure system to the NE of the islands Thursday. These cooling and refreshing breezes will blow generally in the light to moderately strong range, although those windiest areas around the state will have locally stronger and gusty winds at times…especially during the afternoons. This cell of high pressure is slowly moving a bit to the west now, and as it gets a little closer to Hawaii in the process, we may see our local trade wind speeds increase a notch. The long range computer forecast models suggest that the trade winds will stick around through the rest of this week into next week.
The trade winds will continue to carry a few showery clouds onto our windward coasts and slopes. The leeward sides will remain mostly dry, with just a modest chance that we’ll find a few stray showers finding their way over there. Meanwhile, as this satellite image shows, there’s a fair amount of high clouds being carried over the eastern side of the state on the upper winds aloft. These high clouds don’t drop rain of course, although they can dim and filter our famous Hawaiian sunshine. At the same time they often provide colorful sunrise and sunset colors…so if you’re here in the islands, keep an eye out during the beginning and ending of the days!
It’s Thursday here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. As I briefly mentioned in yesterday afternoon’s weather update, the drought conditions here on Maui are getting more serious. The Maui County Department of Water recently issued a mandatory 10% water conservation measure. It’s not just Maui that is having problems with lack of precipitation either, it’s actually all the islands, although especially Maui and the Big Island at the moment. We’ve been seeing a few showers riding in on the trade winds lately, which is good news…although the truth is that it hasn’t been enough to limit the spread of the drought reality. We can use every drop of water that falls from the sky now! ~~~ As I was mentioning in the paragraph above, we have lots of cirrus clouds that are overspreading our Hawaiian Islands now. I like to think of them as beautifying our skies! In sum: our weather will remain fine, with hopefully a continuation of whatever showers that can manage to find their way to our islands…carried along in the moderately strong trade winds. ~~~ The high clouds hung around all day here on Maui, giving a rather gray cast to the day, and in the process keeping the high temperatures cooler than they would otherwise have been. There should be a nice sunset, and if the cirrus clouds are still around on Friday morning, the day may very well open up with another great pink sunrise. I’ll be back very early Friday morning with your next weather narrative from paradise. I hope you have a great Thursday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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