Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday afternoon:

Lihue, Kauai –                    81
Honolulu airport, Oahu –    83
Kaneohe, Oahu –               78
Molokai airport –                81
Kahului airport, Maui –        83
Kona airport –                      83
Hilo airport, Hawaii –          82

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Monday evening:

Barking Sands, Kauai – 81F
Kaneohe, Oahu – 75

Haleakala Crater –     missing (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 34 (under 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals  Monday evening:

0.22    Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.07    Nui Valley, Oahu
0.00    Molokai
0.00    Lanai 
0.00    Kahoolawe
0.08    Kahakuloa, Maui
0.08    Kawainui Stream, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing two near 1030 millibar trade high pressure systems…more or less to the north of Hawaii. Our trade winds will be locally strong and gusty into Wednesday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with this Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around 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. Finally, here's a Looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live web cam 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 web cams 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 weather conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest weather 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. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here. Of course, as we know, our hurricane season ended November 30th here in the central Pacific…and begins again June 1st.

 Aloha Paragraphs

http://www.beachdo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/beach-kihei-maui.jpg
Trade winds becoming stronger through Friday
 
 
 

The trade winds will remain active this week, although may finally ease up in strength by the weekend into early next week.  According to this weather map, we find two near 1030 millibar high pressure systems to the north-northwest of the islands Monday night. The outlook shows the trade winds surging in strength Tuesday through Thursday into Friday…perhaps calming down a touch as we move into the weekend and beyond. We still have our small craft wind advisory flags up over all the coastal and channel waters statewide. There's a good chance that we'll see wind advisories going up again over parts of Maui County and the Big Island during the next 24-36 hours.

Trade winds continue as we begin our new work week…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts, along with directions Monday evening:

28 mph       Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
31              Waianae, Oahu – ENE
28              Molokai – NE
30              Kahoolawe – E
31              Kahului, Maui – NE
21              Lanai Airport – NE    
33                South Point, Big Island – NNE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Monday night.  This large University of Washington satellite image shows high cirrus clouds over and around the Hawaiian Islands.  Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see patches of lower level clouds around the state…particularly along the windward sides of the islands. We can use this looping satellite image to see a very thin cirrus deck moving overhead from the west, which seems to be moving away to the east…although more may move overhead soon. Checking out this looping radar image shows just a few showers around now, generally light in nature, moving along parallel to the windward sides more or less.

The trade winds are expected to pick up a notch over the next couple of days, remaining stronger than usual through Thursday or Friday.  As has been the case lately, the trade winds are being served up to us from high pressure systems to the north. A new surge in the trade winds will arrive during the day Tuesday, and remain quite blustery for several days. If the computer models have it right, they may drop down some as we move into the upcoming weekend. There is still no definite end to our trade wind flow, so that they will likely continue right on into next week in some form. Meanwhile, showers are light today, although will likely pick up along with the trade wind speeds starting Tuesday…and fall in an off and on manner for several days.

There have been lots of clouds around today, many of which consist of a very thin high cirrus deck…which is giving a muted look and feel to our skies. Down here near the surface we have had lots of haze the last 24 or so hours as well. Here on Maui, it looked like a thick vog, although with the winds coming out of the trade wind direction…that makes it hard to believe. I just called the NWS office in Honolulu and spoke with the satellite desk there. The word there is that it might be salt spray or a marine haze. This seems more reasonable, but it just doesn’t look quite like that to this pair of eyes.

The main thing lately, which certainly holds true as we move through this first day of the work week, and this first full day of spring 2011…is the gusty trade wind flow. There are two moderately strong high pressure systems to our north, which are the source of this gusty stuff. Winds are once again gusting up well into the 30+mph range, with windy South Point, down on the Big Island, having topped the 40 mph mark Monday afternoon. We’ve lost the recent wind advisory over the islands, although still have the statewide small craft advisory in effect. If the winds kick up starting tomorrow, as much as expected, we could see the wind advisory going back up over Maui and the Big Island again, like it was as recently as yesterday.  The end point still isn’t in sight for this long lasting trade wind episode, although they may become a bit softer this weekend into early next week. Spring is the time of year famous for quick paced trade winds here in the Aloha state…so we should perhaps just get used to them.  

~~~ Here in Kihei, Maui at around 530pm it was partly cloudy, with little wind to write about here. The sun muting high cirrus clouds are still around, which may make for a colorful sunset this evening. The hazy nature of our atmosphere is still around, although seems to have cleared quite a bit since earlier in the day…and absolutely compared to last evening at this same time. Despite the light winds here where I am, they are still rather breezy in other places, which will increase further soon. I'll be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Cold and wet weather will spread a damp chill over the quake- and tsunami-stricken northeast of Japan Tuesday into Wednesday. A storm headed eastward south of Tokyo will spread rain northward from the nation's capital into the disaster area.

Over the hills and mountains, snow will fall, and as temperatures fall Tuesday night, snow may also reach many towns and cities at lower elevation. Temperatures will hold mostly in the 40s on Tuesday then will dip to the upper 20s and 30s on Tuesday night. The cold and damp will negatively effect the cleanup and recovery work as well as conditions for displaced residents.

Heating demand for electrical power will tighten supplies in light of the supply shortage brought about by off-lining of generating stations. Suppliers may need to continue employing load shedding measures such as rolling blackouts. Northeastern Honshu as well as Tokyo will have below-normal temperatures through at least the end of the week.

Interesting2: The United Nations should promote "hydro-diplomacy" to defuse any tensions over water in regions like the Middle East and North Africa where scarce supplies have the potential to spark future conflicts, experts said Sunday. They said the U.N. Security Council should work out ways to bolster cooperation over water in shared lakes or rivers, from the Mekong to the Nile, that are likely to come under pressure from a rising world population and climate change.

The Middle East and North Africa are the regions most at risk of conflict over scarce water supplies, they said, but history shows "water wars" are very rare. "We think that water is an issue that would be a appropriate for the U.N. Security Council," Zafar Adeel, chair of UN-Water, told Reuters ahead of a meeting of experts in Canada this week to discuss water and security. U.N. studies project that 30 nations will be "water scarce" in 2025, up from 20 in 1990.

Eighteen of them are in the Middle East and North Africa, with Libya and Egypt among those added to the 1990 list that includes Israel and Somalia. Water scarcity is when each person has access to 1,000 or fewer cubic meters of water a year. UN-Water coordinates water-related activities of all U.N. agencies. March 22 is "World Water Day" in the U.N. calendar.

"The world's top ranked water conflict hotspot is the Arab region, comprised of the Middle East and North Africa," according to a statement about the March 21-23 talks in Toronto. Adeel said the U.N. should try to promote past traditions of rivals cooperating over supplies in a form of "hydro-diplomacy."

Interesting3: A high wildfire danger continues across the southern Plains and Southwest, after firefighters in Oklahoma City spent the day Sunday trying to protect a neighborhood from a large wildfire. Gusty winds and low humidity are combining with dry vegetation to create the high wildfire danger, which will continue in areas from New Mexico and Texas into Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas over the next few days.

People in the risk area should be extremely careful and heed any local fire bans. Avoid the use of open flames or any activities that may generate sparks. Any fires that are ignited could quickly burn out of control, as gusty winds fan the flames.

High winds Sunday posed challenges for firefighters battling a blaze that threatened an Oklahoma City neighborhood. One of the firefighters reportedly suffered burns to the face but is said to be doing okay.

Throughout the spring, wildfires will remain a major threat from the southern Plains into the Southwest, as a drought gripping the area worsens and spreads while episodes of gusty winds continue. This spring is predicted to be drier than normal from the southern Plains into the Southwest.