Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennAugust 27-28 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday:
Lihue, Kauai – 86F
Honolulu, Oahu – 89
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 88
Hilo, Hawaii – 87
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86
Temperatures early Tuesday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 4 a.m. hour:
Honolulu, Oahu – 76F
Hilo, Hawaii – 71
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Tuesday morning:
0.30 MOUNT WAIALEALE, KAUAI
0.54 AHUIMANU LOOP, OAHU
0.00 MOLOKAI
0.01 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.04 KAUPO GAP, MAUI
0.36 KEALAKEKUA, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing 1027 millibar high pressure systems located far NE and NE of Hawaii. The trade winds will remain in the light to locally moderate levels through Wednesday…then stronger Thursday. 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. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean.
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.
The Famous Hawaiian Pina Colada!
Photo Credit: flickr.com
After a brief stint of light and variable wind conditions, the trade winds will return to our Hawaiian Island weather picture today. The latest weather map shows a 1027 millibar high pressure system to the NE of the islands. Meanwhile, the upper level trough of low pressure, which passed by to the north of the islands over the last three days, is now far to the NW of Kauai. This low aloft was responsible for weakening our local wind speeds. The latest forecast calls for the trade winds to pick up gradually through the first half of this week, then increase further into the second half of the week…perhaps even getting strong enough by Thursday to necessitate small craft wind advisories in those windiest areas around the Aloha state.
The upper trough, which triggered locally heavy showers is now gone, being replaced by an atmosphere stabilizing ridge of high pressure. This has signaled the arrival of drier air into our area, both at the surface and aloft. The only showers, in general, that will be around now, will arrive along the windward sides of the islands, carried there by the gradually strengthening trade wind flow. The latest computer forecast models suggest that the upper ridge will be moving steadily westward…replaced by another upper level trough of low pressure. This in turn means that we could see another increase in showers during the second half of the week. As the trade winds will be quite strong then, the focus for showers will generally be along the windward sides.
Total Lunar Eclipse: The moon will turn Monday night for about 90 minutes as the shadow of Earth covers its surface. Hawaii is one of the best places in the world to see the entire lunar eclipse, said Carolyn Kaichi, the Bishop Museum’s planetarium manager. The moon will be directly overhead, although the event will happen late at night. The eclipse will start at 10:51 p.m., according to NASA’s Web site. It will reach totality at 11:52 p.m. for an hour and a half. Kaichi said the moon turns red instead of just disappearing because the sun’s light is refracted by the earth’s atmosphere and only the red spectrum passes through.
It’s Monday evening here in the islands, as I update this last paragraph of today’s narrative. Each of the islands took their turn, over the last several days…on being under the waterfall! The upper level trough of low pressure, which moved by to the north of the islands, prompted the localized heavy showers…with even a few thunderstorms over Oahu at one point. These showers were very generous at times, and fortunately fell in many of those areas that had suffered from very dry conditions earlier in the summer. The upper trough is out of our area now, and with an upper level ridge taking its turn on influencing our island weather conditions, we will see nice weather! During the second half of the week, as noted in the paragraph above, our weather may get wetter again. The bias for showers over the last several days was for showers falling over the leeward slopes. However, as the trade winds will be rather blustery after mid-week, and a new trough of low pressure will be in charge again then…our showers will focus their efforts along the north and east facing windward coasts and slopes, and around the mountains in places too. Actually, if the winds get as strong as the models suggest, there may be some windward showers being carried over into the leeward sides at times as well. ~~~ Don’t forget to get outside tonight for a while, at least long enough to check out some part of the total lunar eclipse, there’s information about it just below, and in the paragraph just above. ~~~ I’ll be back early Tuesday morning with your next weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
Here’s an interesting website story about the planet Mars.
Here’s some information about the upcoming total lunar eclipse here in Hawaii.
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