Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs / May 16-17, 2011

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

Lihue, Kauai –                    81
Honolulu airport, Oahu –     86 (record for Monday 88 – 1970, 1978, 1986. 2005)
Kaneohe, Oahu –                80
Molokai airport –                 83
Kahului airport, Maui –          86  (record for Monday 91 – 1951)
Kona airport –                    84
Hilo airport, Hawaii –           81

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

Honolulu, Oahu – 83
Hana, Maui – 75

Haleakala Crater –     48 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 41 (over 13,500 feet on the Big Island)

Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Monday evening:

0.06     Waimea Heights, Kauai
0.07     Waianae Valley, Oahu
0.00     Molokai
0.00     Lanai
0.00     Kahoolawe
0.02     Oheo Gulch, Maui
1.14     Kapapala Ranch, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a surface trough of low pressure located west of the state. At the same time we find high pressure systems to our northeast. Our local winds will blow from the trade wind direction through Tuesday…strongest near Maui and the Big Island.

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 13,500 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 shining down during the night at times. Plus, during the nights you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise and sunset 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

May Full moon at 1:09am early Tuesday morning

 

Our local winds will blow from the trade wind direction through the next week…at least. Glancing at this weather map, we find a 1026 millibar high pressure system to our northeast, while a surface low pressure trough remains parked to our west.  Our trade winds will blow in the light to moderately strong range through Tuesday, although locally stronger in gusts. An approaching cold front Wednesday will cause an easing up of the winds…before they strengthen again more significantly Thursday and Friday. As we move into the weekend the winds will likely become quite strong and gusty. There won't be any small craft wind advisories active until around Thursday or Friday onwards.

Our winds will be light to moderately strong through Tuesday, locally stronger gusts…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts, along with directions early Monday evening:

18                 Port Allen, Kauai – E 
27                 Honolulu, Oahu – NE 
30                 Molokai – NE
30                 Kahoolawe – E  
32                 Kahului, Maui – NE 
05                 Lanai – NNE 
33                    South Point – NE  

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Monday night.  Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see high cirrus clouds moving overhead from the west in most areas around the state. We can use this looping satellite image to see these areas of high clouds moving our way, associated with a trough of low pressure to the west. A portion of this cirrus cloudiness is the tops of thunderstorms being carried our way on the upper winds aloft. Checking out this looping radar image shows just a few showers being carried across the islands by the trade winds…most of which are over the ocean to the south of Kauai and the Big Island.

Sunset Commentary: The long lasting trough of low pressure remains parked to the west of the islands. This weather feature continues to spin high clouds our way, the tops of thunderstorms firing-off well to the southwest. The overlying atmosphere is now dry and stable, which will keep showers at a minimum. What few showers that are able to fall, will land on the windward coasts and slope, and most frequently during the cooler night and early morning hours. There may be a couple of light showers that occur along our leeward slopes on Maui and the Big Island during the afternoons…especially on Wednesday.

The lightest winds this week will occur on Wednesday, as a cold front approaches Kauai, but doesn't bring showers. This front will however push a high pressure ridge down closer to the islands, thus the slow down in our local trade winds. This will be very temporary, as the trade winds will accelerate Thursday through the rest of the week. The strongest winds this week will occur Friday into the weekend, at which point we'll see a small craft wind advisory going up over those windiest places around Maui and the Big Island…perhaps elsewhere.

Here in Kihei, Maui at 530pm Monday evening, its quite cloudy, although the majority of it is the high cirrus clouds. This should provide a nice sunset for many areas around the state, keep an eye out. You can come out later in the night and check out the full moon as well. If you're a total purist, and want to witness the most full aspect of this month's full moon, be out there at exactly 1:09am early Tuesday morning! What else, lets see, pretty much just dry trade wind weather through this week. This isn't a problem for most of us, although the windward sides are starting to get pretty dry about now. ~~~ I'm heading back upcountry now, with plenty of time to have my evening walk before dinner. I'm sure you'll spot that full moon tonight out your window, hope it doesn't keep you awake. I'll catch up with you again early Tuesday morning, when I'll have your next new weather narrative from paradise ready. I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: The Mississippi River floods in April and May 2011 are among the largest and most damaging along the U.S. waterway in the past century, rivaling major floods in 1927 and 1993. In April 2011, two major storm systems dumped record rainfall on the Mississippi River watershed. Rising from springtime snowmelt, the river and many of its tributaries began to swell to record levels by the beginning of May.

Following the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, much effort has been invested in building defenses to withstand a flood of three million cubic feet per second just upstream from the Old River Control Structure. The US Army Corps of Engineers refers to this design goal as the "project flood".

As of 11 May 2011 the expected flow will be on the high side, but still within that maximum capacity, assuming everything works as expected. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Saturday opened two of the 125 floodgates at the Morganza Spillway 45 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, and opened two more on Sunday.

Opening the floodgates – a move last taken in 1973 – will channel water away from the Mississippi River and into the Atchafalaya River basin. That will take the floodwaters toward homes, farms, a wildlife refuge and a small oil refinery but avoid inundating New Orleans and Louisiana's capital, Baton Rouge.

Over geologic time, the lower Mississippi River has used different pathways as its main channel to the Gulf of Mexico across the delta region. Left to its own devices, about every 1000 years a new main channel forms through the natural process of delta switching.

Either of two new routes — through the Atchafalaya Basin or through Lake Ponchartrain — might become the Mississippi's main channel if control structures are overtopped or severely damaged during a severe flood, such as the present 2011 event.

If the Mississippi changes course to the Gulf, it would probably happen at one of four locations, three involving the Atchafalaya, and one involving Lake Ponchartrain. The expected 2011 flood flow approaches but is still below the maximum design capacity of the flood-control system. The Old River Control Structure sits at the normal water elevation and normally diverts 30% of the Mississippi's flow to the Atchafalaya River.

There is a steep drop away here from the Mississippi's main channel. If this facility were to fail during a major flood, there is a strong concern the water would scour and erode the river bottom enough to capture the Mississippi's main channel.

The structure was nearly lost during the 1973 flood, but repairs and improvements were made after engineers studied the forces at play. In particular, the corps made many improvements and constructed additional facilities for routing water through the vicinity.

These additional facilities give the corps much more flexibility and potential flow capacity than they had in 1973, which further reduces the risk of a catastrophic failure in this area. A failure of this system resulting in a new river pathway will have major economic and social effects.

About 2,500 people live in the spillway's flood path and 22,500 others, along with 11,000 buildings could be affected by backwater flooding – the water pushed back into streams and tributaries that cannot flow normally into what will be an overwhelmed Atchafalaya River.

The only other way for the water to flow is through New Orleans and expose over a million people to risk. Some 3,000 square miles of land could be inundated in up to 20 feet of water for several weeks.

When flows peak around May 22, the spillway will carry about 125,000 cubic feet per second, about one quarter of its capacity. Some 18,000 acres of cropland could be flooded as waters rise, hitting their crest in about a week and remaining high for several weeks.

In addition to threatening densely populated areas, lower Mississippi flooding was a risk for as many as eight refineries and at least one nuclear power plant alongside the river.

Interesting2: This green and pleasant land is quickly becoming home to a green and not so pleasant bird. The Rose-Ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri), an exotic bird from India and sub-Saharan Africa is spreading like wildfire in London and its surrounding suburbs. Their population was estimated at 1,500 in 1995.

Only a few years ago, their numbers have jumped to an estimated 30,000! At first they seemed like a new attractive bird in people's backyards. Now they are a pest, hogging bird feeders and causing a nuisance. However, the greatest fear is that they will spread to agricultural areas and threaten crops.

Researchers from Imperial College London are conducting a scientific census of the parakeets to get a clear handle on what the country is dealing with. Their study, termed Project Parakeet, has enlisted volunteer birders to perform simultaneous counts. They mark down roost sites as well as the approximate number found at each.

So far, 10 roost sites have been located, each having over 50 parakeets. The birders also search for fallen parakeet feathers to determine their range. The parakeet invasion is being taken quite seriously by England, which has never faced such a rapid wildlife invasion.

For example, the gray squirrel took centuries to achieve their dominion over England, whereas the parakeet has conquered the London area in only 16 years. Most scientists had thought that the tropical bird was poorly adapted to the harsh English winter.

Previously, they had been confined to the indoors, kept in pet cages and zoos. Some were released or escaped, but nobody believed they would thrive in the cool northern latitudes. So how do they do it? Some believe that this exotic bird can survive because of all the exotic plants homeowners put in their yards.

They are basically importing the birds' food. Others believe it is because homeowners are putting out more bird feeders. Others believe it is linked to the climate, which is slightly warmer than it has historically been. This could increase the parakeet's metabolism are cause a decline in their predators.

However, the past two winters have been frigidly cold, and they survived just fine. "The jury's out," said Grahame Madge, a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. "I'm not aware of any predators being removed. I'm not aware of any environmental trigger that set this off.

I'm not convinced that climate is playing into it." The parakeet population explosion remains a mystery. Wildlife authorities are anxiously awaiting the results of Project Parakeet in the hope that it will reveal some clues.

As of today, the rose-ringed parakeet has been officially made an enemy of state, making it legal to kill them without a hunting license. A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), claims that invasive species like the parakeet cost the British economy 1.7 billion pounds every year.

They are encouraging the trapping, re-homing, and even the shooting of the parakeet. However, this has provoked criticism from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which does not want the birds to be shot. England has to decide on what is the best way to get these unwanted birds out.