Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs
Posted by GlennDecember 2-3 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday:
Lihue, Kauai – 85
Honolulu, Oahu – 81
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 77
Hilo, Hawaii – 84
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 83
Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at 4 a.m. Monday morning:
Kailua-kona – 73F
Kahului, Maui – 69
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Monday morning:
1.31 KOKEE, KAUAI
1.29 POAMOHO, OAHU
3.18 MOLOKAI
1.52 LANAI
0.71 KAHOOLAWE
3.95 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.68 KEAHOLE AIRPORT, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – A cold front has stalled over Maui County Monday, with mostly light and variable winds. Tuesday will find strengthening south Kona winds as a new low pressure system, a Kona low, sets up to the NW of the islands. Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map. 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 and Radar 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.
Wet and breezy in many areas
photo credit: flickr.com
An active Pacific cold front has passed across Kauai, and will arrive over Oahu Sunday evening, then slide down over the islands of Maui County early Monday. This front will continue down through the island chain, where it’s expected to stall somewhere around Maui, or perhaps as far as the northern half of the Big Island. Most areas of the state, particularly the leeward sides, saw pre-frontal showers during the day. A more generous and widespread rain even will occur as the frontal band itself moves through. If the cloud band stops over Maui County as expected, there could be quite an accumulation of precipitation there. The Big Island may remain dry, although showers may finally arrive there later Sunday into the night…along with the gusty winds ahead of the cold front.
We can look for an upper level Kona low pressure system to form to the west or NW of Hawaii by Tuesday. This would put us on the wet side of this weather feature, with the chance that we would see copious rainfall. This is after several days of wet weather, which means that our soil will be saturated by in places then, and the prospect of flooding could become a serious matter starting Wednesday. The cold air aloft associated with this low pressure system will likely trigger locally heavy rain, with the chance of thunderstorms as well. This wet weather would likely stick around through Thursday or Friday…with improved weather by next weekend.
It’s Sunday evening here in the islands, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative. We saw a fairly widespread rain event Sunday as a weakening cold front swept down through most of the Aloha state. There could still be be some localized flooding as the front moves through the state, with wind advisories going up before the cold front arrives as well…which are already established atop the Haleakala Crater on Maui. Here’s a looping satellite image so you can track the cold front as it moves southward towards Maui. ~~~ Here’s a looping radar image, so you can keep abreast of where the heaviest rains are falling. I would suggest that we batten down the hatches, as it will be a locally blustery and rather wet night in most areas. ~~~ I’ll be back very early Monday morning with more weather updates, I hope you have a great Sunday night wherever you happen to be! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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