Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday:
Lihue, Kauai – 85
Honolulu airport, Oahu – 87 (record for Tuesday – 91 in 1985, 1995, 1988)
Kaneohe, Oahu – 82
Molokai airport – 83
Kahului airport, Maui – 86
Kona airport 84
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 Tuesday evening:
Barking Sands, Kauai – 87
Hilo, Hawaii – 75
Haleakala Crater – 52 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 39 (over 13,500 feet on the Big Island)
Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Tuesday evening:
0.24 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.24 South Fork Kaukonahua, Oahu
0.02 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
1.35 Puu Kukui, Maui
0.23 Piihonua, Big Island
Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a strong 1039 millibar high pressure system to the north of our islands. Our local trade winds will remain active through Thursday.
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. 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. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here. Here's a tropical cyclone tracking map for the eastern and central Pacific.
Aloha Paragraphs
Trade winds, just a few passing windward
showers…generally nice weather prevails
The trade winds will prevail through the rest of this week…becoming slightly lighter starting Sunday into early next week. Glancing at this weather map, we find a strong 1039 millibar high pressure system located to the north of the islands Tuesday night. This huge high pressure cell dominates the Pacific, from the western Pacific, across the central into the eastern Pacific…to the Baja California coast of Mexico. We still have limited small craft wind advisories covering those windiest channels and coasts around Maui County and the Big Island, which will last into Friday and perhaps Saturday.
Our trade winds will remain active…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts (mph), along with directions Tuesday evening:
33 Port Allen, Kauai – NE
30 Honolulu, Oahu – NE
32 Molokai – NE
35 Kahoolawe – ESE
40 Kahului, Maui – ENE
27 Lanai – ENE
30 South Point, Big Island – NE
We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Tuesday night. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we find scattered lower level clouds, which are generally out over the ocean to our east, although not many at the time of this writing. At the same time we find an area of high cirrus clouds just to our northwest through southwest….clipping Niihau and Kauai at times. We can use this looping satellite image to see lower level clouds being carried along in the trade wind flow, and the area of cirrus to our west through north of Hawaii. There's also a counterclockwise rotating upper level low pressure system to our west, producing some thunderstorms. Checking out this looping radar image we see showers being carried along in the trade wind flow, falling over the ocean in the light to moderately heavy category…reaching into the windward sides locally at times.
Sunset Commentary: The main thing now is the strong and gusty trade winds, which are blowing through our island chain, thanks to a very strong 1039 millibar high pressure system, far to our north. Winds were gusting up over 30 mph in those windiest locations early this evening, with a 40 mph gust at the typically windy Kahului airport here on Maui. Looking at satellite imagery, we don't see all that many showery looking clouds upstream of the islands, although it won't be surprising to see a few showers falling tonight into early Wednesday morning. All things considered, our fairly normal trade wind weather pattern will continue through the rest of this work week. As we push into the weekend our trade winds may soften up just a little, with the chance of some increase in our windward biased showers then too.
Here in Kihei, Maui, at 530pm HST Tuesday evening, it was clear to partly cloudy, with perhaps a few very light showers over along the windward sides. The overlying atmosphere is stable, and with not that many clouds being carried along in the stiff trade wind flow, showers will be rather light and not all that generous for the next couple of days. It was another good work day here at the Pacific Disaster Center, as I'm tracking hurricane Dora in the eastern Pacific, tropical storm Bret in the Atlantic, and tropical storm Ma-on in the western Pacific. I've always loved storms, so to have this job is beyond belief, how did I get so lucky! At any rate, I'm heading home soon, back upcountry to Kula, for my evening walk, dinner, a little reading, and to bed. I go to bed early so I can get up with the roosters in the morning, which I'll be doing Wednesday. I'll have your next new weather narrative available around 530am HST in the mornin'. I hope you have a great Tuesday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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