Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / September 12-13, 2011

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

Lihue, Kauai –                   86           
Honolulu airport, Oahu –   90 (record for Monday – 91 in 1979)   
Kaneohe, Oahu –               83
Molokai airport –                85
Kahului airport, Maui –        86 
Kona airport                      86  
Hilo airport, Hawaii –          84

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

Port Allen, Kauai – 86
Hilo, Hawaii – 79

Haleakala Crater –     45 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 45 (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:

0.12     Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.33     Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.08     Molokai
0.00     Lanai
0.01     Kahoolawe
0.83     Ulupalakua, Maui
0.21     Saddle Quarry, 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. 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 through the week – modest
increase in windward showers –
rising surf north shores

 
 

The trade winds will continue blowing in the light to moderately strong range through Tuesday…then increase a some later Wednesday through Friday.  Glancing at this weather map, showing high pressure systems to the northeast through north of our islands. Our local trade winds will remain generally in the light to moderately strong realms Tuesday…gradually increasing later Wednesday onwards.

Our trade winds will remain active…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts (mph), along with directions Monday evening: 

24                Port Allen, Kauai – NE 
17                Bellows, Oahu – NE
24                Molokai – NE
24                Kahoolawe – ESE
25                Kahului, Maui – NE
15                Lanai   
23                Upolu 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 Monday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we find just a few scattered clouds…mostly over the ocean offshore from the islands at the time of this writing. We can use this looping satellite image to see the low clouds moving along in the easterly trade wind flow, mostly around the Big Island and Maui…with thunderstorms far to our northwest, southwest, south-southeast of Hawaii. Checking out this looping radar image we see showers around…falling mostly over the ocean offshore to the east of the Big Island and Maui.

Sunset Commentary:  The favorable late summer weather that we’ve had for the last week, or all summer, depending upon your view point…will continue. The trade winds have been trying to increase a little for the last few days, although have been kept at bay by an early season cold front close to our north, which bottomed-out in its southern migration late last week. This limited the trade wind strength to some degree this past weekend. There were gusts to near 30 mph in those windiest locations, although were generally in the light to almost moderately strong realms in most locations. This frontal boundary is now dissipating, which will allow a slow increase in our local trade wind speeds through the next few days. We'll likely see the strongest trade winds in the Thursday to Friday time frame…when we may see small craft wind advisories going up around those windiest areas in Maui County and the Big Island. 

Rainfall has been about normal for this time of year during the last week or so. We may see a shift towards modestly increased showers tonight into mid-week. This would be brought about by both an increase in moisture coming our way from the east…and the arrival of an upper level low pressure system from the east as well. The combination of moisture and the enhancement of the associated showers, from the cold air aloft, shouldn’t be all that big a deal however. The windward sides will be on the receiving end of most of these showers, although the leeward sides might get into the action locally as well…at least locally. The Big Island and Maui might be the most fortunate in this regard. The forecast calls for drier weather Thursday through the rest of the week.

Here in Kihei, Maui at 530pm HST Monday evening, skies were partly cloudy, with most of the clouds up along the slopes of the Haleakala Crater, and over the West Maui Mountains too. There are scattered clouds elsewhere, although mixed in with large clear spots too. The trade winds are blowing, although will begin to calm down some after dark, and through the night. That area of cold air aloft that I wrote about above, and the gradual increase in wind speeds, will likely bring about normal rainfall to our windward sides…which would be an increase in what we've seen lately. Otherwise, except for increasing surf heights along our north shores during the day Tuesday, I don't see any significant changes on the horizon at the moment. ~~~ I'm about to take the drive back upcountry to Kula, and get out for my early evening walk. I will be up early, very early in fact Tuesday morning, to begin preparing my next weather narrative, which will be available around 530am. I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

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