Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / October 18-November 12, 2011

Glenn will be on vacation in California from October 18th through November 11th. He will begin updating all the pages on this website upon his return. The ongoing daily island forecasts will continue to be available however…just click on the islands below for the latest weather information:

Kauai – Oahu – Maui County – Big Island

Please look down this page for Glenn's periodic reports from wherever he happens to be during this vacation period.

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

Lihue, Kauai –                   
Honolulu, Oahu –       
Kaneohe, Oahu –             
Molokai airport –               
Kahului airport, Maui –       
Kona airport                      
Hilo airport, Hawaii –          

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

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

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

  Kauai
  Oahu
  Molokai
  Lanai
  Kahoolawe
  Maui
  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 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.

Weather Map

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. This web cam is 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. The Haleakala Crater webcam on Maui just came back online, after being on the blink for several weeks.

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

The  beautiful island of Maui 
 

 

October 18 – Here in Kula, Maui, finishing off the last few things, including packing, before getting a ride to the Kahului airport with my neighbor Jeff…for my early afternoon flight to San Francisco. I'll get into northern California around 830pm, and then take the Marin Airporter across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County. My friend Linda will pick me up around 10pm in Larkspur, and we'll go to her house. She always has some nice home made warm soup, bread and cheese waiting for me, along with an ale to take the edge off all that traveling. Typically, early the next morning we take a drive over to Tennessee Valley, and walk down on that great trail to the coast. I'll be there until the 21st, at which point I'll take the airporter back down to the San Francisco airport for a flight to Long Beach.

My Mom and Dad will pick me up there, and I'll begin my seven day visit with family, which of course I'm greatly looking forward to! Then it will be a flight up to Sacramento, where my friend Bob will pick me up, and take me back to his place in Placerville. We'll have a nice dinner with his wife, and leave early the next morning for a trip to the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We'll car camp, hike, and wonder around for three days out in deep nature, having great conversations about geography and weather, along with every other subject in the world. Then he'll drive me to my friend Susan's house in Grass Valley, back to the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada's. I'll stay with her for three days, having all kinds of fun…with more great far ranging conversations.

Bob will be back to pick me up again, and we'll head west to the coast for three more days of carousing. We don't have a definite plan yet, but it could take place anywhere from Marin to Sonoma, or even Mendocino Counties. The weather will play a large part in determining just where we go. Bob will drive us back to Linda's house in Marin County, and since we're all good friends, that will be fun too. Bob will take off back home then, and Linda and I will enjoy ourselves for those last three days. Finally, I head back to the San Francisco airport for my return flight to Maui on the 11th of November. That's the general lay of the land ahead, and I'll come back periodically to give you updates on the particulars, which I'll place in paragraphs below. ~~~ Here's wishing all you readers well, as I embark upon this exciting autumn journey, I'll be writing again soon. Aloha for now…Glenn.   

October 19 – I've been on the mainland almost 24 hours, and I'm enjoying myself very much. Looking back, on the flight from Kahului to San Francisco, I was standing up in the plane when a young woman came up to me and said something, like…are you Glenn Weatherman James. I was surprised as usual, especially when I'm away from home. At any rate, her name was Zorah, and she grew up on Maui, and now lives in Moss Beach, California, just south of the City. We ended up talking for quite a long time, when one of the flight attendents came up and got into our conversation, which was really cool for me. The flight was so easy, and really quick, arriving almost 30 minutes before its scheduled arrival. Then when I walked over to where I was going to catch the Marin Airporter, another lady on the street began talking to me, who was a medical doctor from Chicago, going to Napa for some sort of heart seminar. It drizzled quite a bit as the bus went through San Francisco, with foggy air, and a cool 58 degrees. Linda picked me up in Larkspur and had all those things I was describing above waiting.

First thing this morning we got up and headed over to nearby Tennessee Valley, for a lovely walk. We came back to breakfast, some TV, and then to the farmers market. We bought fresh salmon, and greens for dinner. Then we had a quick lunch, and took off for Phoenix Lake…for a long walk. The day was perfect, with sunny and warm temperatures all day. We came back and had a lovely glass of Meiomi Pinot Noir wine on her deck, while watching the sun set over Mount Tamalpais. We had that salmon, with broccoli, roasted potatoes in rosemary and olive oil. Now I just had a small cup of coffee, and we're going out to meet another lady friend of Linda's who lives in the Marina District of San Francisco, for some dancing in Sausalito, right down on the bay. Linda just commented that its a beautiful night, so here we are going out again. I'll catch up with you soon, Aloha, Glenn.

October 20-22 – I'm down in Long Beach at my folks house now, where my sister Janet lives too. Catching up in this vacation journal, with my last day in Marin County, I spent it with Linda. We started off our day early by going to Tennessee Valley again, hiking into a different part of that great coastal hike.  We came back to her house afterwards…and worked in her backyard trimming her Apricot tree and a few other fun things, including picking some delicious apples off her tree.  As usual we had a great breakfast, including organic eggs, roasted potatoes, and a couple of pieces of toast. We had gotten a couple of fresh pastries at a nearby bakery, and had that with espresso. The weather held up after a foggy start to the day, which had us taking another hike out and around Mount Tamalpais.  We ended the day by sitting out on her deck watching the sunset, and sipping on the rest of that Pinot Noir from the previous evening. Linda made a tasty stir fry, along with one of her great green salads, and rice for dinner. We ended up watching the John Stewart show, and the Stephen Colbert show too, before taking a walk before bed. 

The next morning we had another early walk, although this time closer to her home, and along a nearby water canal. The weather was still a bit foggy, which I enjoyed. We had breakfast, and I packed up quickly for my trip down to Long Beach. I took the Marin Airporter to the San Francisco airport, and went through the easiest security check I've ever been on. I had some time before my Jet Blue flight, and so did one of my favorite things, which is watching all the people march by in front of where I was sitting. The flight was easy enough, and I made it into southern California during the early afternoon, and was picked up by both my Mom and Dad. I've been here for about 24 hours now, and am settling into the pace of life at their home. It's pretty mellow here, and we spend a fair amount of time sitting around and just talking. I got up early this morning, and walked out into thick fog for my walk. When I got back my Mom and I spent some time together, and then my Dad got up, and my Sister walked in shortly thereafter. We spent the day together, and will enjoy a nice fresh fish dinner this evening. Oh yeah, during the afternoon we went to my other Sisters place of work, and brought her a few things, but she was busy we soon realized it wasn't a good time for her to take a break. I'll catch up with you in a few days, Aloha, Glenn.

October 23-28 – I've been so busy here at home, or at least my Mom & Dad's home, that I haven't had a chance to write. There's always so many little things that I notice that need attention, and then all the good talks that are always happening, that the days fly by. I had all the interesting weather that I could have hoped for, including lots of sunny warm conditions during the days, and cool nights…along with a few days of clouds and even a little light rain. I get up before everyone else each day and go for long walks. I have so many memories as I walk along looking at things, that it makes it all very interesting. This morning my sister and I took a long walk over to the elementary school we both went to, called Carver. We both enjoyed looking into all the yards, and seeing the Halloween decorations. She found some Plumeria flowers, and brought them home to put in water. When I get home my Mom is up, and has coffee and the weather section of the newspaper waiting for me. She makes me oatmeal each morning, and we sit and talk by ourselves until my Dad gets up…which is so nice!

I have so many things to do yet, and then it will be time to fly up to Sacramento to meet my friend Bob. It will be sad towards the end of this lovely visit to Long Beach, as they drive me over to the Long Beach airport. I may not be by a computer again for several days, as Bob and I are going up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We're going to the Hope Valley, where we hope to find some Quaking Aspens with still some yellow leaves. It's late in the season for these beautiful trees, my favorite in fact, but we'll hike around all day looking and enjoying everything. The following day we'll leave this near 7,000 foot elevation, and head down into the high desert to the east of the Sierra, looking for Sage, Juniper, and Pinon. We both are geographers, and went to college together in Sonoma County, so we enjoy being out in nature very much. He and and I are both major weather nuts too, so we talk constantly about everything. Then it will be on to another friend, this time Susan, where the three of us will spend Halloween together. I'll likely have a chance to get back to a computer around November 1st. I hope you have a great time doing whatever you're up to between now and then! Aloha, Glenn.

October 29-October 31 – I had a smooth flight from Long Beach up to Sacramento, about an hour in the air. My friend Bob picked me up, and we immediately started to talk about everything under the sun. We slowly made our way up to his place in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and had a nice dinner and wine with his wife…sitting outside by their fire pit and talked well into the night. The next morning we got up early, packed the car, gathered our stuff, had breakfast and coffee, and headed east. We had reservations at a cool place in an area called Hope Valley up in the mountains, so headed there and unloaded our stuff. Then we were on a mission to find groves of Quaking Aspen trees. We had seen lots of them with their yellow leaves along the way, and ended up finding these trees past their peak in color…but definitely still incredibly beautiful. We spent the whole day walking and hiking and taking pictures of this special area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This kind of day is absolutely one of my favorite, and there's a part  of me that lives for these occasions with my very good friend Bob. Bob is very knowledgeable about trees, so I've learned the names of lots of them through him.

The next day we again got up early, made coffee, had breakfast, and headed even further east. Bob is working with another person who writes books about vegetation in Nevada, and had an assignment to find these two different types of trees. We drove into Nevada, and along these rough gravel roads for about an hour and a half, crossing streams, and enjoying the scenery. We finally found these trees and took GPS readings, and took samples. We then headed back into the high country and found another incredible grove of yellowing Aspens…around the Monitor Pass area at a little above 8,000 feet. We spent the day in there, hiking and climbing all around. The weather was perfect, with relatively warm and sunny days, and clear and cold nights. 

The following day, which was Halloween, we drove down out of the mountains, stopping often to enjoy vistas along the way. We came to Nevada City and had a nice lunch sitting outside. I got in touch with my friend who lives near there, and we drove over to her house, whose name is Susan. She's an attorney and just bought a small home in Grass Valley. We all had a glass of wine, and the three of us started to deck her front porch out with Halloween decorations. She had bought candy and we all took turns handing it out to the kids who would stop by. Once that foot traffic slowed down, Bob, Susan and I got out on the streets and took a long walk. It's the next morning now, and Bob has taken off for Placerville, and Susan and I will spend the next three days together. I'll have more to say about what we do over the next few days. Bob will come back here Friday morning and pick me up. We'll head west to Marin County, and spend the night at Linda's. We have rented a great house right on the coast in Mendocino the following two nights, and I'll have more to write about that part of my vacation adventure next week too. Take care for the time being! Aloha, Glenn.

November 1-3 – Susan and I have been having a good time enjoying the great out-of-doors here at the 2400 foot elevation of the western Sierra Nevada Mountains. We've hiked around lots during the days, and everynight have gone out after dinner and walked for another hour or more too. Susan is a great cook, and we've had many good meals, as well as going out to some fun restaurants. The other night we watched a classic movie called African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, directed by John Huston, which was shot in Africa…which was entertaining. Before I forget, let me share with you a few of the bottles of wine that I've bought, a few of which we've enjoyed already. Balletto 2009 Pinot Noir, Burnside Road Vineyard; Ridge 2009 East Bench, 100% Zinfandel from Sonoma County; 2001 Napanook Red wine, Christian Moueix, Napa Valley; MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2009; Craven & Lattin 2007 Pinot Noir, Sonoma coast; and finally a 2007 Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, Gowan Creek Vineyards. As far as meals go, last evening we prepared some fresh wild caught King Salmon seared and baked with lemon, along with organic red fingerling potatoes, dandelion greens, and finally trumpet mushrooms sauteed with scallions and garlic…yum!

During the day yesterday we drove about 10 miles outside Grass Valley, to the Yuba River. We hiked down a great, although quite steep trail, and then right down to the river. We sat on the warm granite boulders next to the water and dunked our feet into the freezing cold rushing river. We sat there in the sunshine and just talked, which we do a lot of, and is very fun for us. We get into these long discussions about pretty much everything. Then we drove back to Nevada City, where we found a little coffee shop called Cafe Mekka. I ordered a drink called Chai Jitters, which was chai and a shot of espresso. I swear, I got the jitters, as we sat there watching a parade of interesting characters hanging out and walking by.  Across the street in a wine shop, we found a very knowledgable wine expert…where we purchased some of the wine noted above. We drove to the local coop, where we bought our dinner and some other stuff. We took the food home and then hit the road looking for a sunset vista, called the Wolf Mountain Lookout…which we didn't end up finding. We did find a nice sunset spot however.  Late after dinner, we headed out on a long walk around Grass Valley. I've been sleeping very well, and enjoying the coffee and conversations each morning too. 

This morning we've been discussing what new adventure we would head out into. The local weather forecast includes a dramatic cooling trend later today through the next few days, with a low temperature of 27F degrees here in the foothills. For lunch, we met Joyce and Dan at the Briar Patch co-op, who turned out to be fun new friends. We had dinner out this evening at the New Moon restaurant in Nevada City. We had bought tickets to see a production of the play A Street Car Named Desire at the Nevada Theatre, so after a lovely dinner we walked a block to the play. It was almost three hours long, and was quite good, although I have to admit I was a bit squirmy in my seat. Bob drives back over here from Placerville early in the morning to pick me up. We'll take off for Marin County, where we'll get to Linda's house by the evening, before heading up to the Mendocino coast the following morning. Bob and I rented a great vacation rental right on the coast for a couple of nights. This place is called Moonstar House, and has an outdoor hot tube overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and a fireplace inside. I'll have more to say about all this at some point, so will sign off for now, before we go to the coop again and meet some of Susan's friends for lunch. Aloha, Glenn.

November 4  – Today was a transition day from the Sierra Nevada back down to the coast. Bob picked me up at Susan's, and from there we all drove the three miles back uphill to Nevada City. It was cold out, as the chilly air from the previous day's cold front was giving us a preview of the upcoming winter season ahead. We ate at a great little cafe called Ike's, which served almost all organic food. We then went back to Grass Valley, where I packed up and we headed west to Marin County, where Linda lives. We sat out on the deck in the last sunshine of the day, where the air was chilly, but the sun was still pleasant. The three of us then drove over to a great restaurant called Buckeye Roadhouse, in Mill Valley. We sat in the bar at a booth, and watched the local Marinites coming on Friday after work…letting loose after driving their BMW's or Porsche's back from San Francisco. We had a great dinner, and afterwards, despite it being pitch dark, we drove the short distance to the head of the Tennessee Valley trail to the coast. It was cold, although we had thought ahead and brought warm clothes.  We were the only ones on the trail walking through the half moon light which was surprisingly bright.  I should note we weren't the only ones on the trail, we shared it with several Great Horned Owls hooting back and forth with each other.  We joined the chorus with our own hoots. We came back to Linda's and had some ginger tea and watched The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert on the tv to finish the evening.  We just had breakfast and coffee and Bob and I are ready to head north to Mendocino County…with a new cold front bearing down.  I'll catch up with you later, Aloha, Glenn.

November 5-7 – Bob and I drove north into an approaching cold front Saturday morning, getting off the 101 freeway at Cotati. We drove to the Whole Foods market in Sebastopol, and bought food for our stay up north. We both had lived in this area, and had attended college together at Sonoma State University back in the 1970's, so driving through this area triggered all kinds of conversations, and sparked our memories of the past. We bought lunch and sat outside the market and watched people walk by, AND enjoyed the first rain drops of the cold front that was getting closer. We then drove over to the Russian River, and headed through the Redwoods to the coast at Jenner. I had lived in Jenner for over two years, in a trailer at the mouth of the River while attending college. We got to our place later that afternoon, and immediately lit the stove, put our food away, and popped a bottle of nice red wine. At about that time the frontal boundary was moving through, so we went out in the hot tub and witnessed its passing in the warm water right there at on the bluff overlooking the big ocean. That evening we took the short drive to St. Orres, a fine dining establishment north of Gualala. We sat in front of the big stone fireplace for an hour drinking red wine, while we chatted with both the guests and the waitresses. Because it was still lightly raining we sat in the very back part of the restaurant, so we could hear the sounds, and enjoy the candles. Bob had wild boar for dinner, while I had Sonoma County lamb…both of which were delicious. We came back to our place and sat in the hot tub for a while before retiring to our individual bedrooms.

The next morning, way before sunrise, we met again in the hot tub, and enjoyed talking while watching the stars dim and the sun beginning the gradual lighting of the eastern sky. We made some coffee and sat out there for a long time and continued our ongoing conversations about geography, weather, and everything in between. We had a wonderful breakfast of organic eggs, organic sausage, avocado, tomatoes, and toast. We eventually made our way back onto Highway 1, and headed north past the small coastal town of Point Arena, where we found this big beach in the very small town of Elk. We parked and spent the next maybe three hours just walking around, sometimes together, and often alone just strolling along by the surf. Then it was back to our place to have a glass of wine, and what else…to get back into the hot tub to watch the sunset. We had dinner in that evening, and continued talking about interesting topics, and listening to some music, turned up very high. There was no other houses nearby, so we had no inhibition about really cranking the volume up!

The next morning started by meeting in the hot tub again, with still lots of stars in the sky. This was our last morning, so after having another wonderful breakfast with coffee, we rather reluctantly begin packing and cleaning up. This place was great, with Bob's bedroom on one side of the place, and mine completely on the other side. We headed north again once we left, and drove up to the Navarro River, and headed more or less east to Boonville and Philo. This area is also referred to as the Andersen Valley, and is famous for its Pinot Noir grape production. We stopped off at the Goldeneye Vineyards, and did some wine tasting, and got involved with our server, Cindy, for quite a long time, which was fun. Heading finally south on 101 again, we drove straight to Linda's house in Marin, where Bob had to drive back home to his wife and responsibilities. It's never easy to say goodbye to my friends and family, but has to happen, which often leaves me a little sad for a while. Linda and I chatted over a glass of red wine, and had a nice soup with salad for dinner. She likes to watch TV during the evening, which I joined in as well. This morning, which is Tuesday, we headed over to Tennessee Valley for an early walk down to the ocean. She has gone off to work for a few hours, thus I had some time to bring this latest period of travel up to date, the first time I've spent any time by myself in well over two weeks! I'll be back perhaps one or two more times, before I fly back to Maui this Friday afternoon, from the San Francisco airport. Aloha for now…Glenn.

November 8-10 – Linda and I got an early start by taking the short drive to Tennessee Valley once again, hiking down to where we could see the ocean. There was frost on the grass next to the trail, which was a great sight. Linda says we heard or saw the following birds: Wren Tit, Song Sparrow, Northern Flicker, Golden Crown Sparrow, White Crown Sparrow, White Throated Sparrow (rare sighting), House Finch, Raven, Crow, Red Tailed Hawk, California Towhee, Winter Wren, Black Phoebe, Coots, Mallards, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. We came back and had a great breakfast, and then Linda had to go to work, and I spent some quality time alone for a change. When she got back, we went to Whole Foods and picked up some really fresh Pacific Halibut, cooked along with german butter potatoes, sauteed spinach with garlic, and a great mixed salad. At the same time Linda had a glass of red wine, and I had a small bottle of the greatest ale I've almost ever had, called Pliny the Elder…which was so hoppy! We took a nice walk to where Linda could some local voting after dinner, and spotted the well developed moon.

The next morning we had a repeat performance at Tennessee Valley, which could never get old in my estimation. We came back and had another great breakfast, and Linda went off to work again. This gave me a six hour break, and I just mostly sat around reading, did some trimming on a Mulberry tree. The weather was perfect, remaining nice and sunny all day. We had plans that evening with two of our lady friends, for dinner and a reading at the local book store in Mill Valley. We ate at D'Angelo's Italian restaurant, and had a pasta entree of mushrooms, pancetta, and parmesan, along with a nice margerita pizza. She had a cosmo, and I had a nice glass of zinfandel red wine. We all took a short walk to The Book Depot, and settled in for a reading. The two speakers were Gerry Nicosia and the daughter of Lu ann Henderson, talking about the never before told story of the girl who went on the road with Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. It was interesting, and the ladies I was with knew the author, so we talked a little afterwards.

Well, as you can see, each day here in Marin County starts off with an early walk towards the ocean in TN Valley. After breakfast we got these wonderful pastries from a shop called French Champagne Bakery. We then had coffee and watched Democracy Now on TV, which had a piece on David Crosby and Graham Nash, who recently sang some of their songs at the Occupy Wall Street demonstration in NYC. We then drove over to the farmers market in San Rafael, and ran into two lady friends of ours. We bought dandelion greens, for a bean soup and salad dinner we're having this evening with our friend Elaine. We plan to take a nice long walk to Phoenix Lake in a little while, before our dinner. Speaking of this evening, don't forget to check out the November full moon tonight. It's occurring just before I fly home to Maui Friday afternoon at 230pm. I arrive at the Kahului airport at 6pm, and will be picked up by my neighbors. They want to go to Whole Foods for dinner, which will give me a chance to pick up a few things, before a more thorough shopping in Paia the following day. I'll need to begin getting ready for my back to work day in Kihei on Monday. Wow, it has been a most successful vacation, and I'm so happy to have been able to share it with you folks, as well as document the high points for myself too. I'm going to sign off now, and the next time that I come back online will be to begin my weather forecasts on Sunday. Aloha, Glenn.