Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Saturday:
Lihue, Kauai – M
Honolulu airport, Oahu – 83 (record high for the date: 87F degrees in 1983)
Kaneohe, Oahu – 79
Molokai airport – 82
Kahului airport, Maui 83 (record high for the date: 89F degrees in 1955)
Kona airport 80
Hilo airport, Hawaii – 78
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Saturday evening:
Honolulu, Oahu – 80
Kapalua, Maui – 75
Haleakala Crater – 46 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 37 (over 13,500 feet on the Big Island)
Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Saturday afternoon:
0.56 Kilohana, Kauai
0.31 Punaluu Stream, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.53 Puu Kukui, Maui
1.76 Glenwood, 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.
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
High cirrus clouds…a few showers
As this weather map shows, we find a very strong 1042 millibar high pressure system located far to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands Saturday night. This high pressure cell, which is offshore from the Washington coast, has an elongated ridge that stretches down to the southwest…to the north of Hawaii. Winds will be light to moderate east to slightly south of east…then returning trade winds Sunday into the new work week ahead.
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Saturday evening:
21 Port Allen, Kauai – SE
25 Bellows, Oahu – NE
23 Molokai – NE
16 Kahoolawe – SE
31 Kapalua, Maui – NE
13 Lanai – NE
29 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 early Saturday night. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we find that high and middle level cloudiness are located over all the Hawaiian Islands. We can use this looping satellite image to see this high cloud swatch, carried our way on the subtropical jet stream. Checking out this looping radar image we see a few showers over the ocean, most of which are in the light to moderately heavy category…impacting the windward sides in a few places.
Sunset Commentary: Light to moderately strong trade winds, with a slightly south of east orientation on the Kauai end of the state, are present as we continue on through our weekend. This will provide a favorably inclined weekend for the Aloha state, which will likely extend into the first half of the upcoming new work week as well.
There will continue to be those common passing windward biased showers through the middle of the upcoming week. Perhaps, we will find another windy episode of stronger and gusty winds towards the end of the new week ahead…starting around next Thursday or so. This sets us up to continue through this last part of autumn 2011 into early winter…in pretty good shape.
Friday evening after work in Kihei, I took the drive over to Kahului to see a new film. This one was called Hugo, starring Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Moretz, and Ben Kingsley…among many others. The synopsis: Hugo is a wily and resourceful boy whose quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father will transform him and all those around him, and reveal a safe and loving place he can call home. The critics are giving this new film a very high A- grade, while the film reviewing website rotten tomatoes, often a hard grader, is giving this film a high 93% approval…out of a top number of 100. This film, directed and produced by Martin Scorsese was excellent, hardly a bad thing about it! It felt like a long movie, and had a few slightly slow parts, otherwise I could heartily recommend it to everyone. The scenery, which took place in a large European city, was fabulous. The acting was wonderful, just everything was top notch. I can easily give this film an A-, as it was a total success for what it was. Here's the trailer for this film, just in case you would like to see it.
Here in Kula, Maui at around 530pm Saturday evening, skies were cloudy, most of which consisted of the high clouds. These high cirrus lit up brightly pink at sunrise this morning, and may very well light up again at sunset. It looks as if these high clouds will remain in place through most of the day Sunday…so more color should appear on Sunday again. Using this satellite image, we can see that there is a considerable amount of this high icy cirrus canopy over the state. As the trade winds increase around this coming Wednesday, we'll likely see our windward showers increasing then. ~~~ I went to the Haleakala Waldorf School Crafts Faire today here in Kula, which is always fun to attend. There was food, and live performance art, and lots of people walking around that I don't see through the rest of the year. I took the drive down to Paia for shopping after that, and then came back home to Kula. A friend just down the mountain from here has invited me over to see the beautiful Christmas tree that she and her daughters trimmed the other day. It will be nice to sit around the tree and perhaps sip on a glass of champagne. ~~~ I'll be back Sunday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Saturday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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