Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday:
Lihue, Kauai – 79
Honolulu airport, Oahu – 82
Kaneohe, Oahu – 80
Molokai airport – 82
Kahului airport, Maui – 85 (Record high temperature on this date – 89F / (1956)
Kona airport – 82
Hilo airport, Hawaii – 80
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Sunday afternoon:
Kahului, Maui – 80
Hilo, Hawaii – 75
Haleakala Crater – 46 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea – 32 (near 13,800 feet on the Big Island)
Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live web cam on the summit of near 13,800 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. Here's the Haleakala Crater webcam on Maui…which is working only sometimes lately.
Aloha Paragraphs
Gusty trade winds becoming lighter Monday –
a few showers…voggy haze
As this weather map shows low pressure systems to the northwest, along with an associated cold front draping southwest. At the same time we have near 1024 millibar high pressure systems sitting out to our east-northeast, with an associated ridge to the north of Kauai. The location of these low pressure systems, and this ridge of high pressure will result in moderately strong trade winds Sunday, strongest near the Big Island and Maui County. Our winds will remain active from the east to east-southeast through Sunday night…veering to the southeast to south during the first part of the week ahead. Lighter southeast winds will prevail through the remainder of the new work week, with trade winds potentially returning again next weekend.
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph), along with directions Sunday evening:
20 Barking Sands, Kauai – SE
21 Kahuku, Oahu – ENE
10 Molokai – NNE
43 Kahoolawe – ENE
28 Lipoa, Maui – SE
17 Lanai – WSW
36 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 Sunday evening. Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see scattered low level clouds in all directions, a few of which are impacting the islands locally. We can use this looping satellite image to see a large area of clouds to the northwest and north of the state. The lower level clouds upstream of the islands are being in our direction on the weakening trade winds…which are turning more east and southeasterly now. Checking out this looping radar image we see light showers over the ocean for the most part, although coming into the windward sides at times…especially Oahu at the time of this writing.
Here are the 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Sunday evening:
0.11 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.06 Punaluu Stream, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.01 Puu Kukui, Maui
0.35 Waikoloa, Big Island
Sunset Commentary: The current trade wind episode will give way to southeast winds soon, more so as we push into the new week ahead. An approaching cold front will help to push our high pressure ridge down closer to the islands Monday. This will prompt lighter winds, blowing from the southeast. These breezes will draw up tropical moisture locally at times, although rather dry conditions will persist despite this fact. We'll also see volcanic haze increasing across the state during the new week, along with rather muggy conditions at times too.
Here in Kula, Maui at around 530pm HST, it was partly cloudy with some increased vog already…with an air temperature of 66F degrees. As I was mentioning above, the trade winds still prevail at the moment, providing just a few windward biased showers, with generally dry weather prevailing everywhere. The next change will occur as a cold front approaches the state, prompting a change in our wind direction…among other things. The trade winds will give way to southeast breezes, drawing warmer and more humid air into the state, along with that increase in volcanic haze (vog). The cold front to our northwest will stall, and park itself there for several days, like the one last week did. It will have a bearing on our weather, like the previous one too, with a few shower bearing clouds being drawn across our islands. The models have currently backed-off on the prospect of wetter weather towards the end of the upcoming work week however, although keep the trade winds returning next weekend…along with a potential increase in windward biased showers then.
This past Friday evening I went to see a new film with a friend in Kahului. This new film is getting good reviews from the critics, and is called Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Rennter, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton…among many others. The synopsis: blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates "Ghost Protocol". Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency's name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know. The tough scoring rotten tomatoes website is giving this a very high 93% rating, which is the top ranked film of the week! As it turned out, it was a good film, although didn't impress me quite as much as many of the films that I've been seeing lately. It was full of the required action, although over all it left me wanting a bit more edge. I will give this film a B grade, while here's a trailer for this film.
Today was another nice day here in the state of Hawaii, with just localized showers here and there, especially over a few select parts of Oahu and the Big Island. Looking down country into the central valley here on Maui, I see that the volcanic haze has already begun to increase, with light to almost moderately thick vog evident at sunset. Clouds formed over the slopes this afternoon, although I didn't see any showers at all. Clouds will clear back tonight, with a clear morning likely on Monday, along with somewhat cooler air temperatures during the early mornings coming up. I'll admit it, I was totally lazy today, and never even got out to take a walk, which is unusual. I will however be up early again on Monday, well before dawn, to meditate and to prepare your next new weather narrative from paradise. I'll have that sunrise commentary ready for the reading at around 630am HST. I hope you have a great Sunday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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