Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs / August 22-23, 2008

August 22-23 2008

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

Lihue, Kauai – 86
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 86
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-kona – 84

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level, and on the taller mountains…at 5 p.m. Friday evening:

Barking Sands, Kauai – 85F  
Hilo, Hawaii – 78

Haleakala Crater- missing (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 32 (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Friday afternoon:

0.87 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.50 Waiawa, Oahu
0.61 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.01 Kahoolawe
1.15 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.38 Glenwood, Big Island

Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a 1027 millibar high pressure system located north-northwest of Hawaii. Our local trade winds will remain active, blowing generally in the moderately strong range, locally stronger in those windiest areas.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state 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. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. 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 webcam on the summit of near 14,000 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 webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

Aloha Paragraphs

   Keanae Peninsula, Maui
   Photo Credit: flickr.com

The trade winds will continue blowing across the tropical latitudes of the Hawaiian Islands for at least the next week. This weather map, shows a moderately strong, 1027 millibar high pressure system Friday night, located to the north-northwest of our islands…keeping moderately strong winds in our area, locally stronger and gusty. The trades remain strong enough so that the NWS forecast office in Honolulu is keeping the small craft wind advisory up over for the windiest spots around Maui County, down through the Big Island. Winds are gusty atop the summits on the Big Island, where a wind advisory is active…which may extend over to the Haleakala Crater soon.

There will be off and on showers falling along the windward sides of the islands through the weekend. The leeward sides will remain quite sunny for the most part during the days, with generally dry conditions prevailing. The influence of an upper level trough of low pressure, with its shower enhancing cold air aloft, may enhance a few showers along the windward sides…where a few briefly heavy showers may occur. There’s always that chance of a couple of afternoon showers along the Kona coast of the Big Island as well. As this satellite image shows, there is no lack of clouds coming our way on the trade winds.

It’s early Friday evening here in Kihei, Maui, as I begin writing this last paragraph of today’s narrative.  The satellite link just above shows a fair amount of clouds being carried our way on the trade wind flow. Other than those windward biased showers, the leeward sides should remain quite nice. All and all, our weather going into the weekend, looks favorable for just about all outdoor activities. I’m about ready to head over to Kahului, after working all day at the Pacific Disaster Center. I’m going to see the new film called Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), the new project by Woody Allen. This, what’s being called a beguiling tragicomedy, charms with beautiful views of the Spanish city, and a marvelously well-matched cast. This cast includes: Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem and Chris Messina. The synopsis: two young Americans spend a summer in Spain and meet a flamboyant artist (Javier Bardem) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Penelope Cruz). Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a sexually adventurous free spirit. When they all become amorously entangled, the results are both hilarious and harrowing. How could this film be anything but good, with its adventurous theme…especially considering the lovely ladies, and Javier Bardem, who if you remember, was the very bad guy, the killer, who starred in the highly praised, Oscar winning No Country for Old Men. If this has your interest by now, here’s the trailer. I’ll be back early Saturday morning with my personal review of the film, embedded in the next new weather narrative from paradise. I hope you have a great Friday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Rapidly on Alaska’s Arctic is opening up a new navigable ocean in the extreme north, allowing oil tankers, fishing vessels and even cruise ships to venture into a realm once trolled mostly by indigenous hunters. The Coast Guard expects so much traffic that it opened two temporary stations on the nation’s northernmost waters, anticipating the day when an ocean the size of the contiguous United States could be ice-free for most of the summer. "We have to prepare for the world coming to the Arctic," said Rear Adm. Gene Brooks, commander of the Coast Guard’s Alaska district. Scientists say global warming has melted the polar sea ice each summer to half the size it was in the 1960s, opening vast stretches of water. Last year, it thawed to its lowest level on record. The rapid melting has raised speculation that Canada‘s Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans could one day become a regular shipping lane. And there is a huge potential for natural resources in a region that may contain as much as 25 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas.

Interesting2: An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea this week found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water — with one at least 60 miles from shore — raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival. Geoff York, the polar bear coordinator for WWF’s Arctic Programme, said that when polar bears swim so far from land, they could have difficulty making it safely to shore and are at risk of drowning, particularly if a storm arises.  “To find so many polar bears at sea at one time is extremely worrisome because it could be an indication that as the sea ice on which they live and hunt continues to melt, many more bears may be out there facing similar risk,” he said. “As climate change continues to dramatically disrupt the Arctic, polar bears and their cubs are being forced to swim longer distances to find food and habitat.” Scientists say the Arctic is changing more rapidly and acutely than anywhere on the planet, noting that 2007 witnessed the lowest sea ice coverage in recorded history.  Satellite images indicate that ice was absent in most of the region where the bears were found on August 16, 2008, and some experts predict this year’s sea ice loss could meet or exceed the record set last year.

Interesting3: The world’s growing food crisis — which triggered riots and demonstrations in over 30 developing nations early this year — is being aggravated primarily by wastage and overconsumption. "Obesity is a much bigger problem than undernourishment," said Professor Jan Lundqvist of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). He pointed out that there are 850 million people worldwide who suffer from hunger and starvation daily compared with over 1.2 billion people who are overweight and obese, which can lead to a vast range of health problems like diabetes and heart disease.  Speaking on the sidelines of the Stockholm International Water Conference, Lundqvist told reporters Thursday that "improving water productivity and reducing the quantity of food wasted can enable us to provide a better diet for the poor and enough food for growing populations."  

A study titled "Saving Water" released here argues that while the risk of under-nourishment is reduced with an increasing supply of food — provided access is ensured — the risk of over-eating and wastage is also likely to increase when food becomes more abundant in some societies.  In the United States, as much as 30 percent of food products, worth some 48.3 billion dollars, is thrown away annually just by households alone. "That’s like leaving the tap running and pouring 40 trillion litres of water into the garbage can — enough water to meet the household needs of 500 million people," says the report co-authored by SIWI, along with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Sri Lanka. The study also says that wasted food is wasted water because of the large quantum of water that goes into the cultivation and processing of food.

Interesting4:

Up to a quarter of fish in stores and restaurants in New York City was mislabeled as a more expensive variety, according to samples collected by two US teenagers and tested with genetic "bar-coding" methods. In the worst cases, two samples of filleted fish sold as red snapper, caught mostly off the southeast United States and in the Caribbean, were instead the endangered Acadian redfish from the North Atlantic, according to the tests, revealed on Friday. "We never expected these results. People should get what they pay for," said Kate Stoeckle, 18, of the project with Louisa Strauss, 17.  The two classmates from New York‘s Trinity school collected and sent off 60 fish samples to the University of Guelph in Canada. Of 56 samples that could be identified by the DNA bar-coding identification technique, 14 were mislabeled.

Interesting 5:

Essay on Wildfires: Wildfires in California are a threat not only to residents living in the wildland-urban interface, but also to firefighters. Some believe it is not worth the lives of firefighters to save these communities from catastrophic wildfires. In May 2007, "USA Today" quoted TomHarbour, national director of fire and aviation management for the Forest Service, saying, "We are not going to die for property. It’s time for homeowners to take responsibility for the protection of their homes." But many people think that letting a fire destroy so many homes—expensive or not—will hurt the welfare of Californians, and put a big damper on the economy. The question is: how do we save the people, the homes, and the firefighters?  

As an economist working with fire ecologists and fire managers, I walk a fine line between two logical worlds—a place where one plus one does not always equal two. Economists, as social theorists, believe that people behave rationally and can make wise decisions for themselves. Many fire managers disagree: If everyone behaved rationally, why would so many Californians choose to live in high fire risk areas? Why wouldn’t firefighters abandon a fire if their lives could be at stake?  I never doubt that people can make wise choices for themselves. We just need to get into their heads and figure out why their choices appeal to them. If we understood how people made choices, then perhaps it wouldn’t seem so bizarre that Californians would risk everything they own to live in fire-prone areas. Maybe we could even prevent the death of firefighters.