Hawaiian Islands Weather details & Aloha paragraphs / December 26-27, 2012

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

Lihue, Kauai –                         78  
Honolulu airport, Oahu –       82  
Molokai airport –                   82
Kahului airport, Maui –             81 
Kona airport     –                   82  
Hilo airport, Hawaii –               78

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops around the state…as of 810pm Wednesday evening:

Kaneohe, Oahu – 75
Kahului, Maui – 72

Haleakala Summit –   43       (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 36      (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.

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.  The 2012 hurricane season is over in the eastern and central Pacific…resuming on May 15th and June 1st 2013.

Aloha Paragraphs

Sunny to partly cloudy days, with just a few windward
showers around locally…dry leeward beaches

Trade winds quite gusty at times…becoming
lighter from southeast Friday into the weekend

Small craft wind advisory around Maui County
and the Big Island…until 6pm Thursday evening

Full December moon coming up…early Friday morning
 

The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Wednesday evening:

18       Port Allen, Kauai – SE
30       Kahuku Trng, Oahu – ESE
30       Molokai – ENE    
40       Kahoolawe –ESE
30       Kahului, Maui – NE
M        Lanai – NE
35       Puu Mali, Big Island – ESE

Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Wednesday evening:
 
0.80          Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.10          Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00          Molokai
0.00          Kahoolawe
0.00          Maui
0.51          Kainaliu Ranch, Big Island  

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean.  Here's the latest NOAA satellite picture – the latest looping satellite image…and finally the latest looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands.

                   ~~~ Hawaii Weather Commentary ~~~ 

Our winds will remain active from the trade wind direction Thursday. Here's a weather chart showing high pressure centers to our northeast, and northwest. At the same time, we find a weak low pressure system over the ocean to our west. Our local winds will blow generally from the east to northeast through Thursday. They will remain quite strong at times, gusting up into the 30-40 mph range in those windiest spots.  Winds will become lighter Friday, shifting to the southeast and perhaps even south locally this weekend, ahead of an approaching cold front. I'd expect to see the return of volcanic haze (vog) as our southeast to southerly breezes begin blowing.

Generally fine weather, with just a few showers…will prevail for the time being.  Here's a satellite image, showing fairly clear skies in most areas of the state, with some higher and brighter clouds located to our northwest. Glancing at this looping feature, we may see some of these clouds riding over the state on the upper winds at times.  As the winds become lighter Friday into the weekend, there will be afternoon clouds over and around the mountains, with a few showers here and there. As for that weak cold front, it may bring a few generally windward biased showers later Monday into early Tuesday. Strong trade winds will fill in behind the frontal passage New Years Day. I'll be back early Thursday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Wednesday night wherever you're spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn. 

World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean Sea:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones

Eastern Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

Central Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Western Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

South Pacific Ocean:  An area of disturbed weather is now active in the southwest Pacific…located approximately 225 NM east of Honiara, in the Soloman Islands. Here's a Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) map of the area…along with a satellite image. It has a high chance of developing into a significant tropical cyclone during the next 24 hours.

North and South Indian Oceans:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Interesting:   Safeway Inc. is the first major grocery retailer in the U.S. to require all of its cage-free eggs to become Certified Humane. In 2008, Safeway started an initiative with its suppliers to source all Lucerne Cage-Free and O Organics shell eggs from farms that are Certified Humane. The Certified Humane label is administered by Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC).

Two years later, the grocery retailer announced a new goal of increasing cage-free egg sales from six to 12 percent within two years. Currently, over 15 percent of overall eggs sales are cage-free. This year, Safeway added the Open Nature line to the Certified Humane program.

Safeway is a Fortune 100 company that operates 1,644 stores in the U.S. and western Canada and had annual sales of $43.6 billion in 2011. The Certified Humane label is described by HFAC as a "certification and labeling program that is the only animal welfare label requiring the humane treatment of farm animals from birth through slaughter."

In order to qualify for the Certified Humane label, an egg farm has to meet certain standards:

– Cages are not allowed, and housing facilities must include areas for hens to nest, dust bath, scratch and perch

– The animals must have enough space, shelter and gentle handling to limit stress

– The animals must have access to ample fresh water and a healthy diet of quality feed with no animal by-products

"Safeway's commitment has been unique and impressive," said Adele Douglass, Founder and CEO of HFAC. Douglass pointed out that in order for Safeway to become certified, its suppliers had to make "necessary changes." Safeway's certification has had a "major impact on improving the humane treatment of laying hens in the U.S." Douglass added, "Safeway's leadership is unparalleled within the retail food industry."

Safeway’s goal is to have a gestation crate free pork supply chain In May, Safeway announced it will start creating plans to have a pork supply chain free of gestation crates. Pregnant pigs are housed in gestation crates which are so small they can’t turn around in them.

During the last couple of years, Safeway has increased the amount of pork it buys from producers with commitments to decreasing gestation crates in their breeding facilities.