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

84  Lihue, Kauai
86  Honolulu, Oahu
87  Molokai
89  Kahului, Maui 
87  Kona, Hawaii
82  Hilo, Hawaii


Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops on Maui and the Big Island…as of 743pm Wednesday evening:

Kailua Kona- 83
Hilo, Hawaii – 74


Haleakala Summit –   52 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 41 (13,000+ 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 – if it’s working.

 


Aloha Paragraphs



http://brighthope4tomorrow.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/hawaii_172.jpg

Our trade winds will be moderately strong…with more normal
weather on tap soon

Small Craft Wind Advisory…windiest coasts and channels
around Maui County and the Big Island





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

18  Waimea Heights, Kauai – SE
27  Kahuku Trng, Oahu – SE
30  Molokai – E
28  Lanai – NE
36  Kahoolawe – E
30  Lipoa, Maui – SE
31  South Point, Big Island – NE


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

4.32  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.83  Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
0.01  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.08  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.45  Glenwood, 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 Narrative ~~~



Our local trade winds will be moderately strong…locally stronger near Maui County and the Big Island at times. Here’s a weather chart showing a near 1029 millibar high pressure center far to the northeast of our islands…with a ridge of high pressure extending southwest from its center. It will likely take until the weekend before we see more normal trade winds arriving. The winds will have just enough southeast in them, at least locally, that volcanic haze is being carried from the vents on the Big Islands…to the smaller islands up the chain.

There will be localized showers, although the threat of heavy showers will be easing over Kauai…by Thursday onwards. Satellite imagery shows low clouds over some parts of the island chain. At the same time, we see a large area of brighter white, towering cumulus and thunderstorms over the ocean to the west of Kauai. These thunderstorms are associated with a trough of low pressure, which is also sending high and middle level clouds over the state as well. Here’s the looping radar image, showing light to moderate, and even a few heavy showers moving by, mostly over the offshore waters however. The area of thunderstorms to our northwest and west, will be moving away, with gradually more normal weather conditions taking over again…during the rest of the week.


In sum: The low pressure area over the ocean to the northwest of Kauai will be migrating away by Thursday…taking with it the threat of heavy showers for Kauai. This unsettled weather pattern, that has provided both Kauai and Oahu with locally heavy showers, is near the end of its rope. As the low pressure system moves away, we’ll see a more normal, early autumn trade wind weather pattern returning. There doesn’t appear to be any interruptions to these trade winds into next week, other than a brief slow down perhaps Sunday into Monday…as a cold front glides by well to the north of our islands. ~~~ I’ll be back with your next new weather narrative early Thursday morning, I hope you have a great Wednesday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.


World-wide tropical cyclone activity:


Atlantic Ocean: Tropical depression 11L (Jerry) remains active in the central Atlantic. Here’s the NHC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

 

THE LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA IS NOW
CENTERED NEAR THE NORTHEASTERN TIP OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF
MEXICO.  WHILE THE CIRCULATION IS NOT YET WELL DEFINED...GALE-FORCE
WINDS ARE OCCURRING EAST OF THE CENTER OVER THE YUCATAN CHANNEL. 
THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME A TROPICAL STORM AT ANY
TIME TODAY AS IT MOVES NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD INTO THE SOUTHERN GULF
OF MEXICO.  THIS SYSTEM HAS A HIGH CHANCE...80 PERCENT...OF
BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS. AFTER
THAT...LESS CONDUCIVE UPPER-LEVEL WINDS COULD LIMIT DEVELOPMENT AS
THE SYSTEM APPROACHES THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO THIS WEEKEND.
THIS SYSTEM HAS A HIGH CHANCE...80 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL
CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS. INTERESTS IN THE NORTHEASTERN
YUCATAN PENINSULA...WESTERN CUBA...AND THE NORTHERN GULF COAST
SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM.  LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS
COULD AFFECT PORTIONS OF CUBA AND THE YUCATAN PENINSULA DURING THE
NEXT DAY OR TWO. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS
SCHEDULED TO INVESTIGATE THE LOW LATER THIS MORNING.


Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s a satellite image of the Caribbean Sea…and the Gulf of Mexico.

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones



 






SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH A BROAD AREA OF LOW
PRESSURE LOCATED ABOUT 500 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MANZANILLO MEXICO HAS
INCREASED A LITTLE BUT REMAINS DISORGANIZED. HOWEVER...SOME SLOW
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS
AS THIS DISTURBANCE MOVES WESTWARD AT AROUND 10 MPH.  THIS SYSTEM
HAS A LOW CHANCE...10 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE
DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND A LOW CHANCE...20 PERCENT...OF
BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS. 







Here’s a wide satellite image that covers the entire area between Mexico, out through the central Pacific…to the International Dateline.





Central Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones



Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)



Western Pacific Ocean:  Tropical storm 22W (Fitow) is active over the Philippine Sea. Here’s a JTWC graphical track map…along with a NOAA satellite image





South Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones


 


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



Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC


Interesting:  Investment Biking in Portland – Here in the U.S., Portland has been factoring bicycling into integrated urban, suburban, and even rural transportation, development and sustainability plans. In 2003, city leaders and transit authorities launched a public campaign to encourage residents to bike, walk and make greater use of public transportation. They also began building out biking infrastructure — dedicated bike paths, lanes, signage, etc. — and began funding public educational initiatives and research studies to better measure and understand biking’s overall scale, scope, costs and benefits, as well as how it fits into the overall transportation mix.



The results have been so encouraging that Portland’s City Council on September 18 voted unanimously in favor of investing $20.7 million in federal funding to make improvements to biking and pedestrian transportation. Longer term, the city’s Bicycle Plan for 2030 calls for 25 percent of city travel to be on bicycles by that year. That, it has been calculated, would entail 20 percent of Portlanders riding their bicycles 15 minutes each day.



In order to realize this goal, city leaders have proposed making another $100 million in biking investments through 2030. Considered among all the issues and challenges facing the city, can investing in biking at such scale genuinely be considered good use of scarce capital and other resources? Evidence indicates that’s very much the case.



Bicycling investments in Portland: The costs and benefits



Studies show that Portland’s investments in bicycling have yielded significant returns and benefits. In a 2010 case study entitled, Costs and Benefits of Bicycling Investments in Portland, Oregon, researcher and author Thomas Gotschi calculated that bike ridership in Portland grew five-fold, at a 9.6 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from 1991 through 2008. Gains of 22 percent and 14 percent were made from 2006-2007 and from 2007-2008, respectively. As of last year, it has been estimated that biking accounted for 7 percent of travel in the city.