Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / July 8-9, 2015

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

87 – 74  Lihue, Kauai
91 – 77  Honolulu, Oahu – tied all time high temperature Wednesday…set back in 1990
85 – 72  Molokai
88 – 75  Kahului, Maui
88 – 77  Kailua Kona
86 – 72  Hilo, Hawaii

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

1.24  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
1.64  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.40  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.03  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.54  Hana AP, Maui
0.71  Saddle Quarry, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Wednesday evening:

24  Poipu, Kauai – NE
30  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
28  Molokai – NE
31  Lanai – NE
29  Kahoolawe – NE
36  Maalaea Bay, Maui – NE
38  Kealakomo, Big Island – NE

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.

Aloha Paragraphs

Tropical Storm 4E (Ela) will drop back down to a tropical depression
soon, probably by this evening…not threatening Hawaii
more information below

 

 

This satellite image shows low clouds out ahead of TS Ela
to the east, with the low level circulation center further to
the east – in addition to the two tropical disturbances to
the south and southwest

Clear to partly cloudy conditions over the state, locally
cloudy…showery clouds approaching from the east
Looping version

Showers over the nearby ocean…and reaching the
islands locally – looping radar image

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

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

Our trade winds prevail, gaining a little more strength Thursday…before faltering Friday into the weekend. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean, along with a real-time wind profiler of the central Pacific. We find moderately strong high pressure systems to the north of the state. At the same time, there’s the tail-end of a cold front pushing down between these two high pressure cells. Meanwhile, there are numerous low pressure cells/troughs along the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) south of Hawaii…moving more or less westward. Our trade winds will remain well established for the time being. The forecast continues to show tropical cyclone 4E moving by to the northeast and north of the islands this weekend…which will interrupt our local trade wind flow in the process. Looking ahead, the trade winds will return Monday into Tuesday onwards, helping to sweep away the very muggy conditions from our islands then.

As the trade winds continue to blow…there will be the usual off and on windward showers. It continues to look like Friday into the weekend will have our island weather conditions turning very muggy, with some showers around locally. This won’t be business as usual, as a tropical cyclone moves by slowly offshore, parallel to our north and eastern shores. It still looks like the bulk of the associated rainfall will remain offshore, although that doesn’t mean it won’t be wet at times locally. There’s even the outside chance of some thunder and lightning…especially during the afternoon hours. It’s not out of the question to have some localized flash flooding, as this high moisture area moves through the island chain. In addition, there may be more showers arriving later Sunday into next Monday, in the wake of the systems passage. I’ll be back with more updates on all of the above and below, I hope you have a great Wednesday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Tropical storm 4E (Ela) remains active in our central Pacific…located about 585 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii. Here’s what the official CPHC graphical track map shows for its path in our direction. Here’s a satellite image, along the looping version. Here’s what the hurricane models are showing for this weak tropical cyclone. In addition, and according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC), there are also two other tropical disturbances active in our general area as well. The first of these disturbances has showers and thunderstorms about 625 miles south of Hilo, on the Big Island…while the other area is located about 950 miles southwest of Honolulu. Here’s a satellite image showing these two areas, one marked with a yellow X, the other with an orange X. By the way, I’m not worrying about either of these two tropical systems…as far as becoming a threat to the islands. Here’s a real time wind profiler, showing these two vortex’s, plus Tropical Storm 4E (Ela)…the furthest eastern swirl.

Here on Maui…it’s 540am Wednesday morning, with mostly clear skies, along with some low clouds banked-up against the windward sides. The air temperature here in Kula, at my upcountry weather tower was 57.2 degrees, while it was 77 down at the Kahului airport, 75 out in Hana…and 46 up at the summit of the Haleakala Crater at near the same time.

– We’ve pushed into the early afternoon now, at around 1230pm, under mostly cloudy skies here in Kula, with lots of clouds along the windward sides…and sunnier conditions along the leeward beaches. / It’s now going on 230pm, and we just had our second light little shower of the afternoon, and it looks like more are in the works.

– It’s now going on 6pm on this early Wednesday evening, under partly cloudy skies in general. It’s 77 degrees here at my place in Kula, while at near the same time, it was 85 down at the Kahului AP, 84 over in Kapalua, and 59 atop the Haleakala Crater Summit. It’s pretty much a very common early summer evening, and has been a pretty typical summer day.

World-wide tropical cyclone activity:

>>> Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

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

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days over the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea or Atlantic Ocean

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

>>> Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

1.)   Disorganized showers and thunderstorms centered about 1100 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California Sur are associated with a tropical wave and a broad low pressure area. Gradual development is anticipated through the weekend, and this system will likely become a tropical depression by early next week while it moves west-northwestward or northwestward.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…20 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…70 percent

2.)   Disorganized showers and thunderstorms located south of Guatemala and southeastern Mexico are associated with a tropical wave. Conditions are expected to be conducive for gradual development over the next several days, and this system will likely become a tropical depression by early next week while it moves west- northwestward.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…70 percent

Here’s a satellite image showing both of these areas in 5-days

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

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

>>> Central Pacific:

Tropical Storm 4E (Ela) remains active, although is of no threat to the Hawaiian Islands. Here’s the CPHC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this weak tropical cyclone.

1.)  Scattered thunderstorms persist around a surface low located about 625 miles south of Hilo, Hawaii. Anticipating unfavorable environmental conditions for significant development of this system during the next two days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours, low…20 percent

2.)  Thunderstorms have recently increased around an area of low pressure located about 950 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. These thunderstorms are located mainly west of the center. Environmental conditions are expected to remain conducive for further development as it moves slowly toward the west northwest over the next couple of days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours, medium…60 percent

Elsewhere, there are no tropical cyclones are expected through the next two days

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Typhoon 09W (Chan-hom) remains active in the northwest Pacific. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image. Here’s what the computer models are showing.

Tropical Storm 10W (Linfa) remains active as it makes landfall in China. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image. Here’s what the computer model are showing.

Super Typhoon 11W (Nangka) remains active in the northwest Pacific. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image. Here’s what the computer model is showing.

>>> 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: What we can learn from the Seahorse – One of the ocean’s oddest little creatures, the seahorse, is providing inspiration for robotics researchers as they learn from nature how to build robots that have capabilities sometimes at odds with one another – flexible, but also tough and strong.

Their findings, published July 7th in the journal Science, outline the virtues of the seahorse’s unusual skeletal structure, including a tail in which a vertebral column is surrounded by square bony plates. These systems may soon help create technology that offers new approaches to surgery, search and rescue missions or industrial applications.

Although technically a fish, the seahorse has a tail that through millions of years of evolution has largely lost the ability to assist the animal in swimming. Instead, it provides a strong, energy-efficient grasping mechanism to cling to things such as seaweed or coral reefs, waiting for food to float by that it can suck into its mouth.

At the same time, the square structure of its tail provides flexibility; it can bend and twist, and naturally returns to its former shape better than animals with cylindrical tails. This helps the seahorse hide, easily bide its time while food floats to it, and it provides excellent crushing resistance – making the animal difficult for predators to eat.

“Human engineers tend to build things that are stiff so they can be controlled easily,” said Ross Hatton, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering at Oregon State University, and a co-author on the study. “But nature makes things just strong enough not to break, and then flexible enough to do a wide range of tasks. That’s why we can learn a lot from animals that will inspire the next generations of robotics.”

Hatton said biological systems can combine both control and flexibility, and researchers gravitated to the seahorse simply because it was so unusual. They theorized that the square structure of its tail, so rare in nature, must serve a purpose.

“We found that this square architecture provides adequate dexterity and a tough resistance to predators, but also that it tends to snap naturally back into place once it’s been twisted and deformed,” Hatton said. “This could be very useful for robotics applications that need to be strong, but also energy-efficient and able to bend and twist in tight spaces.”

Such applications, he said, might include laparoscopic surgery, in which a robotic device could offer enhanced control and flexibility as it enters a body, moves around organs and bones, and then has the strength to accomplish a surgical task. It could find uses in industrial system, search and rescue robots, or anything that needs to be both resilient and flexible.

The researchers were able to study the comparative merits of cylindrical and square structures by using computer models and three-dimensional printed prototypes. They found that when a seahorse tail is crushed, the bony plates tend to slide past one another, act as an energy absorbing mechanism, and resist fracture of the vertebral column. They can then snap back to their normal position with little use of energy.

The square system also proved to be stiffer, stronger and more resilient than circular ones.

“Understanding the role of mechanics in these biologically inspired designs may help engineers to develop seahorse-inspired technologies for a wide variety of applications in robotics, defense systems or biomedicine,” the researchers wrote in their conclusion.

Collaborators on this study included corresponding author Michael Porter from Clemson University; Ghent University in Belgium; and the University of California at San Diego. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology.