Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday…along with the minimums Wednesday:
77 – 59 Lihue, Kauai
80 – 66 Honolulu, Oahu
78 – 65 Molokai AP
83 – 64 Kahului AP, Maui
86 – 66 Hilo AP, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands, as of Wednesday evening:
0.06 Kilohana, Kauai
0.64 Kahuku, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.13 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.13 Waiakea Uka, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Wednesday evening:
25 Port Allen, Kauai – NW
24 Kalaeloa, Oahu – NE
18 Molokai – NW
18 Lanai – NW
18 Kahaloowe – SW
18 Kaupo Gap, Maui – SE
27 Nene Cabin, Big Island – SW
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
A very large storm is spinning far north in the Gulf of Alaska…
while sending a cold front into the tropics
Our next cold front is approaching Kauai from the northwest…
and then on down to Oahu overnight into Thursday morning
Partly cloudy skies across the state…with clear areas too
Just a few showers – looping radar image
High Surf Warning…along north and west shores of Kauai, Oahu,
Molokai, and the Big Island…and the north shore of Maui
High Surf Advisory…along west shore of Maui
Small Craft Advisory…coasts and channels statewide
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Light breezes…with returning trade winds Thursday. Here’s the latest weather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. We find high pressure systems far east-northeast and far west-northwest of Hawaii. In addition, there’s a major storm low pressure system far to the north of Hawaii. This deep winter storm is pushing a weak cold front in our direction. Our winds will remain on the light side…until trade winds arrive, as a new high pressure system moves into range from the northwest. These trades will be rather short lived, likely fading away later this coming weekend. Looking further ahead, yet another cold front is slated to arrive next Monday or Tuesday, with a short period of chilly winter weather arriving in its wake.
Here’s a wind profile…of the offshore waters around the islands – with a closer view
Here’s the Hawaiian Islands Sulfate Aerosol…animated graphic – showing vog forecast
A few showers through Friday, then drier into the weekend…before a robust cold front brings showers early next week. The approaching cold front will slow down as it approaches Kauai tonight into Thursday, although may send a shower cloud band down as far as Oahu or so on Thursday. At the same time, the returning trade winds Thursday will carry remnant moisture from a previous cold front…up along the eastern islands. The combination of these two moisture sources will bring windward showers to the state into Saturday. The latest models continue showing a potentially stronger cold front arriving early next week – stay tuned.
Special Surf Statement: Another very large warning level northwest swell is expected to arrive tonight, peak on Thursday, then lower gradually Friday into Saturday. Wave heights are expected to be similar to the recent extra large northwest swell, and will again make for very dangerous conditions along our north and west facing shores. Please use extreme caution when going near our exposed beaches Thursday morning into early in the upcoming weekend! A new advisory level northwest swell will fill in Saturday night, peak on Sunday, then lower gradually Sunday night and Monday. Another large northwest swell will gradually fill in late Monday and Monday night with its expected peak next Tuesday.
Here in Maui County…It’s clear to partly cloudy early this Wednesday morning. Here in upcountry Kula we have an air temperature of 46.9F degrees well before sunrise. The temperature at near the same time was 65 degrees down in Kahului, 63 out in Hana, and 41 degrees up at the summit of the Haleakala Crater. Meanwhile, Kahoolawe was 68 degrees, 62 at Lanai City, with 61 at the Molokai airport.
– Afternoon here on Maui, under clear to partly cloudy skies, with generally light winds. / 415pm, at least here in upcountry Kula, it’s gotten very cloudy, although I can still see large patches of sunlight beaming down in the central valley.
– Early evening, with sunshine still beaming down in the central valley, while clouds and fog cover my area of upcountry Maui. There’s a cool breeze from the north blowing in the window of my Kula weather tower, and I actually have my down jacket on at 545pm. The air temperature was 62 degrees at my place, while at near the same time down in Kahului at the airport, it was a warmer 76 degrees, with 77 over in Kapalua, 68 with light rain in Hana, and 50 up at the summit of the Haleakala Crater. There have been a couple of sprinkles during the last half hour, although I expect clouds to clear quickly once the sunset occurs…or shortly thereafter. / 810pm, and the fog didn’t clear here at my place in Kula like I thought it would.
I’ll be back with many 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
World-wide tropical cyclone activity:
>>> Atlantic Ocean: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant. Here’s the 2015 hurricane season summary
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
>>> Caribbean Sea: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant.
>>> Gulf of Mexico: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant.
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: The last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2015 North Pacific hurricane season…has occurred. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on May 15, 2016. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant. Here’s the 2015 hurricane season summary
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: The central north Pacific hurricane season has officially ended. Routine issuance of the tropical weather outlook will resume on June 1, 2016. During the off-season, special tropical weather outlooks will be issued if conditions warrant. Here’s the 2015 hurricane season summary
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
>>> South Pacific Ocean:
Tropical Cyclone 14P (Yalo) remains active in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, located 334 NM west-southwest of Papeete, Tahiti, with sustained winds of 58 mph…with gusts to 75 mph. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, along with a satellite image of this system…and with what the computer models are showing
>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: What happened to the Red Delicious apple – If you’re like most people, when looking for apples among the plethora of offerings at your local supermarket, perhaps you choose the most visually appealing.
You may have noticed that in comparison with varieties that may be smaller, slightly mottled or have a brown spot or two, the Red Delicious easily wins the blue ribbon for best looking.
Your first bite, however, might remind you that apples are one more thing you can’t judge by first appearances. The gorgeous apple that for 70 years was everybody’s first choice for lunchboxes and teachers’ desks has literally fallen by the wayside.
While they look fantastic in a fruit basket, Red Delicious apples are usually the last ones to be eaten, if eaten at all. For quite a while, most kids didn’t even know what an apple was supposed to taste like.
“What happened?” you might ask.
It was America’s captivation with flawless perfection that drove ambitious horticulturists of the early 20th century to relentlessly, collectively and literally breed this popular apple variety out of existence. It’s a story with a lesson for us all.
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