Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday…along with the low temperatures Sunday:
82 – 70 Lihue, Kauai
86 – 75 Honolulu, Oahu
83 – 73 Molokai AP
87 – 70 Kahului AP, Maui
86 – 74 Kailua Kona
83 – 70 Hilo AP, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands…as of Sunday evening:
1.39 Kilohana, Kauai
0.38 Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.02 Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.10 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.70 Kawainui Stream, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph)…as of Sunday evening:
29 Port Allen, Kauai
35 Kuaokala, Oahu
29 Molokai
35 Lanai
35 Kahoolawe
33 Maalaea Bay, Maui
30 South Point, 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.
Aloha Paragraphs
High cirrus clouds to our west
High cirrus clouds associated with an upper level low pressure system to our northwest…with rather extensive areas of thunderstorms far to the south and southwest
Clear with scattered low clouds…increasing clouds along our windward sides
Showers will be increasing along the windward sides –Looping radar image
Small Craft Advisory…the windiest waters around Maui County and the Big Island
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Gusty trade winds remaining active through the next week. Here’s the latest weather map, showing a near 1033 millibar high pressure system, remaining in the area north of Hawaii. This high pressure system is forecast to maintain both its presence to our north, and its general strength for the time being. This will keep a steady flow of air moving across our area of the north central Pacific. Weather models suggest that during the second half of the upcoming week, these trade winds will increase a notch.
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
As usual, with the trade winds blowing…they’ll carry showers our way periodically. As the trade winds remain active…some showers may spread over into the leeward sides on the smaller islands. In sum, there will be periods of incoming showers, primarily focused along the windward sides…although not exclusively. The models are painting a wetter than normal week ahead, at least for the windward sides of the island chain. This will be a result of a trough of low pressure remaining in our general area well into the new week.
Marine environment details: A small craft advisory (SCA) for the typically windy waters around the Big Island and Maui County has been extended through Monday afternoon. Little change is expected in the overall pattern driving the winds for the next couple of days, with most guidance suggesting border line conditions in the areas currently under the SCA. This will produce rough seas across most waters, with seas slightly higher in the channels. A short-lived increase in trade winds and their associated seas is possible on Wednesday or Thursday.
A series of small to moderate southwest swells are due through Thursday, with surf expected to remain below advisory levels. During the past week, fast-moving storms in our swell window to the south and southeast of New Zealand were traveling rapidly eastward, sending the bulk of the swell energy to the east of Hawaii. Buoy 51004, the eastern-most buoy south of the islands, started registering some 20 to 21 second energy in the past couple of hours, so we can expect a slow increase in the swell tonight. Moderate south shore surf in the head high range will peak on Monday and Tuesday…and again with the next pulse of swell on Wednesday.
Here on Maui – Early Sunday morning is dawning mostly clear, with just a few windward clouds. Looking out the windows of my weather tower before sunrise, these low clouds are stretching from the windward sides over the West Maui Mountains. The air temperature was a cool 48F degrees at 530am. Meanwhile, at about the same time, the Kahului airport was reporting clear skies, with a temperature of 74 degrees, while Hana was at 70…with the summit of the Haleakala Crater registering 46 degree. / 1050am, and this Father’s Day is turning out to be yet another super sunny day!
– Mid-afternoon is still very sunny at the beaches, while clouds have formed over the slopes of the Haleakala Crater, and of course over the West Maui Mountains. Here in Kula, at my place, there are enough clouds overhead to help keep the temperature relatively comfortable…in the high 70’s.
– Early evening, the last day of spring was very sunny and very dry here on Maui. Looking at the satellite image above, I see an area of clouds being carried towards the windward sides…on the brisk trade winds. These clouds will bring showers Maui Counties windward sides this evening through the night, at least off and on. I expect the leeward sides will be mostly dry in contrast, although a few showers might be able to slip over or around the mountains.
Friday Evening Film, as it turns out I’ve seen most of the films that I’ve been wanting to see at our local theaters. However, there was one that I’ve kind of been wanting to see, although not terribly. It’s called X-man: Apocalypse, starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, and Olivia Munn...among many others. The synopsis: following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-Men: Apocalypse. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it, and recruits a team of powerful mutants to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, they try and save mankind from complete destruction.
This is one of those films that’s pure action, no if’s, and’s or but’s about it! My movie viewing friend Jeff was rather reluctant about this film. As it turned out, I now understand how he was a little unenthusiastic in his appraisal. According to him, it was too long, and as a result, he gave it a rather luke warm B- grade. I was a bit more taken by all the action…that just kept coming for two and a half hours. One critic wrote: “The property is running on bald tires, and, for all its ear-splitting racket and lavish effects, Apocalypse is the barest of retreads.” This film was too long, I agree with Jeff, and a bit dull in certain places, although in my book, it deserved a soft B+ grade…just a little better than a straight B. Perhaps you might be wondering, why did they even see this film? Well, that’s a fair question, and for those of you who are still reading all the way down here, here’s the trailer in case you want to take a quick peek.
World-wide tropical cyclone activity
>>> Atlantic Ocean: No active tropical cyclones
Here’s the 5-day Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
>>> Caribbean Sea: No active tropical cyclones
>>> Gulf of Mexico: Tropical Storm 04L (Danielle) remains active in the southern Gulf of Mexico, located about 75 miles east-southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico. Here’s the NHC graphical track map, a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing.
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: No active tropical cyclones
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: No active tropical cyclones
No tropical cyclones expected through the next two days…
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
>>> South Pacific Ocean: No active tropical cyclones
>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: No active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting:First Mammal Goes Extinct From Manmade Climate Change – We’ve reached a sad milestone: Climate change has claimed its first mammal species. Scientists have been warning us that a large percentage of species will face extinction thanks to manmade global warming, and the future is unfortunately here.
According to The Guardian, climate change’s first mammal victim was an adorable rodent known as the Bramble Cay melomys. Sometimes called a mosaic-tailed rat, the melomys was named after Bramble Cay, an Australian island close to Papua New Guinea, that was the only known home for the species.
The primary reason for the melomys demise is no secret: the rising level of the ocean, a devastating consequence of climate change. Bramble Cay island has flooded on multiple occasions when the sea was particularly high, thereby washing away the rodents’ homes and drowning many of them in the process.
Over the past 20 years, high tide has put more and more of the island underwater. The coastal vegetation that the melomys called home has decreased by 97 percent in the last decade alone.
When we discuss the consequences of a rising sea level (which is already not as often as we probably should), we tend to focus on the human inhabitants who will need to be displaced from their tiny island nations. We pay less attention to the animal species that are vulnerable from the rapidly shifting sea levels, some of which can be found in no other parts of the world.
Scientists last recorded seeing the melomys back in 2009. In 2014, they couldn’t locate a single one, so they conducted an exhaustive search to check on the animal’s status. As the search has turned up fruitless after two years, scientists now think it’s fair to say that the rodent species is extinct.
Extinction seemed farfetched when Europeans first wrote about the “large rats” they encountered in 1845. At the time, they were allegedly everywhere on the island. An informal census on the creature in 1978 found several hundred melomys still in existence.
Although scientists will no longer “recommend” actions for people to take in order to protect the melomys, there are still plenty of reasons to try to safeguard Bramble Cay from further effects of climate change. The island is a place where various types of seabirds breed and, perhaps most importantly, the top spot where green turtles go to mate.
In other words, this destruction of this one small island would leave multiple species in jeopardy. The melomys were just the tip of the (melting) iceberg.
While the melomys will probably get the distinction of being the first to vanish because of climate change, another mammal suffered a similar fate. The Little Swan Island hutia also went extinct following extreme hurricanes. However, an invasion of cats sped along that process, so it wouldn’t be fair to chalk that all up to angry climate conditions.
With humans doing little to address climate change, it’s highly unlikely that the melomys will be the only victim of climate change. With many other beloved creatures receiving pessimistic prognoses from scientists, it’s time to speak up and demand action before it’s too late.
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