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

81 – 68  Lihue, Kauai
83 – 67  Honolulu, Oahu
86 – 62  Kahului AP, Maui
82 – 69  Kailua Kona AP
79 – 64  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

0.56  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.98  Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
 0.14  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
0.24  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.77  Saddle Quarry, Big Island

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

17  Poipu, Kauai
40  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
25  Molokai
16  Lanai
33  Kahoolawe
27  Kahului AP, Maui
24  South Point, Big Island

Here’s a wind profile of the Pacific Ocean – Closer view of the islands

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of our tallest mountain Mauna Kea (nearly 13,800 feet high) on the Big Island of Hawaii. This webcam is available during the daylight hours here in the islands, and at night whenever there’s a big moon shining down. Also, at night you will be able to see the stars — and the sunrise and sunset too — depending upon weather conditions.


Aloha Paragraphs

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A cold front northwest won’t reach our islands

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/vis.jpg
The frontal cloud band will stall and dissipate…with thunderstorms far south and southwest

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/hi/vis.jpg
Partly cloudy in general…with showers locally

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Showers locally  – Looping radar image


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

Gale Watch…Pailolo and Alenuihaha Channels, Big Island leeward and southeast waters – beginning Sunday morning


~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Trade winds remain active over the state…which will continue through the Christmas Holiday weekend and beyond. Here’s the latest weather map, showing a moderately strong high pressure system located to our north-northeast. At the same time, we have a storm low pressure system far offshore to the north-northwest of the state. As a result, the trade winds will be the primary weather influence well into the future, which are expected to become blustery later Saturday into next Tuesday. This especially windy episode will finally ease around the middle of next week, although the trade winds are expected to continue unabated through the remainder of 2016.

Our Hawaii weather will remain rather uneventful, except for the blustery winds on tap this weekend…which will hold firm through the middle of new week.  The outlook tonight through the Christmas Holiday weekend shows that this trade wind weather pattern will continue, along with a fairly normal amount of windward showers…continuing into the new week. This prolonged trade wind weather pattern will likely last through the end of the year, with a cold front possibly knocking the winds down a notch or two, with increased windward showers towards the New Years weekend.

Marine environment details: Trade winds will strengthen tonight and Saturday, as a cold front to the northwest weakens…and high pressure system to the northeast builds in. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect for coastal waters around Maui County and the Big Island, with a few zones around Oahu. Trade winds are expected to ramp-up further Sunday to Tuesday, and a Gale Watch has been issued for this time period for the typical windy zones around Maui and the Big Island…due to the wind acceleration around the islands. All other coastal waters will likely fall under a SCA during this time period. The winds combined with an easterly fetch will boost surf to advisory conditions along east facing shores Sunday, and continue through at least Tuesday.

A northwest swell will decline tonight into Saturday. A large northwest swell will then arrive late Saturday, then peak Sunday night, with surf potentially topping out at warning levels along north and west facing shores.

 

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Hawaii_Diamond_Head-680x330.jpg

Our weather will remain generally favorable…leading to a windy Christmas Day

 

World-wide tropical cyclone activity…with storms showing up when active


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>>> Atlantic Ocean: The 2016 hurricane season has ended

Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean

>>> Caribbean: The 2016 hurricane season has ended

>>> Gulf of Mexico: The 2016 hurricane season has ended

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 2016 hurricane season has ended

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 2016 hurricane season has ended

Here’s the NOAA 2016 Hurricane Season Summary for the Central Pacific Basin

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Typhoon 30W (Nock-ten) remains active over the Philippine Sea headed towards the Philippines and Manila. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, with a satellite image…and what the computer models are showing.

>>> South Pacific Ocean: No active tropical cyclones


>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea:

Tropical Cyclone 02S (Yvette) is dissipating in the South Indian Ocean. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map, with a satellite image – Final Warning

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


Interesting Researchers Found Local Experiences and Temperatures Drive Belief or Non-Belief in Climate Change – A new study finds local weather may play an important role in Americans’ belief in climate change. The study, published on Monday, found that Americans’ belief that the earth is warming is related to the frequency of weather-related events they experience, suggesting that local changes in their climate influence their acceptance of this worldwide phenomenon.

“One of the greatest challenges to communicating scientific findings about climate change is the cognitive disconnect between local and global events,” said Michael Mann, associate professor of geography at George Washington University and co-author of the paper. “It is easy to assume that what you experience at home must be happening elsewhere.”

The researchers found that Americans who experience more record highs than lows in temperature are more likely to believe the earth is warming. Conversely, Americans who live in areas that have experienced record low temperatures, such as southern portions of Ohio and the Mississippi River basins, are more skeptical that the earth is warming.

The study notes that part of this dichotomy may be because of the early terminology used to describe climate change that suggested the earth was simply warming – not changing in innumerable but measurable ways. This might have led residents living in areas that experienced an unusually cold winter to doubt that climate change is occurring.

“Who do Americans trust about climate change; scientists or themselves?” said Robert Kaufmann, professor in the department of geography and the Center for Energy & Environmental Studies at Boston University and lead author of the paper. “For many Americans, the answer seems to be themselves.”

The researchers also found that a recent period of lower-than-average temperatures offset the effect of a long warming period, further supporting their findings that people’s belief in climate change is local and experiential.

The scientists note the importance of differentiating between weather, the temperatures of a relatively short period of time such as a season, and climate, the average temperatures over a period of 25 or 30 years. Emphasizing the difference between weather and climate may help scientists more effectively communicate about climate change.

The paper, “The Spatial Heterogeneity of Climate Change: An Experiential Basis for Skepticism,” was published in Proceedings National Academy of Sciences.