Air Temperatures – The following high temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday…along with the low temperatures Friday:
77 – 62 Lihue, Kauai
80 – 64 Honolulu, Oahu
80 – 57 Kahului AP, Maui
81 – 64 Kona Int’l AP
79 – 61 Hilo AP, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Friday evening:
0.07 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.03 Maunawili, Oahu
0.02 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.05 Kula Branch Station, Maui
0.41 Saddle Quarry, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) as of Friday evening:
20 Makaha Ridge, Kauai
31 Kuaokala, Oahu
22 Molokai
21 Lanai
18 Kahoolawe
25 Kapalua, Maui
23 Kona AP, Big Island
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
A cold front continues to approach the islands
Deeper clouds north and northwest
Clouds increasing statewide
Showers increasing locally…some will be heavy – Looping radar image
High Wind Warning…Big Island Summits / 55-65 with 75 mph gusts
Wind Advisory…Haleakala Summit / 35-45 with 65 mph gusts
Flash Flood Watch…Oahu and Maui County
Flood Advisory…Kauai
Small Craft Advisory…all coastal and channel waters
High Surf Advisory…north and west shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai / north shore of Maui / west shore of the Big Island
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Gusty southwesterly kona winds are expected…along and ahead of the cold front. Relatively light winds will be short lived, as winds pick up out of the south and southwest…first across the western islands. These kona winds will increase in advance of the cold front, although winds will likely be lighter than the previous cold frontal passage. The Big Island summits will find very strong winds through Saturday night, with the High Wind Warning remaining in effect.
This strong cold front will move into the state from the northwest tonight into Saturday…then stalling over Maui County and the Big Island Saturday night into Sunday. The vast majority of shower activity associated with the front should hold to the west of the islands this evening. There will however be some scattered showers developing in the prefrontal kona wind flow….especially along the leeward sides of the islands. We should see a more pronounced increase in showers across Kauai and Oahu tonight into Saturday morning.
It looks like a wet Saturday morning for Oahu, with showers then increasing…particularly during the late morning into afternoon hours across Maui County. Showers will diminish in the wake of the front across Kauai, while the increase in showers will hold off until later Saturday on the Big Island. Saturday evening the showers will be on the decrease across Oahu, with the majority of the shower activity remaining over Maui County and the Big Island…where the front is expected to slow to a halt.
There’s a good chance for thunderstorms with this cold front. The current forecast calls for a chance of thunderstorms, with the most likely time frame expected to be tonight through Saturday evening…as the front moves from northwest to southeast down the island chain. In addition to the chance for thunder, water values will be climbing to around 2 inches along and ahead of the front, so that some locally heavy rainfall and flooding issues will be possible.
This front will slowly dissipate over the eastern islands Sunday…with moisture lingering into Monday. A brief easing of the kona winds is expected, with winds increasing again later Monday, as the next cold front approaches from the northwest. Kona winds are expected to increase…in advance of this next cold front. It’s arrival will occur over Kauai Tuesday, then slowly move the other islands Tuesday night and Wednesday, bringing showers. The front will dissipate over the central islands later in the week, with drier conditions returning.
Here’s a wind profile of the Pacific Ocean – Closer view of the islands / Here’s the vog forecast animation / Here’s the latest weather map
Marine environment details: Data from the northwest buoys show that a new west-northwest swell continues to slowly build, although is running a bit slower than model guidance. Surf along north and west facing shores should slowly build overnight, with surf heights expected to reach advisory levels. This swell will lower gradually Sunday and Monday. A larger west-northwest swell is expected to arrive later Monday and Monday night. This swell is expected to peak Tuesday, with surf heights likely reaching warning levels along most north and west facing shores. This swell will lower gradually Wednesday and Thursday.
A Small Craft Advisory is currently posted for waters exposed to the new west-northwest swell. Increasing southwest winds ahead of a cold front, will cause seas to become rather rough especially over the western coastal waters. Winds speeds are also expected to strengthen to near 25 knots over waters around Kauai and Oahu tonight and Saturday. The larger west-northwest swell arriving early next week will also cause seas to exceed high surf advisory threshold over exposed waters.
Unsettled weather…and larger surf along the north and west shores
World-wide tropical cyclone activity
>>> Atlantic Ocean: The 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
>>> Caribbean: The 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st
>>> Gulf of Mexico: The 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st
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 2017 hurricane season begins May 15th
Here’s the NOAA 2016 Hurricane Season Summary for the Eastern Pacific Basin
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 2017 hurricane season begins June 1st
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: No active tropical cyclones
Tropical Cyclone 04S (Carlos) is active in the South Indian Ocean, here’s the JTWC graphical track map, with a satellite image …and what the computer models are showing
>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: No active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: Litter Levels in the Depths of the Arctic are On the Rise – The Arctic has a serious litter problem: in just ten years, the concentration of marine litter at a deep-sea station in the Arctic Ocean has risen 20-fold. This was recently reported in a study by researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).
Plastic bags, glass shards and fishing nets: despite its location, far from any urban areas, the amount of litter in the depths of the Arctic Ocean continues to rise, posing a serious threat to its fragile ecosystem. Since 2002, AWI researchers have been documenting the amount of litter at two stations of the AWI’s “Hausgarten”, a deep-sea observatory network, which comprises 21 stations in the Fram Strait, between Greenland and Svalbard. The results of the long-term study have now been published in the scientific journal Deep-Sea Research I. “Our time series confirms that litter levels in the Arctic deep sea have risen rapidly in the past few years,” says first author and AWI biologist Mine Tekman.
The scientists involved in the study observed the ocean floor at a depth of 2,500 metres using the OFOS (Ocean Floor Observation System), a towed camera system. Since the start of their measurements, they have spotted 89 pieces of litter in a total of 7,058 photographs. To enable comparison with other studies, the researchers have extrapolated the litter density to a larger area. The result: an average of 3,485 pieces of litter per square kilometer in the monitoring period (2002 to 2014). Further, there has been a clearly recognizable increase in the past few years: when the team calculated a contamination level of 4,959 pieces of litter per square kilometer for 2011 in an earlier study, they hoped it was a statistical outlier. But the levels have continued to rise since, reaching a new peak of 6,333 pieces of litter per square kilometer in 2014.
The situation is particularly dramatic at the network’s northern station, called N3. “Here the amount of litter rose more than 20-fold between 2004 and 2014,” says Tekman. If we consider the findings for the northern research area in the marginal ice zone, the data for 2004 indicated 346 pieces of litter per square kilometer. Ten years later, the number had risen to 8,082. The level of contamination is similar to one of the highest litter densities ever reported from the deep seafloor, in Cap De Creus Canyon off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.
Among the litter they photographed, the researchers observed plastic and glass most frequently. As a rule, glass does not drift; it sinks straight down to the ocean floor. This indicates local sources and concurs with increasing ship traffic in the region due to the receding ice. Still, it is extremely difficult to draw any firm conclusions on the origin of the plastic litter, since it often covers a considerable distance before reaching the seafloor. In most cases, the scientists can’t determine the origin on the basis of photographs alone.
While it is clear that the Gulf Stream transports plastic litter into the Arctic with the Atlantic water masses, the authors also have a new theory as to why litter is accumulating in the Fram Strait: their results indicate a positive relationship between litter density and the summertime expansion of sea ice. “If we’re right, sea ice could entrain floating litter during ice formation. During warmer periods, the ice breaks up and is transported to the south into the Fram Strait with the Transpolar Drift, releasing entrained litter into the survey area when it melts,” says deep-sea biologist Dr Melanie Bergmann, a co-author of the study. “To date we’ve assumed just the opposite, since we viewed the ice as a barrier to litter contamination.”
The researchers are still faced with the puzzle of when and how plastic litter changes on its way to the deep sea. Over time they have observed more and more small bits of plastic, which are likely the result of larger pieces of litter fragmenting and could point to an increasing level of microplastic. This is surprising, since in the deep sea there is no UV light to break down the plastic, and the low temperatures are not conducive to disintegration. In the summer of 2016 the team rediscovered a piece of plastic, which they had first seen two years earlier. Bergmann: “Running into this same piece of plastic twice with hardly any changes to it is a vivid reminder that the depths of the Arctic are at risk of becoming a depot for plastic litter. The well-hidden accumulation of litter on the deep ocean floor could also explain why we still don’t know where 99% of the marine plastic litter ends up.”
woody adamz Says:
THAT SURF PICTURE IS WOW TIMES 20…..I surf 18-20…..inches that is.
…Hopin allz on the upswing with Mom, and that Glen is experiencing Positivity & Compassionate View. As I said prior,these things Build Character beyond what we envisioned. That was my experience when Care giving…Strange how some use one term and some use the other…(Caregiving/Caretaking BOTH meaning the same thing.. A “Head scracther” for sure…A soft,loving, kiss on top of head and hug to your Mom and, Big Alohas to you both.
~~~ Thanks Woody for your positive encouragement, I appreciate your writing these kind words.
Aloha, Glenn
woody adamz Says:
Hi Glen…I find the bee research quite interesting so, Muchas Gracia. About 2 years ago,I wrote Gov Ige regarding Vierro Mites that are wasting everyone’s hives. I know for a fact that Sassafras Extract diluted kills these critters but, Twice I got no response even with the many failures they’ve had…also, The”Agaepus(spelling?)”mosquito which carries a few other major maladies. My suggestion was to Distribute Mosquito eating fish to the whole populace on the Big Island and, THAT WOULD eliminate most of the problem…Trying to pierce the closed minded ignorance that inhabits gover-mental offices is astounding….aside from that “reality”…….I hope Mom is on the upswing. It was heartening to hear she’s even using the cane and not the walker…THAT Shows a Will power and Purpose that many could learn from. It’s almost a habit but, please give her a Big Hug from me and tell her how happy her progress makes my heart and…I’m SURE, yours also..May your nite be peaceful (Oops, just realized the time)…yikes..,I’m Outta Here….Peace & Contentment be with you both…..Ahhhhhhh….Lohas…..!
~~~ Hi Woody, another good sharing on your part, thanks for your interesting comments, and for your well wishes to my Mom and I!
Aloha, Glenn
woody adamz Says:
Alohas to you both….Hi Mom….. Justa note to send good energy and a brief prayer…pray you have a restful healing sleep tonite. You have to be a very special lady as So Many people are sincerely concerned and send Many, many “Get Better” prayers and thoughts..A BIG HUG over the miles to you….God Bless…Aloha Nui Loa is Pure Love Sent.
~~~ Woody, good to hear from you, I just gave my Mom your well wishes, thanks so much from me and her! We appreciate your prayers and pure love.
She is slowly getting better, walking many times a day around the house, using her cane…and sometimes not even that. We have a great physical therapist coming tomorrow, who will work with my Mom for the next 60 days…twice a week.
I’ve actually had the thought recently that I’ll be able to back to Maui at some point, not sure when though.
Take care my friend down on the Big Island!
Aloha, Glenn
Alex Inselberg Says:
Aloha Glenn,
I too have been indulging in your remarkable “Glenn’s Daily Weather Narrative” for quite a few years, both at home in Canada or while visiting Hawai’i. Thank you for doing what you are to keep the valuable information up-to-date, while at the same time tending to your mother’s hopeful recovery. I can tell you, as have others, when the time does arrive, life is never quite the same from that point forward.
How I wish I could ask that one more family-related question, that little detail I forgot to mention, or simply the phone call to say Aloha from Hawai’i.
On a different subject (the weather) I just finished editing/posting the following time-lapse covering a few moments on East Maui of the Kona winds associated with the recent (Jan. 6/17) cold front from the NW: https://youtu.be/vu3oNT6SWJo
. . . doing my best to get the weather facts right re. Kona winds!
Best wishes,
Alex
~~~ Hi Alex, great to hear from you, thank you for your kind words about family!
You are very welcome, I love keeping this website updated with the latest weather information for the islands.
I haven’t had a chance to view your video yet, although look forward to seeing it soon. I’m hurrying to get your comments posted, so everyone can view your Kona Winds video!
Thanks so much for all of your thoughtful words, and showing us the Kona winds too.
Aloha, Glenn
p.s. Alex, I just viewed your time lapse video…great stuff! Thanks for sharing with all of us.
Katrina Williams Says:
Hi Glenn,
I’m glad to hear your mom is improving. You’ll never regret the time you spend with her. My dad is 95 and declining rapidly, so I can sympathize with you. Hang in there. It’s worth it.
Also, thank you for maintaining this site. I’m a weather nut and enjoy the one-stop shopping for the full disc image, wind profiles, and worldwide cyclone info among other things. We’re getting a good soaking today in Central CA and looks like more to come. Liquid gold.
I’m missing Maui and hope to visit this year. In the meantime, I’ll just have to be content to visit the ocean webcams on your site. Hang it there and take care.
Katrina
~~~ Hello Katrina, very nice to hear you, especially with your warm and comforting thoughts.
I’m sorry to hear of your Father’s ill health, I’m becoming very familiar with these end of life experiences…or at least in that direction. I send you my best wishes to experience your Dad’s presence as long as possible.
As you know, I’m down here in Southern California, where we’re getting the tail-end of these numerous cold fronts. Central California continues to get more water than we are down here. As you say, liquid gold is a very welcome treasure!
I’m missing Maui as well, although am committed to being with my Mom until she is back on her feet more fully.
I’m so pleased that you are finding value in this website, and thank you for letting me know!
Best Aloha, Glenn