September 24-25, 2010


Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday afternoon:

Lihue airport, Kauai –  77
Honolulu airport, Oahu –  88
Kaneohe MCAS, Oahu –  83
Molokai airport – 84
Kahului airport, Maui – 83
Ke-ahole airport (Kona) –   85
Hilo airport, Hawaii –   85

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Friday evening:

Port Allen, Kauai – 86
Molokai airport – 79 

Haleakala Crater –    54 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 43 (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Friday afternoon: 

0.34 Lihue airport, Kauai  
0.11 Manoa Valley, Oahu
0.00 Molokai 
0.00 Lanai
0.05 Kahoolawe
0.57 Puu Kukui, Maui
0.04 Honaunau, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing high pressure systems far to the northeast and northwest of our islands. Our local trade winds will remain light or a little stronger Saturday…lighter on Sunday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with this Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a Looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest weather information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here. Of course, as we know, our hurricane season won’t end until November 31st here in the central Pacific.

 Aloha Paragraphs

http://media.picfor.me/001BE6A/Waimea-Canyon-Kauai-Hawaii-nature-landscape-Hawaii-%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B6-colors-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0-Waimea-Canyon-Kauai_large.jpg
Waimea Canyon…Kauai
 
    

The computer models continue to suggest that as we move through this weekend, that our trade winds will be easing up quite a bit…which already started happening during the day Friday.  Rather than having the trade winds completely disappear as we move into the new work week ahead, we may find light to very light easterly winds continuing. During the days however, especially along the leeward sides, we’ll find light sea breezes. We could consider this to be a hybrid pattern, shared both by light trades…and soft daytime breezes. This will last through mid-week, at which point the models are pointing to a weak frontal cloud band pushing into the Aloha state. This would prompt a return to moderately strong trade winds by Thursday into Friday…on into next weekend likely.

This modified convective/trade wind weather pattern will have influences from both. We see daytime sea breezes, along with rather muggy conditions at sea level locations during the days. Typically under this type of weather regime, we find clear mornings, with slightly cooler than normal temperatures even at sea level. As the rising sun heats the islands, clouds form over and around the mountains…leading to some form of localized upcountry shower activity. Meanwhile, if the light trade winds are blowing at the same time, especially over the open ocean offshore of the islands, we could see a few windward biased showers falling generally during the nights too.  If either the trades become stronger, or weaker than now projected, we’d see some corresponding changes in our local conditions.

Meanwhile, glancing south and southwest of the islands, using this satellite picture, we see a small area of disturbed weather to our southwest. This satellite image shows this area circled in yellow, having a low 10% chance of spinning up into a tropical depression as of Friday night. Here’s what the computer models are showing of this area. None of the models are showing this area moving up into our island chain, so that it doesn’t appear to be a problem for us. However, anytime we find tropical disturbances this close to our southwest, we need to keep an eye out for unexpected changes in direction. Otherwise, there’s no threat of tropical cyclones here in the north central Pacific Ocean.

It’s Friday evening as I begin writing this last section of today’s narrative update. As pointed out above, our trade winds will take on a lighter form this weekend. They will continue to come down in strength as we push into the new week as well. Anytime the trade winds ease up, especially so close to summer, we can begin to feel rather muggy during the days near sea level. There’s always that localized prospect for heavy afternoon interior showers. Looking further ahead, and if the computer models have a good reading on this matter, we might find another old cold front edge into the state around next Wednesday or Thursday. This won’t be like the ones that will arrive later in autumn, although its a sure sign that we’re moving slowly away from summer, towards winter.

~~~ Since its Friday evening, and yes, as is my habit, I’ll be taking in a new film this evening. This time I’ll see the new one called The Town (2010) starring Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall…among many others. The critics are giving this film high grades, and I’m looking forward to sinking down into my theatre seat for the viewing. The synopsis: a professional thief’s love affair with a bank manager takes them down a dangerous and deadly path. This is a drama, and lasts 2 hours, which is fine with me. I’ll be sure to give you a review early Saturday morning, when I’ll be be back with your next new weather narrative. Here’s a trailer for this film, just in case you’re interested. Talk to you again soon, Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting:  A radical new heating system where homes would be heated by district centers rather than in individual households could dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions. In a series of reports to be presented at a major conference this week, scientists at The University of Manchester claim using sustainable wood and other bio-fuels could hold the key to lowering harmful greenhouse gases.

Building district heating schemes which would provide heat and hot water for a neighborhood or community would not only drastically reduce greenhouse gases but would also be highly cost effective, the authors claim. Focus groups to test the UK public’s eagerness for such schemes have already been held and have resulted in the majority of people being in favor of the localized centers.

The plans would only provide cost savings if the heat demand is very steady. Otherwise large scale dedicated electricity plants become the most cost effective way to save greenhouse gases with biomass, with costs per unit of carbon saved around half that of a smaller facility. The reports state that using wood in UK power stations gave greenhouse gas reductions of over 84% and even higher savings of 94% were possible for heating schemes.

Prepared by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to highlight the effectiveness of using sustainable fuels rather than rely on fossil fuels, the series of reports will be presented this week at the UK’s first bio conference — BioTen — which begins in Birmingham on September 21st. Author Dr Patricia Thornley suggests using a number of supply chains, including imported forest residues and local grown energy crops, would reduce emissions and save on fossil fuels.

The key is that biomass must be grown sustainably, taking into account potential for damage to the environment or undesirable socio-economic impacts. Previous work by University of Manchester researchers took this into account in concluding that sustainable biomass could supply at least 4.9% of the UK’s total energy demand. Realizing that potential could result in savings of 18 Mt of carbon dioxide every year, which is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with around 2.7 million households.

Dr Patricia Thornley, from the School of Mechanical Aerospace and Civil Engineering at The University of Manchester, said: "Bio-energy could play a very important part in helping the UK meet greenhouse gas reduction targets that will help to reduce the impact of climate change. "Heating homes with wood reduces greenhouse gas emissions because plants and trees absorb carbon dioxide when they are growing and then re-release it when they are burnt for heating — so the only increase in greenhouse gas emissions are those involved in things like harvesting and processing the fuel.

"This work has taken a detailed look at all those emissions and established that even when we take them into account, there are still huge greenhouse gas savings to be made. "If we can combine the low-carbon wood with really efficient heating systems that offers an efficient and cost-effective route to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions. "The challenge for the industry now is to concentrate on developing new efficient and cost-effective technologies for bio-fuel production and to concentrate on getting the heating technologies deployed in the right environment."

Interesting2: Florida’s orange groves are still shrinking as the state battles the tree-killing citrus greening disease and farmers sell their land, the annual Department of Agriculture census showed. The number of commercial orange trees and total acreage devoted to orange groves have steadily shrunk over the last five years in Florida, which accounts for two-thirds of U.S. citrus fruit production.

The state has 63.78 million commercial orange trees, down about 1.9 percent from 2009, the USDA said. About 93 percent of those are fruit-bearing trees, unchanged from recent years, while the rest are newer plantings. Orange trees typically start bearing fruit three or four years after being planted. Florida has 483,418 acres planted with commercial orange trees, down more than 1.8 percent from a year ago, the USDA said.

The report gave no reason for the decline. But Florida’s $9 billion citrus fruit industry is battling citrus greening, an insect-borne bacterial disease that kills trees and has spread widely since it first appeared in the state in 2005. Despite the collapse of the real estate market, some farmers are still selling off their land for a variety of reasons, said Andrew Meadows, a spokesman for the growers and processors group Florida Citrus Mutual.

Interesting3: NOAA’s Fisheries Service announced today that recreational red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico will reopen for an added season to allow fishermen to catch the quota they did not reach because a portion of the Gulf was closed due to the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill. Recreational fishing will be allowed on Fridays through Sundays for eight weeks, from October 1 through November 21. The red snapper is a fish found in the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States.

The red snapper commonly inhabits waters from 30 to 200 feet, but can be caught as deep as 300 feet or more on occasion. They stay relatively close to the bottom, and inhabit rocky bottom, ledges, ridges, and artificial reefs, including offshore oil rigs and shipwrecks. Coloration of the red snapper is light red, with more intense pigment on the back. Juvenile fish can also have a dark spot on their side which fades with age.

A large portion of the recreational red snapper catch comes from federal waters off Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle. When much of this area was closed for the initial June 1 through July 23 recreational red snapper season due to the oil spill, fishermen caught only one third of their 3.4 million pound quota from areas outside the closure.

"We worked closely with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, fishermen, and the charter and sport fishing industries on this reopening to provide recreational fishermen an opportunity to harvest their full quota this year," said Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. "This new season will be a boost to recreational fishing and tourism following this unprecedented oil spill event."

The fishery management council asked NOAA’s Fisheries Service to reopen the recreational red snapper season for the Friday through Sunday schedule after listening to extensive public testimony from fishermen. The Friday through Sunday schedule will allow recreational red snapper fishing to occur later in the year, increasing the opportunity for fishermen to participate.

Since July 22, NOAA has reopened more than 52,000 square miles of Gulf federal waters previously closed due to the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill. Among the next reopening priorities are federal waters located off eastern Louisiana, just west of the Mississippi River delta, which encompass popular recreational red snapper fishing grounds.