Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs / April 7-8, 2011

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

Lihue, Kauai –                    78
Honolulu airport, Oahu –      80
Kaneohe, Oahu –                79
Molokai airport –                 81
Kahului airport, Maui –         85
Kona airport –                     78
Hilo airport, Hawaii –           75

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

Kahului, Maui – 79F
Hilo, Hawaii – 72

Haleakala Crater –     41 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 28 (over 13,500 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals Thursday evening:

1.69    Mount Waialeale, Kauai
3.29    South Fork Kaukonahua, Oahu
0.06    Molokai
0.35    Lanai 
0.05    Kahoolawe
1.82    Kaupo Gap, Maui
0.78    Kealakomo, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a large and strong 1041 millibar high pressure system to the north-northeast of Hawaii. Our winds will blow from the southeast generally over the open ocean…with daytime onshore sea breezes in closer to the islands through Friday. There could be localized stronger winds in the vicinity of thunderstorms. Our local winds will gradually become more east to southeast going forward.

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 web cam on the summit of near 13,500 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 web cams 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 ended November 30th here in the central Pacific…and begins again June 1st.

 Aloha Paragraphs

Variable clouds with localized showers, some of
which will be heavy, with isolated thunderstorms
  Flash flood watch through Friday morning…all islands
 
 

 

Generally light to moderate east to southeast breezes will remain in place through Saturday, before the trade winds return later this weekend for a few days…then back to southeast by next Wednesday.  According to this weather map, we find a very large and strong 1041 millibar high pressure system positioned to the north-northeast of the islands Thursday night. Meanwhile, we have a weak trough of low pressure to our west…moving away. Looking at the isobaric lines around our islands, we find that our winds will remain southeast for the moment, which may be quite gusty over the open ocean, although remain on the lighter side closer to shore around those wind blocked smaller islands.

At the same time we have a small craft wind advisory around Kauai and Oahu, which has been recently extended down to include Maui…due to the rough seas in those Hawaiian waters. This is addition to a high surf advisory for the east facing shores on those same islands. The latest model output suggests that we could see a brief period of returning trade winds beginning this weekend, lasting through Monday and perhaps into Tuesday. Then, if the models have it right, another approaching trough of low pressure will swing our winds back to the southeast later Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Light to moderately strong breezes, locally stronger at times will prevail through much of the rest of this week…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts, along with directions late Thursday evening:

20 mph       Port Allen, Kauai – SE
29              Waianae, Oahu – ENE
10              Molokai – NE 
37                Kahoolawe – E
32              Lipoa, Maui – SE
00              Lanai Airport 
29              South Point, Big Island – NNE 

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Thursday night.  This large University of Washington satellite image shows an extensive amount of high level moisture surrounding the Hawaiian Islands…especially to the south.  Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see lots of multi-layered clouds out over the ocean and over the islands too.  We can use this looping satellite image to see the counterclockwise circulation of an upper low pressure system channeling moisture into our area from the south. At the same time, there are a few thunderstorms over the surrounding waters…especially to the southeast and east of the Big Island and Maui County. Checking out this looping radar image shows moderately heavy showers surrounding all the islands, which are hitting and missing us in their travels on the southeast wind flow.

In conclusion: As noted in the paragraphs above, the atmosphere over the Hawaiian Islands remains moist and unstable Thursday night. All the various necessary ingredients remain in place for one more period of these inclement weather conditions to exist. As we move into Friday, the moisture will still be around, although the expectations are that the threat of heavy showers will gradually fade away. This doesn't mean that there won't be showers around, but that they won't be as heavy as our recent past.

Meanwhile, the computer forecast models are suggesting that showers will remain in the forecast through the weekend. It appears though that our winds will gradually swing back towards our more customary easterly direction. These trade winds will then bring showers to our windward sides by Sunday, into early in the new work week ahead. The models are still locked onto having another trough of low pressure approaching from the northwest by later next Tuesday or Wednesday. This in turn will veer our trade winds back to the southeast, putting us into a muggy reality, with possible volcanic haze showing up.

Here in Kihei, Maui at 530pm Thursday evening, it's mostly cloudy, although I didn't seen even one small drop of rain down here during the day. Looking upcountry, before I leave for the drive back home to Kula, I see light showers falling up that way. I know that there was an active flood advisory for the Hana coast on east Maui. Looking at this looping radar image, we see more rain in our general area, which will keep off and on showers falling here and there during the night. The NWS has extended the flash flood watch through Thursday night into early Friday morning…as a result of the continued threat of heavy rains. ~~~ I'll be back with your next new weather narrative early Friday morning, I hope you have a great Thursday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Extra: When I got home from work I was lucky enough to have it be raining. I suited up with my not often used rain gear, of the highest quality, and headed out on my evening walk. It was so delightful to be out in the weather, and be dry. I enjoy walking so much, and to be able to do that despite the weather, I just loved it! I'm about ready to head down the stairs from my weather tower and heat up my dinner. I have the last quarter of a bottle of wine to finish up as well with the meal, which I started on Monday evening. I'll then come back upstairs, as I sleep in my weather tower too, do a little reading, and then fall fast asleep. As I mentioned just above, I'll slide out of bed very early Friday morning, so I can meditate for 35 minutes, and then get back on the computer to prepare your next exciting (well at least for me) weather narrative. Bye for now…Glenn.

Extra2: Check out the snow atop the Mauna Kea summit on the Big Island…webcam – 3 foot drifts up there last night. – daylight hours only

Interesting:  Despite shifting into higher gear within the consumer's green conscience, hybrid vehicles are still tethered to the gas pump via a fuel-thirsty 100-year-old invention: the internal combustion engine. However, researchers at Michigan State University have built a prototype gasoline engine that requires no transmission, crankshaft, pistons, valves, fuel compression, cooling systems or fluids.

Their so-called Wave Disk Generator could greatly improve the efficiency of gas-electric hybrid automobiles and potentially decrease auto emissions up to 90 percent when compared with conventional combustion engines. The engine has a rotor that's equipped with wave-like channels that trap and mix oxygen and fuel as the rotor spins.

These central inlets are blocked off, building pressure within the chamber, causing a shock wave that ignites the compressed air and fuel to transmit energy. The Wave Disk Generator uses 60 percent of its fuel for propulsion; standard car engines use just 15 percent. As a result, the generator is 3.5 times more fuel efficient than typical combustion engines.

Interesting2: Converting forms of public transportation over to green technology is a great way of reducing the carbon emissions in a particular metropolitan area. To this effect, many cities around the world have invested in buses that utilize either hybrid systems or fully renewable fuel sources.

London in particular has been working on hybridizing their buses, but now has turned their attention to their famous black cabs. Last week, Intelligent Energy, a global clean power systems company, announced that several of their Fuel Cell Black Cab prototypes had begun operation on London streets.

The prototypes are designed to operate with a combination of fuel cell and electric motor technology to ensure that they give off virtually zero emissions during operation. According to Intelligent Energy, the prototypes have logged nearly 8000 hours in both test track and real world conditions and performed admirably in London traffic.

Intelligent Energy has also said that thanks to the specifications, the Fuel Cell Black Cabs have a range of about 250 miles and can reach a top speed of 81 miles per hour. Considering the fact that these cabs are going to be operating in a busy metropolitan area it seems unlikely that their top speed will ever need to be fully put to the test.

The Fuel Cell Black Cabs are a part of the overall plan put into place by Boris Johnson, London's mayor, to have an entire fleet of green black cabs by 2012. It is also a part of his plan to increase the support of fuel cell technology throughout the city by installing more hydrogen refueling stations.

Interesting3: The Senate rejected a measure on Wednesday to kill the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, handing President Barack Obama a victory in his effort to quicken the move to clean energy. The EPA's rules, which it began rolling out on polluters such as power plants and oil refineries early this year, are one of Obama's top strategies to show the world the United States is fighting climate change.

Republicans, who were able to block a climate and energy bill last year, hoped to pick up support from Democrats in energy-dependent states facing tight elections next year on the measure sponsored by Republican leader Mitch McConnell. But it got only 50 votes in the Democratic-led 100-member chamber, short of the 60 votes needed to pass.

"The Senate rejected an approach that would have increased the nation's dependence on oil, contradicted the scientific consensus on global warming, and jeopardized America's ability to lead the world in the clean energy economy," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

Obama has pledged to world leaders that the United States would cut emissions about 17 percent by 2020 under 2005 levels. The EPA rules could help that effort, though it may also take faster adoption of clean energy like wind and solar power, and natural gas, and energy efficiency.

The battle over the EPA's moves to curb emissions is likely to continue in Congress ahead of the 2012 elections. Republicans, and some Democrats from states heavily dependent on energy, warn the cost of the regulations could hurt businesses recovering from the economic downturn.

They may take up the fight later this year, possibly by making EPA rules part of the upcoming 2012 budget debate, analysts said. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is widely expected to pass a similar bill that would stop the EPA's rules, but analysts said it would largely be a symbolic show of force after the Senate vote on Wednesday.

Interesting4: The growing quantity of space debris is a serious threat to satellites and other spacecraft, which risk being damaged or even destroyed. A new European space surveillance system is being developed to ward off the danger of collisions in orbit. Fraunhofer researchers are supplying the receiver for the radar demonstrator system.

Orbital space is like a busy highway, with countless satellites constantly circling Earth and occasional visits by stray asteroids, comets and meteorites. The region is also strewn with debris from human space activities such as burnt-out rocket stages and fragments of disintegrated spacecraft, which are transforming it into an orbiting junk yard.

It is estimated that there are currently around 20,000 objects with a minimum diameter of ten centimeters in orbit around Earth, including 15,000 in the low Earth orbit at an altitude of between 200 and 2,000 kilometers.

These objects travel at a speed of up to 28,000 kilometers per hour, which means even the smallest particles measuring a centimeter or less in diameter are capable of causing serious damage to any satellite they encounter, or even completely destroying it. Only two years ago, in February 2009, a retired satellite collided with one of the Iridium communication satellites.

The International Space Station ISS has to perform four to five evasive maneuvers each year. In the light of this potentially disastrous situation, the European Space Agency ESA decided to take concrete action by launching a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) program, which runs from 2009 through to the end of 2011, to create the basic framework for a new, European response to this problem.

At present, Europe does not possess the necessary high-resolution radar systems capable of tracking all of the smaller items of space debris. For this, the experts have to rely on data supplied by the American Space Surveillance Network. The new European system is to be built up in stages between 2012 and 2019 at locations that have yet to be defined.

Interesting5: Contagious yawning is not just a marker of sleepiness or boredom. For chimpanzees, it may actually be a sign of a social connection between individuals. New research at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, may help scientists understand empathy, the mechanism thought to underlie contagious yawning, in both chimpanzees and humans.

The research also may help show how social biases strengthen or weaken empathy. Scientists at Yerkes discovered chimpanzees yawn more after watching familiar chimpanzees yawn than after watching strangers yawn. The Public Library of Science One (PLoS ONE) published the study online April 6, 2011.

Yerkes researchers Matthew Campbell, PhD, and Frans de Waal, PhD, propose that when yawning spreads between chimpanzees, it reflects an underlying empathy between them. "The idea is that yawns are contagious for the same reason that smiles, frowns and other facial expressions are contagious," they write.

"Our results support the idea that contagious yawning can be used as a measure of empathy, because the biases we observed were similar to empathy biases previously seen in humans." Campbell is a FIRST postdoctoral fellow at Yerkes and Emory (Fellowship in Research and Science Teaching). De Waal is director of the Living Links Center at Yerkes and C.H. Candler Professor of Psychology at Emory.

They studied 23 adult chimpanzees that were housed in two separate groups. The chimpanzees viewed several nine-second video clips of other chimpanzees, in both groups, either yawning or doing something else. They yawned 50 percent more frequently in response to seeing members of their group yawn compared to seeing others yawn.

In humans, scientists have identified certain parts of the brain that are activated both when someone experiences pain and when they see someone else experiencing pain. In these experiments, people tend to show more sensitivity for members of the same social group. The results raise the question of whether contagious yawning among humans shows the same biases: favoring members of the same social group over different social groups.

The authors note one complication: chimpanzees live in small communities where unfamiliar individuals are by definition seen as members of a separate social group. In contrast, humans do not necessarily see strangers as belonging to an "outgroup." For this reason, the in-group/out-group distinction may be more absolute in chimpanzees than in humans.

Chimpanzees in the wild are known to be extremely hostile to external groups, which probably adds to the effects found in this study. The authors say that contagious yawning could be a window into social and emotional connections between individuals, and suggest that insight into barriers to chimpanzee empathy may help break down those barriers for humans.

"Empathy is difficult to measure directly because it is a largely internal response: mimicking the emotional response of another. Contagious yawning allows for a measurement of empathic response that is purely behavioral, and thus can be applied more widely," Campbell writes. "Anyone who wants to increase human empathy towards outsiders should consider that techniques to this effect could be tested out on chimpanzees and other animals."