Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / April 21-22, 2018

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

80 – 73  Lihue, Kauai
84 – 73  Honolulu, Oahu
82 – 72  Molokai AP
84 – 72  Kahului AP, Maui
83 – 73  Kailua Kona
80 – 68  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

0.38  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.38  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.02  Molokai
0.01  Lanai
0.01  Kahoolawe
0.37  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.78  Puho CS, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) Saturday evening:

25  Port Allen, Kauai
29  Kuaokala, Oahu
23  Molokai
23  Lanai
36  Kahoolawe
28  Kahului AP, Maui
24  South Point, 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. Here’s the webcam for the Haleakala Crater on Maui. These webcams are 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

High pressure northeast of the state…keeping our trades going

The multi-layered clouds…will stick around for a few more days

Partly to mostly cloudy

Showers locally over the islands and offshore
Looping image

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

Small Craft Advisory – coasts and channels Oahu, Maui County and the Big Island except windward Oahu and the Big Island

Broad Brush Overview: Rather strong trade winds will blow over many areas this weekend into the new week, with clouds and showers favoring the usual windward coasts and slopes. A few of these showers will be carried over to the leeward sides on the smaller islands…while the Kona side of the Big Island will see afternoon clouds and showers. These steady trades will strengthen to locally windy levels next week.

Details: High pressure to the north and northeast will keep trade winds going through most of the new week ahead. The models show the current multi-layered clouds lingering across the eastern half of the state…possibly drifting south of the islands Tuesday.

Looking Ahead: Less cloudy weather is expected Tuesday through Thursday. The models show a new low forming north of the state next weekend, which may interrupt our long lasting trade wind flow. We may also see more showers arriving Friday into next weekend as well.

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: A surface high northeast of the area will move northeast through the weekend. This high continues to produce locally strong trade winds over Hawaiian waters. A new high building northwest of the area will cause the trade winds to strengthen further this weekend.

Surf is expected to remain below High Surf Advisory (HSA) thresholds along all shores through this weekend. Surf along east facing shores will remain rough due to the trade winds, although heights will remain moderate. There will be some increase in surf heights along east facing shores next week as trade winds strengthen.

A small northwest swell will peak, with a slightly larger swell is expected to arrive Sunday evening and peak Monday. Another moderate swell is possible next Thursday.

Surf along south facing shores will remain small through early in the new week. Lows in the southern hemisphere may strengthen and shift east enough to produce some larger surf along south facing shores by the end of next week.

World-wide Tropical Cyclone activity

Here’s the Sunday Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) Weather Wall Presentation, covering tropical disturbances being referred to as Invest 93S and Invest 96S both located in the South Indian Ocean

>>> Atlantic Ocean:

>>> Caribbean Sea:

>>> Gulf of Mexico:

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:

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:

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

>>> Northwest 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: New DNA screening reveals whose blood the vampire bat is drinking – The vampire bat lives up to its name. Its diet consists of blood, which it gets by biting animals and lapping up their blood. The vampire bat prefers to feed on domestic animals such as cows and pigs. When it does so, there is a risk of transmission of pathogens such as rabies.

Now, a new study lead by Assistant Professor Kristine Bohmann from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, describes a new DNA method to efficiently screen many vampire bat blood meal and faecal samples with a high success rate and thereby determine which animals the vampire bats have fed on blood from. Furthermore, the authors show that the technique can be used to simultaneously assess the vampire bat’s population structure.

When the sun sets in South and Central America, the vampire bats wake up and fly out in search of animals that can provide vital food, blood. When the vampire bat bites there is a risk of transmission of diseases such as rabies. In order to control rabies transmitted by vampire bats, it is crucial to have a method that allows large-scale assessment of which animals the vampire bats feed from. A new study, led by researchers from Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, shows that the so-called DNA metabarcoding technique can do just that.

– Based on our study, in the future DNA metabarcoding can be used to empower projections of vampire bat related transmission risks, and this can be used to develop strategies to prevent exposure of rabies to humans and animals, says Assistant Professor Kristine Bohmann from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen.

Co-author Daniel Streicker from University of Glasgow adds:

– Vampire bats are an incredibly adaptable species in terms of what animals they can feed on and where they can live. As they spread into new areas due to changes in climate and land use, DNA can now tell us which animals will be at risk for rabies, opening up the possibility for more targeted vaccination and surveillance campaigns.