The latest update to this website was at 602am Friday (HST)

 

Here are the highest temperatures Thursday afternoon…and the lowest Thursday morning:

81 / 64  Lihue AP, Kauai
m / m  Honolulu AP, Oahu
81 / m  Molokai AP, Molokai
87 / 62  Kahului AP, Maui
84 / 69  Kona AP, Big Island
83 / 65  Hilo AP, Big Island

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

0.01  Waialae, Kauai
0.02  Hakipuu Mauka, Oahu
0.01  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Maui
0.01  Mountain View, Big Island

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

08  Port Allen, Kauai
12  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
08  Molokai 1, Molokai
12  Lanai 1, Lanai
08  Kula 1, Maui
16  South Point, Big Island

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcams on the summit of our tallest mountain Mauna Kea (~13,800 feet high) on the Big Island of Hawaii, and atop the Haleakala Crater (~10,023 feet) 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.

 

https://weather.gc.ca/data/satellite/goes_gwdisk11_1070_100.jpg

Big Blue…click twice for largest version

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/tpw/13/GOES17-TPW-13-900x540.gif 

 A cold front northwest…which is approaching the state


https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/GOES17-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Variable clouds across the state

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/hi/13/GOES17-HI-13-600x600.gif

Low clouds arriving from the southeast…rather than the typical trade wind direction

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/HAWAII_loop.gif

Just a few showers

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Kauai_VIS_loop.gif

Kauai and Oahu (Satellite)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHKI_loop.gif

Kauai and Oahu (Radar)

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Oahu-Maui_VIS_loop.gif

Oahu and Maui County (Satellite)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHMO_loop.gif

Oahu and Maui County (Radar)

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Hawaii_VIS_loop.gif

 Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, and the Big Island (Satellite)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHKM_loop.gif

Maui County and the Big Island (Radar)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHWA_loop.gif

Big Island (Radar)

 

Model showing precipitation through 8-days (you can slow this animation down)

 

https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/png/hfo.png

Please open this link to see details on any current Watches, Warnings and Advisories noted above

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/graphics/pmsl.gif

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Aloha Friday comments:  I’m home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii. I hope you have a good Friday wherever you happen to be spending it.

It’s cloudy with voggy air, and a low temperature of 59 degrees according to my outside temperature sensor.

I’m happy to have this next cold front approaching the state, which will help to shift the current voggy conditions down to the south of the state. We may see yet another cold front approaching the islands late next week.

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  A ridge over the islands will maintain light winds and dry conditions today. A new ridge building north of the islands this weekend will bring a return of trade winds, while a weakening cold front and its associated upper level feature will help to enhance trade wind showers at the same time, mainly during the overnight and early morning hours along windward and mountain slopes of each island.

Hawaii’s Weather Details:  A surface ridge remains just north of Kauai with a cold front just to the northwest. Atmospheric soundings at Hilo has a slight increase in moisture from .98 to 1.11 inches, where as the Lihue sounding saw a slight decrease in moisture now around .84 from 0.91 inches. Inversion heights are around 5.500 to 6.500 feet. This setup is creating a relative dry and stable environment around the state, especially over the western half of the state. Rainfall totals have been minimal if at all.

Satellite imagery shows a shallow cloud deck extending along the eastern side of the island chain from the Big Island to just offshore Oahu, that is being ushered in from the light to gentle east to southeast wind flow. Light showers embedded in this cloud bank have been focusing primarily along exposed windward areas around Maui and the Big Island. As the day progress expect sea breezes to develop shortly after sunrise. This will allow for some clouds to build over leeward and interior areas. Rainfall totals if any are expected to remain minimal.

Gentle northerly winds are expected to arrive ahead of the cold front later today, but remain light enough to continue to allow for sea breezes along sheltered areas. Chances of showers may also increase east of Oahu where this convergence zone is forecast to set up. The main moisture band associated with the front may reach the western half of the state late tonight, increasing chances of precipitation, especially for windward areas. Trades will continue to shift out of a more northeast direction and gradually strengthen to more moderate levels, becoming locally breezy Saturday, as a high develops north of the state behind the front.

Models continue to show an upper level trough moving down the island chain late tonight through the weekend, along with the moisture band associated with the front. This could make for enhanced trade wind showers. The GFS remains locked in on the possibility of thunderstorms Sunday and Sunday night, but the latest couple of runs have trended downward in that possibility. The ECMWF and NBM models were marginal before, and have continued to slowly back off. By Sunday night the upper level trough is expected to be east of the Big Island, which should allow a more typical trade wind pattern to set up to end the year and start the new.

A hot spot over Halemaumau Crater on the Big Island continues to be seen on infrared satellite imagery. The University of Hawaii (UH) Vog Model show SO2 emissions reaching the smaller islands through tonight, although should be pushed offshore as trades return Saturday.

Fire weather:  No critical fire weather conditions are expected for the next 7-days. Dry weather with light winds are expected. Trade winds will return late tonight and Saturday with enhanced shower activity over the weekend. A more typical trade wind pattern is expected Monday onwards.

Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – along with a Closer View of the islands / Here’s the latest Weather Map / Vog map animation

Hawaii’s Marine Environment:  An extra-large west-northwest to northwest (290-315 degrees) swell has remained well above guidance at the offshore buoys northwest of Kauai, as it slowly lowers from its earlier peak. Nearshore buoy observations from Hanalei to Pauwela will remain above guidance, before gradually easing tonight through Saturday. This swell has driven surf heights well above warning thresholds for exposed north and west facing shores of the smaller islands and west facing shores of the Big Island.

As a result, the High Surf Warning has been extended through early Saturday. The Small Craft Advisory for high seas over exposed waters has also been extended through this period. Although confidence remains too low to issue an advisory for the north facing shores of the Big Island due to the more westerly direction of the swell, heights may near these levels as the swell peaks.

The ongoing series of extra-large northwest swells has worsened erosion issues, with periodic overwash onto low-lying properties and roadways likely during high tide cycles. This swell is forecast to slowly taper off over the weekend, but will still bring hazardous conditions to exposed areas. Another upward trend is possible early next week, as a couple of smaller northwest swells arrive.

Surf along south and east-facing shores will remain small through early next week, except for south-facing shores exposed to the west-northwest swells.

A surface ridge just north of the state will continue to produce light winds, with land and sea breezes developing near the coasts. A front approaching the state will bring a brief period of moderate northerly winds to the western half of the state. This front is expected to stall and dissipate over the weekend. As a surface ridge builds north of the state in its wake, fresh to strong northeast to east trade winds will return this weekend.

 

Kauai Travel Guide - Erin O'Brien

 

 

World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity

 

Atlantic Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Caribbean Sea:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Gulf of Mexico:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Northeastern Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

North Central Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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

Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Southwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

North and South Indian Ocean: 

Tropical Cyclone 05S is located approximately 33 NM southwest of Cocos Islands

Arabian Sea:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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

>>> Here’s a link to the Pacific Disaster Center’s (PDC Global) Weather Wall website

 

Interesting:  Scientists Engineer Crops to Consume More Carbon Dioxide

Scientists have engineered sugarcane and sorghum to take advantage of rising levels of carbon dioxide, allowing these crops to grow bigger.

To achieve this, researchers focused on the enzyme Rubisco. Plants deploy Rubisco to help capture carbon dioxide for use in photosynthesis. But sometimes Rubisco can consume oxygen instead, slowing growth. As humans pump more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, Rubisco works more efficiently, helping capture more carbon dioxide, which helps plants grow faster.

Rising carbon dioxide levels haven’t yielded the same benefits for all plants, however. A small number of plants are already highly efficient, having evolved a pump that concentrates carbon dioxide in their cells. Such plants — which include corn, sugarcane, and sorghum — are limited less by the amount of carbon dioxide in the air than by the amount of Rubisco in their leaves.

Read more at: Yale Environment 360