The latest update to this website was at 1102am Wednesday (HST)

 

Here are the highest temperatures Tuesday afternoon…and the lowest Wednesday morning:

79 / 62  Lihue AP, Kauai
81 / 60  Molokai AP, Molokai
80 / 58  Kahului AP, Maui
80 / 69  Kona AP, Big Island
78 / 62  Hilo AP, Big Island

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

2.32  Kilohana, Kauai
0.74  Makaha Stream, Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Maui
0.18  Kapapala Ranch, Big Island

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

27  Puu Opae, Kauai
22  Waianae Harbor, Oahu
25  Makapulapai, Molokai
14  Lanai 1, Lanai
18  Kahului AP, Maui
28  Puu Mali, 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 will be moving down through the state from the northwest


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Variable clouds across the state

 

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Increasing clouds today…multi-layered

 

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

Localized showers…a few are heavy with the cold front

 

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

 

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~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

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

It’s clear over Kula, with a cold low temperature of 47.5 degrees according to my outside temperature sensor…along with an occasional gust of wind from the south-southwest.

8am, clouds are increasing rather quickly as this cold front pushes down through the state.

Weather Wit of the day:  Sweater – A garment worn by a child whose mother feels chilly

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  A cold front will bring a brief round of moderate to locally heavy showers with slight chance of thunderstorms today into Thursday. This will be followed by a reinforcing shot of cool weather. Trades return briefly Friday into Saturday before they are disrupted again by another cold front approaching from the northwest.

Hawaii’s Weather Details:  Current radar and satellite shows a band of clouds and showers along a cold front moving onshore Kauai with some gusty northwesterly winds following behind the front. Rainfall rates are generally moderate below 1 inch an hour with isolated pockets of heaver showers with 1-2 inches per hour. This front will quickly move through Kauai early this morning then move over Oahu during the morning traffic hours. The front is expected to weaken has it moves over Maui County this afternoon before becoming diffused over the Big Island and possibly shifting just east of the state tonight into Thursday.

Showers associated with the front are expected to clear out quickly limiting flooding concerns. The moderate to locally breezy northwest winds filling in behind the front may be more of a concern, but will also be brief and mainly over the western half of the state this morning. Drier air with dew points dropping into the lower to mid 50’s will fill in behind the front limited clouds and showers. There still remains some uncertainty regarding how far south this drier airmass will penetrate with confidence decreasing the further south down the island chain you go, especially as the front weakens and the strong northwest winds ease.

Even though the probabilities of thunderstorms remains fairly low, there remains a slight chance thunderstorms and locally heavy rain over Maui County this afternoon. The threat is then kept mostly over the eastern waters of the Big Island tonight, as the front weakens and gradually progresses further south.

On Thursday, the western end of the state will be cool and dry while the front dissipates over the Big Island, and its remnant moisture lingers over the eastern end of the state, especially near the Big Island. By this point, the upper level low will have deepened and brought height falls and lower temperatures aloft across the island chain. This instability combined with lingering moisture and diurnal heating may be enough to bring an isolated thunderstorm or two to the Big Island Thursday afternoon, along with a chance for wintery precipitation at the summits.

Friday, winds will veer and easterly trades will strengthen to moderate levels, as high pressure builds just north of the state. At the same time, moisture that was being pulled north across the eastern North Pacific earlier in the week, will shift across the island chain in the redeveloping trades. That plume of moisture along with the remnant moisture from the dissipated front will increase the chance of windward showers Friday into Saturday, and help dew points to recover back into the 60’s.

The pressure gradient will weaken again Saturday into Sunday in response to another approaching cold front from the northwest, disrupting the trades once again and bringing lighter winds across the area. Model guidance shows a non zero chance of thunderstorms Friday through the weekend associated with this pool of moisture and upper level disturbance near the Big Island Friday and Saturday.

Forecast confidence decreases Sunday night and beyond due to model discrepancies. The general pattern looks to be similar to what we will see today and Thursday, as another trough digs down across the Central Pacific and spawns a surface low that will drag a cold front into our area. However, the strength of this upper-level trough and resulting surface low is a bit uncertain, and model guidance is hinting at an area of prefrontal convergence energy that could bring rain to the western end of the state ahead of the next front, from lingering moisture and possibly a slight chance of thunderstorms.

Fire weather:  Winds are forecast to remain below the critical levels while a reinforcing shot of dry air causes afternoon relative humidity values to fall to near or slightly below 40 percent Thursday and Friday. In addition, rainfall associated with a passing front will help to mitigate the fire weather concern. Critical fire weather concerns are not anticipated.

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:  A cold front over Kauai will continue to move southeast around 15 to 20 knots. Gentle to moderate southwest to west kona winds are expected to develop in advance of the front. The front is expected to continue to move southeast over Oahu waters, and Maui County waters with time. The front will likely be weakening and slowing in forward speed after crossing Oahu, dissipating near the Big Island Thursday. The front will bring a relatively brief period of rainfall, near gale force winds, and the potential for thunderstorms and heavy showers, mainly over Kauai and Oahu waters.

A short-lived period of strong northwest winds following the frontal passage (with a longer-lived increase in seas) has prompted the issuance of a Small Craft Advisory (SCA) for many waters into Thursday. Winds will diminish as the front dissipates, with a surface ridge moving over the islands from the west by Thursday night. A surface high will pass north of the islands Friday into Saturday, supporting a moderate east- northeast trade wind flow. Long range guidance indicates the potential for another frontal passage late in the weekend.

A new moderate long period northwest swell will build. Buoys located at Hanalei and Waimea Bay have begun to pick up the long period forerunners. Surf along north and west facing shores are expected to stay just below High Surf Advisory (HSA) conditions as the swells remain from the northwest. Surf is expected to be larger Thursday and Friday over north facing shores, as a developing storm low continues to intensify due north of the islands near 32N.

The mix of 8 to 14 second north-northwest to north swell will make for jumbled surf as it overlaps with the diminishing longer period northwest swell. A HSA for select north facing shores and a SCA over most windward waters may need to be issued coinciding with the new swell. This swell will be slow to decline into the weekend, as the low will remain nearly stationary. Additionally, a weaker low north of the islands has generated a short-period (8-10 seconds) northeast swell that will peak before diminishing Thursday. A new northwest swell is possible next Monday, otherwise no other significant swells are expected.

 

Searching for wonders: Hawaii - Rainbow capital of the world? – Weather News

 

 

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 10S (Sean) is located approximately 512 NM southwest of Learmonth, Australia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh1025.gif

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:  Smaller Fish Offer Better Nutrition, Lower Environmental Cost

Smaller fish species are more nutritious, lower in mercury and less susceptible to overfishing, a Cornell-led research team has found.

The team’s study was conducted in the Amazon River, but the findings have implications for biodiversity conservation and public health across the globe as large fish species populations are declining worldwide.

The study, “Accessible, Low-mercury and Nutritious Fish Provide Win-Wins for Conservation and Public Health,” published January 17 in One Earth. It was authored by four Cornell researchers and colleagues from Brooklyn College and the Wildlife Conservation Society, a nongovernmental organization.

Read More: Cornell University