The latest update to this website was at 925am Thursday (HST)

 

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

76 / 73  Lihue AP, Kauai
79 / 73  Molokai AP, Molokai
81 / 72  Kahului AP, Maui
82 / 74  Kona AP, Big Island
84 / 71  Hilo AP, Big Island

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

1.84  Moloaa Dairy, Kauai
1.14  Kamananui Stream, Oahu
0.42  Molokai 1, Molokai
0.50  Lanai City, Lanai
2.11  Hana AP, Maui
2.99  Keaumo, Big Island

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

45  Makaha Ridge, Kauai
48  Kuaokala, Oahu
40  Makapulapai, Molokai
39  Lanai 1, Lanai
46  Kahului AP, Maui
47  Kona AP, 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.

 

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Big Blue…click twice for largest version

 

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

 A deep low pressure system and its associated cold front are approaching from the west-northwest


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Variable low clouds across the state

 

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Deeper clouds are moving over the state from the west

 

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Localized showers…many of them heavy

 

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

Kauai and Oahu (Satellite)

 

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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)

 

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Maui County and the Big Island (Radar)

 

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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 Thursday 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 mostly clear and windy here in upper Kula early this morning, along with some lightning flashes offshore to the north, with a low temperature of 61.5 degrees.

820am, there are lots of clouds around this morning, some of which look like they are letting go of heavy rains. Here in upper Kula the winds are up and down, sometimes blasting pretty good, and then hardly anything at all. I hear several sirens on the nearby roads, which reminds me to tell you to drive very carefully on the wet highways across the island chain. I’ve got my cell phone and laptop charged up to 100%, and will keep them that way (should I, or shouldn’t I say until the power goes off?).

I would highly recommend keeping all your devices charged up, just in case we lose power, and if we do, I won’t be able to keep updating this website until it comes back on.

Weather Wit of the day:  Surfer – A man over board

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  A vigorous low pressure system passing by north of the state will drag a cold front from northwest to southeast down the island chain tonight and Friday. The storm system will bring the threat for strong damaging south to southwest kona winds, severe thunderstorms, and flash flooding along and ahead of the front today through Friday.

Conditions will gradually improve with cooler and drier air building in behind the front Friday night through the weekend. Cool and breezy trade wind weather is expected through the first half of next week.

Hawaii’s Weather Details:  A vigorous area of low pressure is located around 550 miles west-northwest of Kauai, and is tracking eastward around 25 mph. Locally the winds have continued to respond overnight as the storm system moves closer, with breezy to windy conditions now present over the western islands and breezy conditions beginning to developing over Maui County. Winds are routinely gusting into the 35 to 45 mph range across Kauai and Oahu this morning, with a peak wind gust of 58 mph reported at the Lihue Airport just after 1am.

Infrared satellite imagery shows mostly cloudy conditions across most of the island chain. Radar imagery shows scattered to numerous showers moving into south facing slopes and coasts of Kauai, Maui County and the Big Island, with shower coverage more isolated over Oahu at the moment. Main forecast concerns are focused on the impacts from the significant storm system moving through the area today through Friday.

The storm northwest of the islands will intensify as it tracks steadily east-northeast today, bringing a cold front near Kauai by sunset this evening. The storm will continue to intensify as it tracks northeastward tonight and Friday, dragging the trailing cold front eastward through the island chain.

Significant impacts are expected with this system today through Friday. Strong southerly winds have developed over the western islands and will spread to Maui County later this morning. Even stronger winds will develop through the day, with very windy conditions expected across the entire state this afternoon and tonight, before winds begin to slowly diminish in strength from west to east across the island chain Friday. A High Wind Warning is now in effect for the entire island chain through noon Friday, with the summits of Haleakala and the Big Island holding a bit longer.

Attention then turns to the potential for severe thunderstorms later this morning through tonight. An impressively unstable airmass for this part of the world, has moved northward into the islands during the past couple hours. This airmass will continue to be drawn northward into the state this morning on the strengthening southerly flow. This in combination with strong upper level support from the approach of a vigorous upper level trough, as well as left front quad dynamics from a 130+ knot upper level jet stream, should continue to increase shower coverage and intensity early this morning.

Some of these thunderstorms will have the potential to producing damaging wind gusts, waterspouts and even a few tornadoes can’t be ruled out. We should continue to monitor conditions closely as a Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado Watch may be required at some point later today.

In addition, the training of thunderstorms into the islands along with intense rainfall rates will bring the potential for flash flooding. As a result, a Flood Watch remains in effect for the entire state through 6pm Friday. A Winter Storm Warning is now in effect for the Big Island summits, as heavy snow is expected to develop late today or tonight and continue into Friday night.

Weather conditions will improve from northwest to southeast down the island chain Friday and Friday night. Showery weather may hang up near the Big Island through Saturday night however, as the front appears to hang up before finally pushing south of the state by early Sunday.

Cooler and more comfortable conditions will gradually build in behind the front through the weekend with north to northeast winds increasing to moderate and locally breezy levels. Cool and breezy trade wind weather appear to persist through the middle of next week, with showers confined primarily to windward and mountain areas.

Fire weather:  Critical fire weather conditions not expected through the forecast period.

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 strong gale-force low pressure system will pass just north of the Hawaiian Offshore waters, bringing the threats of strong to potentially severe thunderstorms with erratic wind gusts, gale-force sustained winds, and periods of very low visibility in heavy rain. Special Marine Warnings are likely during this time over the coastal waters, due to the high potential for strong thunderstorms producing gusts above 56 mph and possibly waterspouts. A Gale Warning remains in effect for the waters around Kauai, and a Small Craft Advisory is posted for the remaining coastal waters.

Most of these weather hazards will occur in conjunction with strong and gusty south to southwest kona winds. However, a cold front trailing south of this low center will also sweep from west to east through the islands, bringing additional heavy showers and strong thunderstorms along the frontal cloud band tonight into Saturday. Moderate to fresh west to northwest winds with improving weather trends will quickly build in after the front passes through each island. Moderate to locally strong northeast trade winds will develop by Sunday as high pressure builds far northwest of the islands.

The declining mid-period NNW swell will be replaced by a larger north swell building in through Friday. This swell was generated by a gale-force low far north of the islands, that set up a fetch area aimed directly at Hawaii over the last couple of days. Surf heights will build to High Surf Advisory (HSA) levels Friday along north facing shores. The low passing N of the state will continue to intensify as it moves away from the island chain on Saturday, likely delivering a larger north swell peaking above HSA thresholds, lasting from Sunday into early next week. A couple moderate sized WNW swells are also expected, a smaller one this weekend, and a slightly larger one from Monday into Wednesday.

Rough and choppy surf, due to increasing short-period wind waves, will develop along south and west facing shores from tonight through Friday, due to the increasingly strong low-level south to southwest kona winds.

 

What do these wind speeds mean, when should you be worried? | KHON2

 

 

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 11S is located approximately 590 NM south-southwest of Diego Garcia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh1125.gif

Tropical Cyclone 12S (Elvis) is located approximately 352 NM southeast of Europa Island

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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:  Antarctic Ice Sheet Faces “Death by a Thousand Cuts”

A recent study conducted by University of Florida geologists and geographers has shed new light on the effects of climate change on Antarctic ice shelves. It found that while there has been broad ice shelf loss due to warming temperatures, the frequency and size of major iceberg calving events has not changed significantly.

This study was led by Assistant Professor of Geological Sciences Emma MacKie, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor of Geography Katy Serafin, Ph.D., along with a collaborator at the Colorado School of Mines.

“Our results suggest that the primary threat to our ice shelves is ‘death by a thousand cuts’ via small calving events, rather than catastrophic extremes,” said MacKie.

Calving, when chunks of ice break off from ice shelves to form icebergs, is common and increasingly influenced by climate change. For extremely large icebergs, this process is typically slow, often starting with small rifts that spread across the ice shelf before fully breaking off.

Read more at University of Florida