The latest update to this website was at 830pm Saturday (HST)

 

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

81 / 71  Lihue AP, Kauai
75 / 69   Molokai AP, Molokai
80 / 67  Kahului AP, Maui
83 / 67   Kona AP, Big Island
80 / 65   Hilo AP, Big Island

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

0.40  Kilohana, Kauai
0.15  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
1.26  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.02  Lanai 1, Lanai
1.88  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.48  Hilo AP, Big Island

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

22  Port Allen, Kauai
36  Kuaokala, Oahu
31  Makapulapai, Molokai
31  Lanai 1, Lanai
28  Kapalua, Maui
32  Waikoloa, 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 

 Cold fronts to the north and northwest


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

Low clouds being carried in on the strong trade winds…with a cold front approaching Kauai

 

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

High clouds streaming by to the south…clipping the eastern islands

 

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

Localized 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 Saturday 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 here in upper Kula early this morning, while my low temperature was a chilly 48 degrees.

430pm, it’s partly cloudy here in upper Kula, although it’s cloudy with passing showers over along the windward side of Maui. I played Pickleball this morning in Haiku, and there was a heavy shower that came through. After I played, and shopped at Mana Foods in Paia, it showered a bit as I drove up Baldwin Ave towards Makawao. I can see showers trying to make their way over here from Makawao, and I hope they get blown into my area!

Weather Wit of the day:  Smog – A form of air pollution that lowers your lungevity

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  Strong trades continue through mid-week, before easing slightly in response to upstream troughing later next week. Expect periods of windward and mountain showers during this time, particularly overnight and during the early morning hours.

Hawaii’s Weather Details:  The prominent feature on satellite imagery continues to be the leftover frontal band currently positioned not very far north of Kauai. GOES satellite estimates suggest saturation through the lowest 10,000 feet or so within this band, as it’s forced south toward the state by rapidly-building high pressure, eventually reaching Kauai early Sunday morning.

In the meantime, strong trades will deliver scattered showers into windward areas, though shower intensity will be capped by a strengthening inversion averaging about 7,000 feet over the state. Increasing showers associated with the approaching remnant front will reach Kauai early Sunday, Oahu during midday, and the eastern half of the state Sunday night into Monday. During this time, expect an expansion of shower coverage and a modest increase in intensity along a relatively deep moisture axis, which will support frequent leeward penetration of showers carried by the already strong trades.

Global models continue to indicate stout low-level dry air in the wake of the passing frontal band on Monday with the inversion potentially crashing to 5,000 feet or even lower by the end of the day. Coupled with the strengthening gradient as high pressure builds toward 30N, the shallow inversion and forcing for descent within the boundary layer, could lead to some overachieving wind gusts on Monday afternoon, that could approach the advisory threshold.

The gradient reaches peak intensity on Tuesday, though it is modeled to occur coincident with the return of increasing moisture embedded in the trades which may compromise higher end wind gust potential as the inversion lifts and weakens. All told, borderline Wind Advisory conditions are likely Monday afternoon through Tuesday. Strong trades hold through mid-week, easing thereafter in response to a developing surface trough west of the state.

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 series of strong highs to our north will maintain strong trade winds, with near gales for our windier waters and channels around Maui and the Big Island through the middle of next week. Small Craft Advisory has been extended through Sunday night for all Hawaiian waters due to the strong trade winds and elevated seas…and will likely be extended.

Surf along north and west facing shores will rise gradually as a moderate medium to long period northwest (310-330 degree) swell. A High Surf Advisory has been issued for most north and west facing shores of the smaller islands, and may need to be extended if surf heights persists above criteria. This swell will then begin to fall tonight through early next week, and the swell direction will gradually veer toward the north-northwest as it declines.

Surf along east-facing shores will remain rough into next week, due to this persistent fresh to locally strong trade flow over and upstream of the islands. Trades could possibly strengthen further early next week, which could increase the wind swell a touch around Tuesday into Wednesday.

Surf along south-facing shores will remain small, with mainly some wrap around wind swell for select exposures. A small, long period south-southwest swell is possible next Wednesday.

 

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: 

North and South Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 24S (Ivone)…is located approximately 763 NM east-southeast of Diego Garcia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh2425.gif

Tropical Cyclone 25S (Jude)…is located approximately 285 NM east of Nacala, Mozambique

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh2525.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:  How’s the Weather on Mars?

In contrast to Earth, the Red Planet’s middle atmosphere appears driven by gravity waves.

A new study by researchers including those at the University of Tokyo revealed that atmospheric gravity waves play a crucial role in driving latitudinal air currents on Mars, particularly at high altitudes. The findings, based on long-term atmospheric data, offer a fresh perspective on the behaviors of Mars’ middle atmosphere, highlighting fundamental differences from Earth’s. The study applied methods developed to explore Earth’s atmosphere to quantitatively estimate the influence of gravity waves on Mars’ planetary circulation.

Despite it being a very cold planet, Mars is quite a hot topic these days. With human visitation seemingly on the horizon, it will pay to know more about the conditions there so all involved can plan and prepare accordingly. Something that has become possible to explore in detail in recent years is a range of Martian atmospheric phenomena. Naturally, a lot of the methods used for this originate from the study of our own atmosphere, and thanks to this, we can see how things on Mars differ greatly and what the implications of this might be.

“On Earth, large-scale atmospheric waves caused by the planet’s rotation, known as Rossby waves, are the primary influence on the way air circulates in the stratosphere, or the lower part of the middle atmosphere. But our study shows that on Mars, gravity waves (GWs) have a dominant effect at the mid and high latitudes of the middle atmosphere,” said Professor Kaoru Sato from the Department of Earth and Planetary Science. “Rossby waves are large-scale atmospheric waves, or resolved waves, whereas GWs are unresolved waves, meaning they are too fine to be directly measured or modeled and must be estimated by more indirect means.”

Read more at University of Tokyo

Image: The thermal impact of dust storms on Mars is significant, and is thought to play a similar role to that of water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere.