Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs
Posted by GlennSeptember 21-22 2007
Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday:
Lihue, Kauai – 86F
Honolulu, Oahu – 86
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 87
Hilo, Hawaii – 82
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – 86
Temperatures early Saturday morning ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level at the 5 a.m. hour:
Lihue, Kauai – 78F
Hilo, Hawaii – 70
Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Saturday morning:
0.31 HANALEI RIVER, KAUAI
1.12 POAMOHO 2, OAHU
0.01 MOLOKAI
0.01 LANAI
0.00 KAHOOLAWE
0.82 PUU KUKUI, MAUI
0.69 GLENWOOD, BIG ISLAND
Weather Chart – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map…showing a fairly strong 1032 millibar high pressure system located far NNE of Hawaii. This high pressure system has a ridge of high pressure extending SW to the NW of Hawaii. This pressure configuration will keep moderate to locally strong and gusty trade winds blowing through Sunday. Here’s a Weather Map Symbol page for clarification about what all those weather symbols mean on the map.
Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon cloud conditions.
Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean.
Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean…out from the islands. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image.
Hawaiian Hula Dancers
photo credit: flickr.com
The very late summer trade winds continue to grace the Hawaiian Islands. Weather maps show a 1033 millibar high pressure system located far to the NNE of the islands Friday evening. Wind speeds will range between light to moderately strong, all the way up to strong and gusty, depending upon your location. As usual, these breezes will be strongest during the days, and lightest in general during the nights. The trade winds are still strong enough now to keep the small craft wind advisory active in those windiest areas across the state. Weather charts suggest that we may see a slight downturn in our local trade wind speeds over the upcoming weekend, although most folks won’t notice this modest softening. The latest model output indicates that the trade winds will continue well into the new week ahead.
The trade winds will continue to carry a few showers our way, being most numerous along our windward coasts and slopes. Shower activity will depend largely on how much cloudiness is being carried into the state by the trade winds at any one time. We may see some very minor shower enhancement at times, as a long lasting upper level low pressure system, to the northwest of Hawaii, remains in the weather picture. That upper level low, along with the jet stream level winds aloft, will help carry high cirrus clouds overhead at times. The bottom line, in terms of precipitation, is that it will be generally quite dry, especially along our leeward beaches.
It’s Friday evening as I start writing this last paragraph of todays weather narrative. The weather here in the islands will remain nice through these last few hours of summer 2007…continuing on into the new week ahead. Looking at this satellite image, we see tons of cloudiness in the deeper tropics to Hawaii’s south. That deep convection down there…consists of large thunderstorms firing-up in the intertropical convergence zone. The tops of these cumulonimbus clouds are being carried northward over Hawaii now. This is coming across our skies in the form of cirrus clouds, which bring great sunrise and sunset colors…but also dim and filter our famous Hawaiian sunshine during the days. Those towering cumulus and thunderstorms are too far away to dump rain on us, and the cirrus clouds are too high to drop rain on us either. Thus, we’ll just have them to beautify our local skies, lighting up perhaps brilliantly as the sun rises, and then again when it goes down at the end of the day. ~~~ Friday is the last full day of summer, as late Saturday night here in Hawaii, the autumnal equinox will occur, at which point we leave summer behind, and slide into the autumn season. It won’t make make much difference to us down here in the tropical latitudes of the north central Pacific however, as summery weather will continue well into the future! ~~~ Looking at the upcoming weekend, I see no weather problems on the horizon, with just smooth sailing on tap. I’ll be back early Saturday morning, and until then, I hope you have a great Friday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.
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