Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / January 19-20, 2018

Air Temperatures – The following high temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday…along with the low temperatures Friday:

79 – 72  Lihue, Kauai
83 – 74  Honolulu, Oahu
mm mm  Molokai
87 – 64  Kahului AP, Maui
80 – 68  Kailua Kona
80 – 68  Hilo AP, Hawaii

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

3.52  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
1.59  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.55  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Kahoolawe
1.94  West Wailuaiki, Maui
2.74  Saddle Quarry, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) Friday evening:

17  Port Allen, Kauai
36  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
32  Molokai
16  Lanai
40  Kahoolawe
21  Kahului AP, Maui
35  South Point, Big Island

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of our tallest mountain Mauna Kea (nearly 13,800 feet high) on the Big Island of Hawaii. Here’s the webcam for the Haleakala Crater 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.

Aloha Paragraphs

High pressure northeast…gale low over Nevada with the tail-end of its cold front dissipating over the islands

Deep clouds well northwest…and far south-southwest

Clear to partly cloudy, some cloudy areas…cirrus over parts of the state

Showers mostly windward and offshore – Looping image

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

Small Craft Advisory…windiest coasts and channels

High Surf Advisory…east shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and the Big Island

Broad Brush Overview: The robust high pressure system northeast of the islands will continue to drift away from the state, resulting in diminishing wind speeds. Winds will weaken further Saturday as the high moves further away from the state, allowing land and sea breezes to develop along the leeward slopes of all islands Sunday. For next week, light east to southeast winds will shift to southeasterly Wednesday with southerly flow possible by the end of the week…as a cold front approaches the islands from the northwest.

Details: Wind speeds have diminished some, as a high northeast of Hawaii continues to move eastward away from the state. A low pressure area with a cold front continues to move across the Central Pacific, which is weakening the high pressure ridge north of the state. This cold front will stall northwest of Kauai, as wind directions range from east to southeast over the islands. These lighter winds will prompt onshore sea breezes to develop along the leeward slopes of all islands Sunday…with offshore land breezes Sunday night.

Looking Further Ahead: Later next week a deep low pressure system is forecast to bring its associated cold front towards the islands. Wind directions will veer towards the south by Thursday, bringing a plume of volcanic haze (vog) over the smaller islands. The greatest chance for showers will develop over island interior sections each afternoon, as deeper tropical moisture is drawn up from the south by the end of the week. The weather models are in good agreement with this longer range outlook, and so we should expect increasing showers in this developing weather pattern.

Here’s a wind profile of the Pacific Ocean – Closer view of the islands / Here’s the vog forecast animation / Here’s the latest weather map

Marine environment details: Trade wind have started to weaken, which is due to the surface high continuing to move further away from the islands. The current small craft advisory (SCA), due to winds, will shrink to the waters south of the Big Island tonight. However, due to elevated seas generated east of the Big Island, the SCA will persist over most of the windward waters into Saturday. The high surf advisory (HSA) for east facing shores has been extended through Saturday morning.

Surf will remain below advisory levels for the remaining shores through this weekend. A small northwest swell is expected arrive Saturday night, and be reinforced with a moderate west-northwest swell Sunday night through Monday, peak Monday night, followed by a gradual decline through Wednesday. This second swell may warrant an HSA for the north facing shores of some of the smaller islands.

Lighter trade winds on the horizon

World-wide Tropical Cyclone activity

>>> Here’s the latest PDC Weather Wall Presentation, covering Tropical Cyclone 06S (Berguitta) in the South Indian Ocean…along with a tropical disturbance being referred to as Invest 99S in the Mozambique Channel

>>> Atlantic Ocean:

>>> Caribbean Sea:

>>> Gulf of Mexico:

Here’s a satellite image of the Caribbean Sea…and the Gulf of Mexico

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

>>> Eastern Pacific:

Here’s a wide satellite image that covers the entire area between Mexico, out through the central Pacific…to the International Dateline.

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

>>> Central Pacific:

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

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: No active tropical cyclones