The latest update to this website was at 9pm Friday (HST)

 

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

81 / 66  Lihue AP, Kauai
m / m  Honolulu AP, Oahu
m / m  Molokai AP, Molokai
84 / 63  Kahului AP, Maui
84 / 70  Kona AP, Big Island
83 / 65  Hilo AP, Big Island

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

0.24  Princeville AP, Kauai
0.47  Heeia, Oahu
0.07  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.00  Maui
0.04  Waikoloa, Big Island

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

10  Mana, Kauai
10  Kuaokala, Oahu
10  Makapulapai, Molokai
07  Lanai 1, Lanai
10  Kula 1, Maui
16  South Point, 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 well northwest


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

Most areas clear to partly cloudy

 

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

A dissipating cold front near Oahu and Maui

 

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

Just a few 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 Aloha Friday comments:  I’m home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii. I hope you have a good Friday wherever you happen to be spending it.

It’s clear, with a low temperature of 51.5 degrees degrees according to my outside temperature sensor.

As is typical for this type of light wind weather pattern here in the islands, mornings are generally clear to partly cloudy, with clouds gathering around the mountain slopes during the afternoon hours…which is exactly what’s happening now. The temperature here at my Kula weather tower at 130pm, is running right around 70 degrees, compared to the warmer 82 degrees down at the Kahului AP.

510pm, it’s partly to mostly cloudy here in upcountry Maui, with fewer clouds off in the distance…along with being quite hazy.

My high temperature today was 70.5 degrees.

Tonight is the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice, a holiday that has been celebrated for 30,000 years. The solstice marks the death and rebirth of the sun. People have recorded this from time immemorial in both physical monuments and the myths of their gods. Tomorrow the days start to grow. Many blessings to all in the new year and a wish for peace and tranquility in this changing world.

Happy Winter Solstice my friends!

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  Stable and mostly dry conditions, accompanied by light winds, will prevail tonight through Sunday. Trade winds will return Sunday night, bringing a few windward showers, with winds expected to ease slightly and veer to the east-southeast later in the week.

Hawaii’s Weather Details:  Satellite and radar imagery show scattered to broken low clouds over island interiors and a couple very light showers, especially over the western end of the state. Lingering low-level moisture from the remnants of an old front will keep scattered showers in the forecast around Kauai and Oahu tonight. However, a surface ridge over the state should maintain a light enough background flow for land breezes to develop tonight and keep most of the shower activity offshore.

In addition, deep-layer subsidence will remain in place over the islands for the next couple of days, to keep things on the dry side. The light flow will favor a land and sea breeze pattern into Sunday, with mostly clear nights and mornings, and a slight chance of an afternoon shower or two.

A strengthening surface high moving by to the east will bring a return to a typical breezy trade wind pattern late Sunday through Tuesday. A small pool of moisture associated with another dissipated front may fuel a slight increase in windward showers for the smaller islands, as the models brush this weak boundary across the northern edge of the state.

Long-range guidance is in reasonable agreement that a veered trade wind flow will prevail for the second half of the upcoming week, as the surface high sits northeast of the state, with an associated ridge just north of the islands. Mostly dry weather will likely continue, with limited windward rainfall and virtually none leeward.

Longer range model output suggest some weakening of the mid-level ridge just beyond a week from now, potentially supporting some much-needed rain. As it stands, this December has been marked by well below normal rainfall.

The winter solstice will occur at 11:20pm HST tonight.

Fire weather:  No fire weather concerns through the forecast period as winds remain sufficiently light and relative humidity elevated.

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 ridge of high pressure will remain near the islands during the next several days, keeping light winds in place over the waters through the weekend. Although winds will remain light during this time, a series of large northwest swells will keep combined seas in most marine waters above the advisory threshold through the weekend. A new high building north of the state will bring a return of fresh to locally strong trade winds Sunday night through Tuesday. This will likely boost winds up to advisory levels in the typically windier waters.

A series of large to extra large northwest to north-northwest swells will continue to move through the islands through the weekend, peaking on Sunday. The High Surf Warning (HSW) for north and west facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and north facing shores of Maui has been extended through 6pm Saturday. The High Surf Advisory (HSA) for west facing shores of the Big Island has been expanded to include north facing shores as well, with this advisory now in effect through 6pm Saturday.

Surf may briefly drop down to advisory levels late Saturday afternoon and evening, before the largest of the swells arrive late Saturday night into Sunday. This swell is expected to bring the largest surf of the season to north facing shores on Sunday.

Aside from areas exposed to wrapping northwest swell, surf along east and south facing shores will remain small through the weekend. East shore surf will trend up early next week, as the trades over and upstream of the islands strengthen.

 

 

 

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:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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:  Wildfire Surges in East, Southeast US Fueled by New Trees and Shrubs

The eastern U.S. has more trees and shrubs than three decades ago. This growth, driven by processes such as tree and under story infilling in unmanaged forests, is helping fuel wildfires, contributing to changing fire regimes in the eastern half of the country, according to a new study.

Some parts of the eastern and southeastern United States have experienced a tenfold increase in the frequency of large wildfires over the last forty years, with Texas and the Appalachians seeing the largest increase. However, the Northeast lacked a tie between woody plant growth and large wildfires.

Wildfires thrive on woody vegetation such as trees and shrubs. The new analysis of wildfire and vegetation data shows that the eastern U.S. has seen a 37% increase in woody cover over the last 30 years. In some regions, high levels of woody cover are linked directly to a higher risk of large wildfires over the same period.

Read more at: American Geophysical Union