Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday:
77 Lihue, Kauai
84 Honolulu, Oahu
M Molokai
88 Kahului, Maui
84 Kona, Hawaii
84 Hilo, Hawaii
Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops on Maui and the Big Island…as of 843pm Friday evening:
Kailua Kona - 79
Hilo, Hawaii – 74
Haleakala Summit – 50 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea Summit – 37 (13,000+ feet on the Big Island)
Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live web cam on the summit of near 13,800 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. This web cam is available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon shining down during the night at times. Plus, during the nights you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise and sunset too… depending upon weather conditions. Here’s the Haleakala Crater webcam on Maui – if it’s working.
Aloha Paragraphs
Variable clouds – improving conditions this weekend /
Strengthening trades…locally voggy
High Surf Advisory…north and east shores / moderate
harbor surges in Hilo and Kahului
The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions as of Friday evening:
14 Puu Lua, Kauai – NE
25 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – NW
24 Molokai – ESE
21 Lanai – E
37 Kahoolawe – NE
22 Kapalua, Maui – NE
29 Upolu airport, Big Island – NE
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Friday evening:
0.31 Lihue airport, Kauai
1.71 Hawaii Kai Golf Course, Oahu
0.07 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.02 Kahakuloa, Maui
0.21 Lower Kahuku, Big Island
We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean. Here’s the latest NOAA satellite picture – the latest looping satellite image… and finally the latest looping radar image for the Hawaiian Islands.
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Strengthening trade winds will return today on the Big Island and Maui…through the rest of the state on Saturday. Here’s a weather chart showing a near 1003 millibar gale low pressure system, located to the north-northwest of our islands. There’s also the tail-end of a frontal boundary near Kauai. At the same time, there’s a ridge of high pressure over the ocean to the northeast of the Big Island. The trade winds are returning to the Big Island and Maui…then all areas Saturday. These winds will shift to the southeast later Sunday into Monday, with voggy skies. The longer range forecast calls for more Kona winds (south and southwest) by Tuesday or Wednesday…lasting for a few days.
There will be a few showers falling locally…improving conditions are expected everywhere this weekend. Satellite imagery shows multi-layered clouds over and around the islands…with the exception of the Big Island. Here’s the looping radar image, showing light to moderately heavy showers over the offshore waters…moving up from the southwest near Kauai only at the time of this writing. Improving weather conditions should fill back into the state through the weekend. The long range outlook calls for more showers to arrive during the new week ahead, probably in the mid-week period. I’ll be back with your next new weather narrative early Saturday morning, I hope you have a great Friday night. Aloha for now…Glenn
Friday evening film: There are a lot of good films showing now, so it was a little difficult to pick one this time. Although, with that said, I’m going to see the film called Twelve Years a Slave, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbende, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, and Alfre Woodward. The synopsis: In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty at the hands of a malevolent slave owner, as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life. ~~~ The critics are being very generous with this film, with near perfect grades across the board. It looks rather intense to me, and some of the reviews I’ve read, say things like: “it makes you angry, sad, appreciative, reflective…hollow and full at the same time.” ~~~ I’ll let you know what I thought Saturday morning, after I see this new film tonight. Here’s the trailer for this film.
World-wide tropical cyclone activity:
Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclone
Here’s a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean
Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones
Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclone
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: There are no active tropical cyclone
Here’s a wide satellite image that covers the entire area between Mexico, out through the central Pacific…to the International Dateline.
Central Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)
Western Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
South Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
North and South Indian Oceans: Tropical depression 30W will be dissipating over India. Here’s the JTWC graphical track map…along with the latest satellite image – Final Warning
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: The continued release of greenhouse gases into the air is set to bring about huge changes to land ecosystems as they are forced to adapt to rising temperatures. But the marine world — which is just as integral to human existence yet receives little attention during climate negotiations — will endure a similarly tumultuous time as emissions rise, scientists say.
“Changing oceans will cause massive destruction of coral reefs, which, with their rich biodiversity, are the jungles of the sea,” says Luis Valdes, the head of ocean science at UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO), and co-author of a forthcoming report into ocean acidification.
This is expected to hit marine species used for food and have knock-on effects on coastal communities, especially in developing countries.
Business-as-usual carbon dioxide emissions will lead to the acidity levels of oceans rising by 170 per cent by 2100 compared with pre-industrial levels, according to a report to be launched next week at COP 19 (Conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change).
The report will be published jointly by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, the IOC-UNESCO and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research.
As carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, some of this extra carbon is absorbed by the oceans and converted into acidic compounds.
While some organisms such as seagrasses and phytoplankton will likely thrive in increasingly acidic waters, most will not be so lucky.
Coral reefs and shellfish — both important sources of food — will be hit hard, with higher acidification levels predicted to halt all new further growth of reefs by the end of the century.
It will be poor coastal communities, especially those in small island states whose existence revolves around coral reefs and fishing, which will bear the brunt of this change, says Valdes.
“Poor communities are more dependent on the sea and have fewer options to mitigate effects if their current lifestyles become unsustainable,” he adds.
Creating marine reserves to provide a safe environment away from human pressures to ease species’ transition to this altered world may be a way to minimize the damage, but ultimately the only way to prevent major problems is to halt the carbon emissions, says Valdes.
But their effect on marine habitats is often absent from climate negotiations and Valdes calls for policymakers to pay more attention to the issue over the next week in Warsaw.