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Off-Topic >> Everything and Nothing

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CoconutCandy
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Reged: Fri
Posts: 245
Loc: Beautiful Honolulu Hawaii
Winter Weather comes to Hawaii in July / Kona Storms!
      #75813 - Mon Jul 16 2007 12:19 AM Attachment (223 downloads)

Well, OK. That's a bit over-sensationalized.

It'd be more correct to say 'winter-like' weather. Actually, there has been a 'shear-line' (weakening cold front remnant ) passing through the Hawaiian Islands yesterday and today (Saturday and Sunday). Yesterday, especially, was quite cloudy with frequent rain showers passing through, making for a seemingly 'winter-like' day here in Honolulu.

I've lived in Hawaii for 26+ years, after moving here from Coconut Grove (near Miami), and have been very 'atuned' to Hawaii's weather from 'day one'.

I'm *REALLY* hard-put to remember when we had a shear-line pass through the islands in mid-JULY !! I'm not sure of all the synoptic patterns that led up to having the front / shearline penetrating this far south, this late in the season.

We *DO* have some pretty strong cold fronts with attendent violent thunderstorms which sweep through the islands in the 'winter' months, typically November thru March, and plenty of shear-lines during these months, as well.

Also! We have the occasional "Kona Storm" (sub-tropical in nature, like Andrea earlier this year) which can linger for days, or even weeks, and meander a few hundred miles SW of the main islands, which can (rarely) even get up to hurricane force! There was one, years ago, with 100+ MPH winds, which caused a lot of damage.

They usually form November thru April, unlike the Sub-Tropical Storms which effect the US Mainland coastline, which are more typical in late spring and early summer, like Andrea's development this year.

I'll save my Kona Storm 'story' for another post, another day, but suffice to say it's a very interesting phenomena. For those interested, try Google the terms "Kona Storm", as there's a fair amount of research into this beast.

Or just click ...

http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/MET/Faculty/businger/poster/KonaLow/

... for one of the ** BEST ** research papers (profusely illustrated!) I've ever read on the "Synoptic Structure and Evolution of a Kona Low", published right here at the University of Hawaii. (Click on the 'Figs' links ... open in new tab ... for a bigger view of the many excellent illustrations.)

I was here in Hawaii for this particular Kona Storm event, and remember it well.

This article may be especially interesting to the 'Mets', as it is *very* interesting from a meteorological perspective, on Sub-Tropical Storm cyclogenesis near Hawaii.

And, of course, Hawaii gets Hurricanes, too.! Please view the "$25 Billion if Hurricane Hits Hawaii" post, below in this forum, for more info and links to a recent Honolulu Star Bulletin article re: a new model (study) of what is expected to happen if a Cat 4 hurricane makes landfall at Pearl Harbor, heaven forbid.

But I just thought it was interesting, too, to point out that a 'winter-like' shearline is passing through the islands in Mid-July(!), no less. What is the weather up to ?!? Bizarre. Climate change? I'll leave it at that.

I've attached a graphic for you to view, of the now weakening shearline. Just click the attachment link at the top of the post, to view this *highly un-seasonable* shearline.

The shearline has now sagged south over the 'Big Island', and if you look closely, you'll even notice a brief thunderstorm (yellow dot) that it triggered over the SW slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano, presumably because that slope was sun-heated and very warm just prior to the shearlines' arrival with it's warm, moist airmass. But that's just speculation on my part. There is a weak upper-low in the vicinity, as well, providing slight instability, which is the more likely culprit which triggered the CB.

Meanwhile, it appears more likely, with good model run-to-run consistency, that whatever is left of Tropical Storm Cosme may very well bring some much-needed rains (and tons of humidity, too ) to the Big Island in about a week from now. More on this in my next post in the 'Other Basins' forum under "Tropical Storm Cosme in the EastPac".


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