Hawaii

Weather Blog: Tracking storm system north of Hawaii

Published

2 years ago

December 30, 2022

Press Room

Weather Blog: Tracking storm system north of Hawaii

Good Friday bloggers,

Immediately we’re buying and selling colder air for a lot, a lot much less wind.

The height wind gusts from Thursday had been within the 40-50 mph vary. St. Joseph had a 52 mph wind gust.

Highs had been within the mid to higher 60s. So, at this time we’ll see highs within the mid to higher 40s, however with wind speeds round 5 mph.

Jeff Penner

What’s subsequent?

There’s a storm system about 1000 miles north of Hawaii and 3300 miles west of KC that will probably be affecting our climate on the second day of 2023.

Right here is the upper-level circulate for Monday. The storm system now 3300 miles away will probably be about 800 miles to our west. That is shut sufficient to deliver an opportunity of rain and thunderstorms.

There’s a Polar Vortex in pink to the fitting of the banner. It’s disconnected from this storm system. Any snow from this storm will probably be principally north of Interstate 80.

Let’s undergo the forecast as we flip the calendar to 2023.

TODAY:
There will probably be extra sunshine this afternoon together with highs within the mid to higher 40s. That is 20 levels colder than Thursday, however the wind will probably be round 5 mph, which is 40-50 mph lower than Thursday.

Showers and some thunderstorms will probably be discovered from the southeast U.S. to the Nice Lakes.

NEW YEAR’S EVE:
Will probably be a pleasant final day of 2022. Highs will probably be 50°-55° together with a south to southeast breeze at 5-15 mph. There will probably be durations of clouds which implies we’ll see sunshine at occasions.

Through the night to midnight into the early hours of 2023, the climate will probably be calm with temperatures within the 40s together with a lightweight wind.

However, there’s a DRUNK/TEXTING WHILE DRIVING WARNING. That is in reminiscence of all these killed or injured in drunk/texting driving accidents. Nathan McDuffie misplaced his life over 30 years in the past in a drunk-driving accident.

Please DO NOT DRINK/TEXT and drive on any day.

NEW YEAR’S DAY:
Lows will probably be 35°-40° on the best way to highs within the mid to higher 50s. The wind will probably be gentle with durations of cirrus clouds in order that the solar can shine by way of.

This implies nice climate for the Chiefs-Broncos recreation. Temperatures for tailgating will probably be within the 40s.

MONDAY:
That is the day we will probably be monitoring the storm system now 3300 miles west of KC. Rain and some thunderstorms will type alongside and east of Interstate 35 as snow falls from Colorado to western Nebraska to the northern Plains.

Some extreme climate will probably be doable later Monday into Tuesday from across the Mississippi River and factors east.

Highs will probably be round 60° with extra wind from the south gusting 30-40 mph.

There’s a totally different resolution from the European mannequin. See beneath.

RAINFALL FORECAST:
There’s a distinction between the American and European fashions. The picture above is from the American mannequin.

The American mannequin has us on the western fringe of the rain bringing us .10″-.50″.

1″-2″ of rain happens alongside and south and east of Interstate 44. 2″ to 7″ of rain falls from Arkansas to Ohio.

The European mannequin has a a lot slower and farther south resolution for the storm. Because of this, we’re within the .50″-1″ to 1″-2″ rainfall whole classes.

Which one is true? We’re leaning with the American mannequin resolution, however it isn’t set but.

If the Euro mannequin is true, we might see the rain finish as snow. That’s how a lot totally different the options are right now, simply three days earlier than the storm arrives.

Each units of knowledge agree that 7″-10″ or extra rain will fall in central and northern California. They do want it, however that could be a bit an excessive amount of of a superb factor.

Snow ranges have been round 9000 ft above Lake Tahoe. The storm we’re monitoring will deliver snow ranges down a lot decrease, which means ft of snow for the ski resorts.

Have a contented and secure new yr!
Keep wholesome.

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Hawaii

Hawaii museum lays off entire staff, at risk of closing for good

Published

7 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Press Room

Hawaii museum lays off entire staff, at risk of closing for good

Located in downtown Hilo in a historic art deco building, the Pacific Tsunami Museum fronts Hilo Bay, where past tsunamis devastated the town.

Courtesy Pacific Tsunami Museum

Tsunamis have killed more people in Hawaii than any other form of natural disaster, yet basic tsunami education — from signs of an approaching one to what to do when it comes — is severely lacking in the Islands. Located in downtown Hilo on the Island of Hawaii, the Pacific Tsunami Museum was initially founded 30 years ago to fill that void — a hub for education and awareness that contends “no one should die due to a tsunami.” The museum is filled with photos and videos of tsunamis that have hit Hawaii and other parts of the Pacific, along with a large archive of firsthand interviews with survivors.

Now, it’s at risk of closing its doors for good.

Earlier this month, the Pacific Tsunami Museum laid off all 10 of its employees and suspended operations. Former staff are now volunteering their time to keep the doors open on a reduced schedule.

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“We have several problems,” Walter Dudley told SFGATE. Dudley co-founded the museum with tsunami survivor Jeanne Johnston in 1994 to educate residents and visitors about the natural disaster and to serve as a living memorial to those who lost their lives.

The museum is filled with exhibits, sharing the history of major tsunami events in the Islands and across the Pacific.
Courtesy Pacific Tsunami Museum

The museum’s 100-year-old historic building, which was donated to the organization in 1997, is expensive to maintain. “The AC died and cost us way outside our budget,” Dudley said. “The roof sprung a leak and we used our entire supplemental budget to fix that and clear up mold because, you know, Hilo is on the rainy side.”

Dudley doesn’t want to see the museum close completely. “Sadly, that’s one possibility,” he said. “I mean, we all hope that doesn’t happen, but unless we get some, you know, some serious help for the issues that we do have, that’s the worst-case scenario.”

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The museum needs monetary donations to fix up the building and to pay the staff so that it can reopen. “As the years go by, a lot of survivors who were many of our biggest supporters have passed away,” Dudley continued. “They’re no longer around, and that actually makes our mission all that much important because people tend to forget that tsunamis are a true and present danger in Hawaii.”

The last deadly Hawaii tsunami was in 1975, when an earthquake off the coast of the Island of Hawaii generated large waves within seconds that killed two people. In 1960, a tsunami resulting from a 9.5 Chilean earthquake killed 61 people in Hilo.

The deadliest tsunami to hit Hawaii in modern history was on April 1, 1946, when a magnitude 8.6 earthquake in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska triggered a tsunami with waves reaching heights of 55 feet. At least 159 people were killed throughout the Hawaiian island chain. The greatest loss of life was in Hilo, where an estimated 96 people died.

On April 1, 1946, in downtown Hilo, people are running from the third wave, estimated to be 30 feet high.
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Courtesy Pacific Tsunami Museum

Because there are spans of years between major tsunami events, education is important to remind people of Hawaii’s tsunami history and risks — and to take them seriously.

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“There’s an apathy around knowing and believing it will happen again. And it will happen again. It absolutely will,” Cindi Preller, director of the Pacific Tsunami Museum, told SFGATE. “The earth’s tectonics don’t change. It’s just unpredictable, it’s unknowable. And for the local tsunami, it can arrive in just a few minutes, so it’s really, really, really important that people know nature’s warning signs as well as the official warning signs.”

The Pacific Tsunami Museum’s mission is to educate the public about the dangers of tsunamis and to serve as a living memorial for those who have died.
Courtesy Pacific Tsunami Museum

Preller, who is now working as a volunteer alongside her staff, said visitor numbers were fine but building repairs have set them back. “If we were going to really restore this building, that would cost millions,” she said.

Through it all, Preller remains focused on the mission of the museum. She wants to revitalize the space and would like to see a new generation come in and help rebuild and do new things with the exhibits.

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“We need to strategically plan and create,” she said. “We just need to really revitalize and shake things up and create a plan so that we never ever have to shutter again.”

We have a newsletter all about Hawaii, with news, tips and in-depth features from the Aloha state. Sign up here.

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Hawaii nonprofits brace for less federal funding

Published

16 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Press Room

Hawaii nonprofits brace for less federal funding

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii nonprofits that provide critical social safety nets are facing economic hardship of their own.

President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is expected to slash federal appropriations, government contracts and grant awards, and heavily impact social services across the state.

Melissa Pavlicek, Hawaii True Cost Coalition, explained, “The community-based organizations that are providing key government services are already struggling to provide those services. Some of their contract prices have not increased in over 10 years. The cost to provide those services is significantly greater. The transportation costs, rent, employees, food, everything has gone up. And to serve the community costs more. So we’re looking to our state policy leaders to help ensure those services are continued.”

To mitigate the potential fallout or disruption of services, nonprofit leaders are working to fill the gaps with the help of lawmakers, private donors, philanthropy, corporate foundations and residents themselves.

Suzanne Skjold, Aloha United Way COO, said, “Whether that’s helping your neighbor, maybe donating to a charity that is losing a program, even getting involved politically, locally, you know, voting matters. Being involved in our legislature matters.”

“The slack really has to be picked up by the state and county governments as well as the private sector,” warned U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, “and so these are gonna be tough times and I’m telling everybody, hey, let’s, not sugarcoat this. We have to be prepared for the unexpected.”

Another concern is legislation that some believe if passed could be used to target progressive nonprofits opposed by the Trump administration.

For now, community advocates are urged to keep calm.

Case said, “The first thing I would advise everybody is not to freak out. That we have been through changes in administration before. That these are core federal programs that within Congress, even a divided and polarized Congress, many, many people from both parties support these programs.”

“We want to make sure Hawaii doesn’t become the kind of place where we lead in a way that’s hateful to others,” Skjold said.

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Visitors warned after toddler nearly runs off 400-foot cliff near Hawaii volcano

Published

1 day ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

Visitors warned after toddler nearly runs off 400-foot cliff near Hawaii volcano

The National Park Service is warning parents to keep their children close after a toddler ran toward the edge of a 400-foot-tall cliff at Hawaii National Park on Christmas.

The young boy was at the park with his family to view the eruption of the Kilauea volcano. They were in a closed area at Kilauea Overlook when he wandered away from his family before the “near miss.” His mother, screaming, managed to grab him just about a foot away from a fatal fall.

“Park rangers remind visitors to stay on trail, stay out of closed areas and to keep their children close, especially when watching Kīlauea from viewpoints along Crater Rim Trail. Those who ignore the warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones, and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk,” the agency warned.

People watch as an eruption takes place on the summit of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii on Monday. The volcanic eruption, which started on Monday, is now in its second pause. But, park officials are issuing a warning to visitors after an almost disastrous incident occurred near the volcano ((Janice Wei/NPS via AP))

Rangers noted that dangers escalate during volcanic eruptions, as people flock to view the spectacle of lava flowing out of the Earth’s crust. The Park Service urged drivers to slow, and watch out for pedestrians, Hawaiian geese, and switch to low beams when other cars and pedestrians are present.

The eruption, which started on December 23, is now in its second pause, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. But, it could still restart at any time.

Furthermore, emissions of toxic gas remain high, including particulate matter called tephra. Billions of minuscule pieces of tephra, which include all fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano, can be carried on winds for thousands of miles and can cause respiratory issues. Volcanoes also produce dangerous gases, like carbon dioxide and hydrogen chloride.

Tephra has blanketed the closed portion of Crater Rim Drive downwind of the lava.

Lava fountains erupt in Kīlauea crater as seen from Kūpinaʻi Pali in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Monday. Hazards increase for parkgoers during volcanic eruptions (NPS)

“The hazards that coincide with an eruption are dangerous, and we have safety measures in place including closed areas, barriers, closure signs, and traffic management,” Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said in a statement.

“Your safety is our utmost concern, but we rely on everyone to recreate responsibility. National parks showcase nature’s splendor but they are not playgrounds,” she said.

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