The Connection Betwixt Heavy Rainfall Inwards Kauai Together With Washington Acre Final Weekend
Last weekend brought catastrophic pelting to Kauai, resulting inwards floods together with landslides. And terminal Saturday, portions of Washington State were inundated amongst heavy pelting that brought localized flooding.
The interesting thing: they were straight connected. Let me explain.
Kauai past times whatsoever stair out is a wet place. But it is every bit good a house of peachy atmospheric precipitation contrasts. These contrasts are straight related to the terrain, amongst the 2 highest peaks beingness Kawaikini (5243 ft) together with Mt. Waialeale (about 5150 ft.). Moist tropical air ascending this terrain results inwards huge amounts of precipitation.
The annual atmospheric precipitation illustrates this (below), amongst much of the higher terrain soaked past times over 150 inches a year. In fact, the heaviest average annual atmospheric precipitation inwards the U.S. occurs at Mt. Waialeale amongst 460 inches a year-- much to a greater extent than than our Olympics, which savour the tape for the highest full inwards the remainder of the U.S. (about 150-180 inches a twelvemonth on the windward slopes). The northern/northeastern side of Hawaii tends to possess got heavy atmospheric precipitation since it faces the incoming merchandise winds, piece the southeastern side (e.g, Poipu) is relatively arid, amongst alone 20-40 inches a year. Most vacationers caput to the southward side of the isle for obvious reasons.
Last weekend at that topographic point were unimaginable amounts of atmospheric precipitation hitting Kauai. Below are the 48-h totals for the 48-hour menses ending at half-dozen PM HST on Apr 15, 2018 provided past times the National Weather Service. All values are inwards inches.
Back to the connexion amongst Washington atmospheric precipitation on Saturday. As noted inwards an before blog, an atmospheric river brought heavy atmospheric precipitation to our expanse that day, amongst upwards to 2 inches inwards Seattle together with 3-6 inches inwards the mountains.
It turns out that at that topographic point was a direct connexion betwixt the feather of wet hitting Washington State together with the wet inundating Kauai. The UW model forecast for the vertical full of atmospheric precipitation at five AM Sat (PDT) shows this.
And a satellite-based criterion of wet for the 12h ending five AM (PDT) Saturday, shows the connection, amongst Kauai getting hitting past times MUCH larger values (orange colors) than nosotros endured.
And the connexion was quite clear inwards satellite-based H2O vapor imagery, amongst the lighter colors indicating to a greater extent than H2O vapor inwards the upper troposphere.
But what caused the connexion inwards moisture? An upper-level (500 hPa) map at five PM Fri (0000 UTC xiv April) shows an extensive upper score trough that extended dorsum to Hawaii. The rigid southwesterly stream associated amongst the trough (where the lines are closed together) moved wet into our area, piece the trough extension over Hawaii contributed to vertical motility together with atmospheric precipitation there..
H5N1 surface map 12-h after (5 AM our time) shows a forepart approaching our coast, piece a trough (area of depression pressure level indicated past times the dashed lines) extended dorsum towards Hawaii,with moderate northeasterly stream that rose upwards the northeast slopes of Kauai.
Hawaii together with the Northwest possess got a lot of conditions connections..... atmospheric rivers (which nosotros telephone telephone pineapple expresses) are, of course, one. But at that topographic point is a lot more, including the body of body of water currents which, displace H2O from off our coast to Hawaii.
And those currents volition tending a brave UW educatee inwards rowing from the West Coast to Hawaii inwards June.
________________________________________
Announcement: The Northwest Weather Workshop is on Apr 27-28
The NW Weather Workshop is the large annual coming together for those interested inwards Northwest meteorology. This twelvemonth nosotros volition possess got a major session on the meteorology of NW wildfires together with others on other aspects of our regional weather. The gathering takes house at the NOAA facility inwards Seattle. To thought the agenda together with to register, become to the meeting website. The workshop is opened upwards to everyone, simply registration is required.
The interesting thing: they were straight connected. Let me explain.
Kauai past times whatsoever stair out is a wet place. But it is every bit good a house of peachy atmospheric precipitation contrasts. These contrasts are straight related to the terrain, amongst the 2 highest peaks beingness Kawaikini (5243 ft) together with Mt. Waialeale (about 5150 ft.). Moist tropical air ascending this terrain results inwards huge amounts of precipitation.
The annual atmospheric precipitation illustrates this (below), amongst much of the higher terrain soaked past times over 150 inches a year. In fact, the heaviest average annual atmospheric precipitation inwards the U.S. occurs at Mt. Waialeale amongst 460 inches a year-- much to a greater extent than than our Olympics, which savour the tape for the highest full inwards the remainder of the U.S. (about 150-180 inches a twelvemonth on the windward slopes). The northern/northeastern side of Hawaii tends to possess got heavy atmospheric precipitation since it faces the incoming merchandise winds, piece the southeastern side (e.g, Poipu) is relatively arid, amongst alone 20-40 inches a year. Most vacationers caput to the southward side of the isle for obvious reasons.
Last weekend at that topographic point were unimaginable amounts of atmospheric precipitation hitting Kauai. Below are the 48-h totals for the 48-hour menses ending at half-dozen PM HST on Apr 15, 2018 provided past times the National Weather Service. All values are inwards inches.
Wainiha together with Hanalei on the northward side got huge amounts (28-32 inches). No wonder at that topographic point was massive flooding. But Kalaheo on the southern side alone had 1.55 inches (which is however a meaning amount of rain)
Wainiha : 32.35
Hanalei : 28.41
Mount Waialeale : 22.34
Princeville Airport : 14.60
Kilohana : 13.19
North Wailua Ditch : 10.62
Kapahi : 10.12
Wailua : 8.21
Lihue Variety Station : 3.36
Anahola : 3.20
Lihue Airport : 1.92
Kalaheo : 1.55
H5N1 map of the 24h amount ending ix AM HST Apr 15th shows the amazing contrasts. Keep this inwards heed when you lot visit a opor-garai inwards Kauai.
It turns out that at that topographic point was a direct connexion betwixt the feather of wet hitting Washington State together with the wet inundating Kauai. The UW model forecast for the vertical full of atmospheric precipitation at five AM Sat (PDT) shows this.
And a satellite-based criterion of wet for the 12h ending five AM (PDT) Saturday, shows the connection, amongst Kauai getting hitting past times MUCH larger values (orange colors) than nosotros endured.
But what caused the connexion inwards moisture? An upper-level (500 hPa) map at five PM Fri (0000 UTC xiv April) shows an extensive upper score trough that extended dorsum to Hawaii. The rigid southwesterly stream associated amongst the trough (where the lines are closed together) moved wet into our area, piece the trough extension over Hawaii contributed to vertical motility together with atmospheric precipitation there..
H5N1 surface map 12-h after (5 AM our time) shows a forepart approaching our coast, piece a trough (area of depression pressure level indicated past times the dashed lines) extended dorsum towards Hawaii,with moderate northeasterly stream that rose upwards the northeast slopes of Kauai.
Hawaii together with the Northwest possess got a lot of conditions connections..... atmospheric rivers (which nosotros telephone telephone pineapple expresses) are, of course, one. But at that topographic point is a lot more, including the body of body of water currents which, displace H2O from off our coast to Hawaii.
And those currents volition tending a brave UW educatee inwards rowing from the West Coast to Hawaii inwards June.
________________________________________
Announcement: The Northwest Weather Workshop is on Apr 27-28
The NW Weather Workshop is the large annual coming together for those interested inwards Northwest meteorology. This twelvemonth nosotros volition possess got a major session on the meteorology of NW wildfires together with others on other aspects of our regional weather. The gathering takes house at the NOAA facility inwards Seattle. To thought the agenda together with to register, become to the meeting website. The workshop is opened upwards to everyone, simply registration is required.
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