Several more heat records were set or tied in Hilo last week, but temperatures are expected to cool off later this week.
Last week saw a new record high temperature for May 22 in Hilo when temperatures climbed to 88 degrees. The previous heat record for that day was 87 degrees, set in 2005.
Earlier that week, on May 19, another heat record — this one dating from 1980 — was tied at 87 degrees for that date.
However, despite last week’s heat, the National Weather Service predicts cooler weather to return this week.
“It’s just typical wind patterns,” said Jeff Powell, senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
The hot weather last week was primarily caused by a weakening of the trade winds throughout the entire state, Powell explained. Without the winds bringing cooler breezes or significant precipitation, temperatures climbed to record highs.
Another pause in the trade winds caused similarly hot weather earlier in the month. Two consecutive days in a row — May 12 and 13 — tied with those days’ record highs, while May 4 set a new record of 86 degrees, breaking last year’s record of 85 for that date.
Although it may have felt hotter than normal during the long weekend, no records were set or matched in Hilo. The hottest temperatures over the weekend were a 85-degree high on Memorial Day, still short of 2003’s record of 88 degrees.
As with the earlier hot spells, this current hot period is expected to die down as the trade winds return. The National Weather Service predicts scattered showers throughout the remainder of the week, with highs not expected to exceed 84 degrees, at least three degrees below the record highs.
Low temperatures, on the other hand, will remain around the upper 60s, nowhere near any records.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.