August left Hilo on a high — with several days of record high temps.
Daily high temperature records were tied or broken on Aug. 26, 27, 29, 30 and 31, according to the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
On Aug. 26, a temperature of 88 tied the old record set on that date in 2007; on Aug. 27, a temperature of 89 degrees tied the daily record last set in 2015; on Aug. 29, a temperature of 89 degrees broke the daily record of 88 set in 2007; and on Aug. 30 and 31, a temperature of 89 degrees tied records set on those dates in 2015.
NWS forecaster Peter Donaldson said water temperatures around the islands are about 3 degrees higher than normal, which means temperatures on land are going to be warmer, too.
Donaldson said waters tend to be warmer this time of year, but it’s hard to determine the cause of long-term changes in water temperatures.
Donaldson said, too, that it’s difficult to compare this summer to summers past, “other than so far this summer we’ve been breaking a lot of record temperatures.”
Sweltering weather has tied or broken more than 150 daily records throughout Hawaii this year, according to data from the NWS.
Although the high temperatures can be uncomfortable, Donaldson said, “in the grand scheme of things, we’re concerned about things like hurricanes that blow people’s houses away or high surf. It’s not in the realm of the more hazardous weather we’re concerned with.”
While the NWS will, under some circumstances, issue heat advisories, the high temperatures here, even if warmer than normal, “aren’t the kind of concern that high temperatures in other places might be,” he said.
Hawaii’s highest temperatures “pale in comparison” to other places on the mainland that can see temps greater than 100, Donaldson said.
And it doesn’t look like things will change soon, he said.
“Ocean temperatures around the island are slow to change,” Donaldson said. “Land can heat up and cool off fairly quickly, (but) water temperatures change fairly gradual. …”
If the water remains warmer than normal, air temperatures will probably stay warmer than normal, too, he said.
Additionally, Donaldson said there’s a lag between “when you get the most sunshine and temps are the hottest.”
The most sunlight happens at the summer solstice in June, and peak temperatures typically come a few months later, he said, adding that Hawaii sometimes doesn’t see its hottest temperatures until October.
Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
