Weather feels unusually warm? It is

Temperatures in Hilo matched record high temperatures two days in a row earlier this week.

On Sunday, temperatures in Hilo reached 85 degrees, while on Monday, temperatures rose to 86 degrees. Both temperatures tied the record-high temperatures recorded in Hilo on May 12 and 13, which were set in 1996.

National Weather Service meteorologist Melissa Dye said the cause for the hot weather was a lack of a strong high-pressure system that would fuel trade winds. With minimal wind, temperatures climbed, aided by a higher dew point.

Dye said the high temperatures were unrelated to the ongoing weak El Nino effect around the Pacific Ocean, explaining that it was an unremarkable weather oscillation.

Temperatures are expected to remain high this week, Dye said. Today’s forecasted high temperature is just one degree lower than the record high of 87, while no daily high temperature is expected to drop below 84 degrees through Wednesday.

However, the return of the trade winds will ensure that the next several days likely will be cooler than the start of the week, especially as the chance for daytime showers increases going into Monday.

Nighttime temperatures are expected to drop no lower than 69 degrees for the immediate future.
Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald