Rough winds and waves prompt advisory

Stiff winds and heavy seas prompted the National Weather Service to issue a small-craft advisory for channel waters Saturday.

The advisory remains in effect until 6 a.m. Monday for Maui’s Maalaea Bay, the Pailolo Channel between Molokai and Maui, the Alenuihaha Channel between Maui and Hawaii island, and waters leeward of the Big Island.

The advisory was set to expire at 6 a.m. Sunday for the Kaiwi Channel, the Kauai Channel and waters northwest of Kauai.

East winds of 23 to 29 mph and seas of 7 to 10 feet are forecast. In the eastern channels, seas could reach 12 feet, the weather service said.

Meanwhile, moderate tradewinds and mainly windward and mauka showers will continue early this week.

Seismic activity at Mauna Loa is up; eruption not in forecast

Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have recorded increased seismic activity on the flanks and summit of Mauna Loa over the past 13 months.

The observatory said in a weekly activity update Thursday there is no sign of an impending eruption.

Earthquake swarms were detected prior to previous eruptions of the volcano.

Seismic activity was elevated for at least three years before the mountain’s 1984 eruption. Scientists recorded 28 earthquakes greater than magnitude 3 and two earthquakes greater than magnitude 4.

Over the past year, four distinct earthquake swarms have occurred.

Each swarm began with earthquakes northwest of the summit, followed by shallow earthquakes at the summit several days to one month later.

These earthquakes have all been less than magnitude 2.2, except for a magnitude-3.5 quake on May 9. They have been in the same general areas of the volcano as the run-up to 1984, observatory geophysicist Jim Kauahikaua said in his dispatch.