Folks find relief at the beach, theaters

Islanders baking and wilting in the sun Friday flocked to Oahu’s beaches and crowded its shopping malls. They watched movies in air-conditioned theaters and lingered in the comfort of indoor restaurants.

Yvonne Wong and her 8-year-old daughter, Kalani, escaped the heat Friday afternoon by ordering ice cream cones at Ben and Jerry’s on Kama­kee Street in Hono­lulu.

"It’s so hot, they’re melting fast," Wong said as she grabbed her daughter’s cone and applied a few quick licks to avoid a sticky disaster. "I’m feeling cooler already."

Friday was hot and humid once again in Hawaii as the tradewinds were a no-show for yet another day.

"That means we’re feeling it," said Maureen Ballard, National Weather Service meteorologist.

In Honolulu and Kahului, record high temperatures were set for July 3.

The high in Hono­lulu was 92 degrees, breaking the old record of 90, set in 2005. The high in Kahu­lui was 93, breaking by a degree the old record set in 1949. Kahu­lui also had a record high of 93 on Wednesday.

The high temperature in Hilo was 87, tying the record set in 1974, the weather service said.

Ballard said the muggy heat will likely stick around Saturday but start to ease in the new week as a ridge of pressure begins to back away from the islands and returns to its usual position north of Hawaii.

Tradewinds will build Monday and Tuesday and might even reach moderate levels by the middle of next week, she said. Strong trades and increasing showers are possible in the second half of the week.

"We’ll start to see a little more tradewinds," she predicted. "Once the wind starts blowing, we’ll feel a lot better."

Meanwhile, weather officials are eyeing two separate disturbance areas of showers and thunderstorms in the Central Pacific identified as having the potential to develop into tropical storms.

One disturbance, more than 1,200 miles east-southeast of Hilo on Friday, was forecast to have a 40 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression, with sustained winds between 25 and 35 mph, by Sunday, while another disturbance, about 850 miles south-southeast of Hilo, has a 20 percent shot of becoming a tropical depression over the next day or so.

Computer modeling suggests the disturbances will pass south of the islands, with moisture generated by these systems — particularly the one farther away — extending northward and offering up rain to the islands during the second half of the week, forecasters said.

In addition, another potential storm is brewing in the eastern Pacific, closer to Mexico but slowly moving in our direction. The National Hurricane Center is monitoring an area about 2,400 miles east-southeast of Hilo with at least one model showing aggressive development later in the week.

"We will be closely monitoring these areas, but it is still several days to be sure of anything, particularly with the differences in the models," forecasters said Friday.

It’s never too early to prepare for hurricane season, which runs through November, officials said.

August and September have tended to be the busiest time for tropical storms, Ballard said, but this is an El Nino year and the season may be running ahead of schedule.

Weather forecasters in May predicted the Central Pacific would experience anywhere from five to eight tropical cyclones this season, an uptick in activity from last year’s relatively busy season.

In the meantime, for those who plan to spend the Independence Day weekend outside, officials recommend practicing heat safety — keeping yourself hydrated, staying in the shade, using lots of sunscreen and spending more time in the water.

Lots of people are spending more time in the water at Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawaii, according to Jerry Pupillo, general manager of the Kapo­lei water park.

Hot days like the ones Hawaii has been experiencing in recent weeks have been very good for business, he said. While rain and cool weather usually mean fewer people at the park, heat and humidity tend to drive up attendance.

"We welcome the warm," he said.

A quick survey of shopping mall retailers and restaurant and movie theater managers revealed a heavy traffic day Friday as many customers sought relief from the oppressive heat.

Despite the high temperatures, Yvonne Wong and her daughter, Kalani, said they prefer the warm weather here to the warm weather back home in Hong Kong.

Wong, who grew up in Aiea and is home visiting the islands, said this kind of hot and sticky is nothing compared with the kind in Hong Kong, especially when you add in the air pollution.

"If this were Hong Kong, you would have been taking three showers already," she said, adding, "Hey, everyone in Hawaii, this is paradise."