Glenn James
Hawaii Weather Today
Creator, Author, and Administrator for 30 years

 

The last update to this website was Friday morning at 504am HST


Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands Thursday evening:

0.99  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.82  Tunnel RG, Oahu
0.30  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.09  Lanai City, Lanai
2.60  Puu Kukui, Maui
1.47  Kawainui Stream, Big Island


The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) Thursday evening:

27  Lihue, Kauai – NE
39  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE 
30  Molokai AP, Molokai – NE
27  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
37  Na Kula, Maui – E 
28  Upolu AP, Big Island – ESE


Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of our tallest mountain Mauna Kea (~13,800 feet high) on the Big Island of Hawaii. Here’s the webcam for the (~10,023 feet high) Haleakala Crater on Maui. These webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands, and at night whenever there’s a big moon shining down. Also, at night you will be able to see the stars, and the sunrise and sunset too…depending upon weather conditions.

https://weather.gc.ca/data/satellite/goes_gwdisk11_1070_100.jpg

Big Blue…click twice for largest version

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/tpw/13/GOES18-TPW-13-900x540.gif

Lots of thunderstorms in the deeper tropics…cold fronts far northwest 

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/14/20261350620-20261351420-GOES18-ABI-HI-14-600x600.gif

Low clouds arriving on the east-southeast winds…well developed cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds (thunderstorms) near Kauai

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/HAWAII_loop.gif

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHKI_loop.gif

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHKM_loop.gif

Showers locally 

 

https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/png/hfo.png

Please open this link to see details on the current Watches, Warnings and Advisories noted above




~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Thursday comments:  I’m at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

It was clear with some streaky high cirrus clouds, as well as low clouds along the windward sides this morning here in Maui County, with a low temperature at my place a chilly 47.5 degrees. The streaky high cirrus clouds lit up a very pretty pink color at sunrise…just like yesterday!

1230pm, I’m just back from a quick trip downtown to Kahului, where I had a Dermatology appoint…which I’m very pleased to report that the doctor found no skin cancer. The temperature downtown was 80 degrees and cloudy, and while driving home here to Kula, I had several light showers that I passed through…mostly around Pukalani. Here in upper Kula early this afternoon it’s very cloudy, and it feels like it could get showery this afternoon…we’ll see.

113pm, cloudy with a light shower here at my place in upper Kula.

441pm, it’s been a very cloudy and off and on wet afternoon, with cool temperatures as a result, at least here at my place.

645pm, it’s cloudy with light to moderate rain falling here in upper Kula, at least at my place, with a temperature of 63.3 degrees

901pm, I have pea soup fog in this area, while the showers have ended. Here at the time of this writing the temperature is 62.2 degrees.


>>> Highest Temperature Thursday, May 14, 2026 – 110 degrees at Rio Grande Village, TX
>>> Lowest Temperature Friday, May 15, 2026 – 19 degrees at Peter sinks, UT

 

>>> Interesting Weather Web blog: Mauka Showers…2025-2026 Wet Season Numbers…And Here Comes El Niño!

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of Thursday evening:  Moderate to locally breezy trade winds will continue tonight, with periods of showers favoring windward mountain areas. An upper level low will briefly move over the region on Friday, enhancing threats for locally heavy rainfall and isolated thunderstorms. While widespread heavy rain is not anticipated, pockets of heavy rain with localized flooding impacts are possible through Friday night. Wetter than normal conditions will linger into Sunday.

Sh0rt Term Update…as of Thursday evening: The satellite imagery shows an extensive band of unstable low level cumulus clouds building into the islands from the southeast. A large band of frequent thunderstorms continues to fire along the eastern flank of an upper low roughly 300 miles north of Kauai. This upper low will continue to drift south, towards Kauai and Oahu tonight, and some of these thunderstorms may reach the western islands by Friday morning.

Large scale global weather models continue to show the center of the upper low reaching the island of Kauai around noon on Friday, then the low kicks out slowly to the east and weakens on Sunday, where enhanced showers will continue to produce a wet trade wind weather pattern across the state.

The Kilauea volcano on the Big Island continues to erupt in a fountain of lava this evening, trade winds are blowing most of the ashfall (tephra) from the volcano area towards the southwest into the Kau District.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of Thursday evening:  High pressure far north of the state continues to maintain breezy trade winds across the region, with clouds and showers focusing primarily over windward and mountain areas…although not exclusively. These locally breezy trades will continue into the evening hours, but are anticipated to weaken to more moderate levels overnight.

An upper level low that can currently be seen on water vapor imagery entering the northern offshore waters,  is expected to continue digging southward towards the island chain tonight. Latest global guidance remains in good agreement that this upper low will arrive near Kauai in the pre-dawn hours Friday morning, then move over the Garden Isle during the day. This will lead to increasing instability over the state, and the strength of the upper level low will induce a surface trough, serving as a trigger for heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms.

Given that the upper low is expected to be centered over Kauai at its closest pass, the best forcing is expected to be over Oahu and parts of Maui County by Friday afternoon. Some guidance is hinting at the possibility of a plume of moisture developing from Molokai towards Oahu from late morning into the afternoon. Should this occur, there is potential for heavy rain to train over portions of Oahu, which could lead to flooding concerns.

There likely will be heavy rain over some locations, and given lighter low-level winds, showers could be slow moving with the potential for anchoring on island terrain. However, confidence isn’t high enough at this point for a Flood Watch, but it is certainly worth keeping an eye on for flooding impacts. At this time, there continues to be the heavy rain and thunderstorm mentions in the forecast.

This weekend, the upper level low will begin to drift further away from the state, which should decrease the threat of thunderstorms. While the instability decreases over the weekend, low level moisture will increase from the southeast, with precipitable water values approaching 2 inches by late Saturday over windward Big Island. Periods of heavy rain will be possible over windward and southeast Big Island this weekend, with some enhanced showers possible elsewhere across the state. By next week, a more typical trade wind pattern looks to return to the region.


https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/graphics/npac.gif


Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – along with a Closer View of the islands / Here’s the latest Weather Map / Looping Surface Precipitation…through the next 8-days / Vog Map

 

Marine Environmental Conditions…as of Thursday evening:  High pressure far north of the islands will maintain locally strong trades before the pattern changes. An upper level low is inducing a surface trough just to the north of Kauai and as it moves south, it will cause the winds to veer east-southeast and weaken to moderate to fresh speeds Friday into the weekend. The Small Craft Advisory (SCA) has been extended for the windier zones of Maui County and the Big Island through 6am Friday morning. The upper level disturbance will bring the threat of heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms to the island chain on Friday.

A new small to moderate, long period, NW to NNW (320 degree to 330 degree) swell will likely peak and produce above average surf along north facing shores. Observations at buoy 51001 showed this swell peaked, thus this swell should gradually fade tonight into the weekend.

A mix of small, medium to long period, south swells will maintain small surf along south facing shores into the weekend. A series of gales initially passing south of New Zealand and now setting up to its east, which should send a series of small south swells to the Hawaiian Islands throughout next week. Surf should rise to near the summer average around Sunday and hold through the upcoming week. Meanwhile, along east facing shores, locally strong trades will maintain rough and choppy surf. A slight decrease of wind swell is expected Friday into the weekend, as the trades weaken to moderate to locally fresh speeds.

Tides peak around 2.5 feet this weekend. Combined with ongoing trades and a modest boost in south swell, water levels will peak around 3.0 feet late this weekend into early next week. Minor overwash of low lying coastal areas will be possible during the afternoon high tides at this time.

 

 

Hawaii's unique climate creates perfect setting for rainbows | Daily Sabah


World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity


>>> Here’s a link to the latest Pacific Disaster Center’s Weather Wall


>>> Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

 

>>> Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

Today marks the first day of the eastern North Pacific hurricane season, which will run until November 30. Long-term averages for the number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes are 15, 8, and 4, respectively.

For the eastern and central North Pacific east of 180 longitude: Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 7 days.

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

>>> Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

For the eastern and central North Pacific east of 180 longitude: Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 7 days.

Here’s the link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)

 

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclone

>>> Southwest Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s the link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)



Interesting:  Combined Short-Term Effects of Air Pollutants Linked to 146,500 Premature Deaths per Year in Europe

Fine particles (PM?.?) were associated with around 79,000 preventable deaths, followed by nitrogen dioxide (NO?), ozone (O?) and coarser particles (PM?.?-??, particles with a diameter between 2.5 and 10 micrometres). These are among the findings of a new study conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center–Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), which provides the first Europe-wide estimate of short-term mortality associated with the combined effects of multiple pollutants across 31 European countries. The findings, published in Nature Health, support the development of impact-based early warning systems to help protect the population from the health effects of air pollution.

Although the overall health burden is dominated by long-term exposure, short-term air pollution can trigger acute physiological responses, such as systemic inflammation, autonomic imbalance and increased blood clotting, that elevate mortality risk over the following days. Recent studies have shown that daily pollution levels are linked to daily short-term increases in mortality, but important limitations remain. Most research focuses only on cities, overlooking peri-urban and rural areas; and they often fail to account for regional differences in vulnerability (such as age, baseline health, socioeconomic status or environment) and air pollution toxicity. In addition, pollutants are usually analyzed separately, making it difficult to understand their combined effects.

“Our study addressed these limitations by combining daily data on major air pollutants across Europe with the new mortality database from the EARLY-ADAPT project of the European Research Council (ERC), which covers the whole population in 31 countries representing over 530 million people,” explains Zhao-Yue Chen, researcher at ISGlobal and first author of the study. “This allows a more precise analysis of how short-term exposure to the major pollutants affects people differently depending on age, sex and cause of death.” The study analyzed nearly 89 million deaths recorded between 2003 and 2019 across 653 European regions.

Read More: Barcelona Institute for Global Health