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

 

The latest update to this website was at 101pm Thursday afternoon HST


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

0.24  Anahola, Kauai 
1.78  Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
0.15  Honolimaloo, Molokai
1.10  Lanai AP, Lanai
3.66  Puu Kukui, Maui
5.24  Honolii Stream, Big Island


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

24  Port Allen, Kauai – SE
29  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – SE
31  Makapulapai, Molokai – E 
m   Lanai – missing
38  Na Kula, Maui – ESE
24  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.


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Big Blue…click twice for largest version

 

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 Tropical Storm Lowell continues moving away to the north…Tropical Storm 14E (Norbert) is spinning far east-southeast (we’ll need to keep an eye on Norbert)

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Variable clouds across the state…and over the offshore waters 

 

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Localized Showers 

 

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




~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

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

443am, it’s quite cloudy here at my place. My low temperature here in upper Kula was 60 degrees, relative humidity 86%…and calm

642am, it’s cleared up here in upper Kula, with just a few clouds elsewhere here on Maui.

835am, just like that…it’s cloudy with increasingly thick fog here in upper Kula, and so I can’t see down below to tell whether its cloudy or clear.

920am, the skies cleared quite a bit here in upper Kula, although now there’s another about face, and the clouds are increasing again.

104pm, yet another very fun session of pickleball, I swear i just love this game! It’s partly cloudy for the most part here in Maui County, as we slowly move through this last part of summer 2026.

 

Tropical Storm 14E (Norbert) is active far east-southeast towards Mexico

cone graphic

time of arrival graphic

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Thursday afternoon: A plume of moisture remains over the eastern end of the state, bringing clouds and showers to the Big Island. Trade winds are starting to filter back into the state, and with the returning trades, expect a return to a more typical trade wind pattern over the next couple of days.

General Hawaii Overview: A tropical wave, the last remnants of the moisture plume connected to Tropical Storm Lowell, will move west and leave the Hawaiian Islands Thursday night. Weak surface ridging should work to suppress afternoon showers, even on the windward side of the islands into the weekend, despite the return of the trades. Thus, expect a mostly dry weekend across the entire state.

On Monday, the next tropical wave will approach the Big Island from the east. This will re-enhance the rainfall on the windward side of the islands for much of the day. There are indications in some of the guidance that well south of the Big Island, a tropical disturbance may try to form. How much this disturbance develops is a big question, as the guidance is as widespread about whether it develops or not as it can be. The National Hurricane Center is highlighting the area for a low chance of development.

Regardless, even the guidance that develops this disturbance the most, such as the Canadian model, keep the disturbance either well south of the islands, or dissipates it into the broader wave well before it reaches the Big Island. Thus, from Monday through Wednesday, expect a greater coverage of rain across the windward sides as compared to the typical day. The disturbance could slow down the westward progression of the wave, which then would translate to a longer period of time of unsettled weather.

Generally, the weather should improve by next Thursday, as weak ridging returns the convective coverage back to normal. That said, the tropics will remain very active, and the EC model suggests that the future hurricane that now is Tropical Storm Norbert will begin to make an uncomfortably close approach to the islands by next weekend. Other guidance is not nearly so pessimistic, so that will remain to be seen.

Weather Narrative…as of Thursday afternoon: Satellite derived precipitable water (PW) continues to show elevated values over the southern end of the state. The overnight Hilo sounding continues to show PW values over 2 inches, which is well above normal. A trough near Oahu continues to move to the west. As the trough moves away, we can expect trade winds to slowly build in from east to west.

Moisture will linger, but the focus of showers should return to more typical windward sides of the islands. Expect the trade wind pattern to persist into next week. An upper level low is expected to remain far to the northeast of the state heading into the weekend and then lift northward. Dew points remain in the low 70’s across the state, and when combined with the light winds, it makes it feel warm and muggy. Models suggest dew points will drop back into the upper 60’s Friday night, providing some relief from the muggy conditions.

Fire Weather: Fire weather risk will remain low the next several days due light winds and lingering moisture. Expect a slight chance of thunderstorms over the Big Island this afternoon. Temperature inversion heights are expected to remain elevated or weak.

 

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 Conditions…as of Thursday afternoon: Moderate to locally fresh trade winds will gradually return from east to west across the island chain today and then persist into the weekend. The current moderate mid-period south swell will continue to steadily decline over the next few days, with below average surf expected by the weekend.

Surf along east facing shores will gradually decrease and will remain near seasonal averages through Saturday, due to east and northeast swells generated by former tropical cyclones. Surf along north facing shores continues to receive a small bump due to Lowell. This short-period northwest swell will quickly fade, allowing surf to become tiny along north facing shores today, as Lowell weakens and tracks westward away from the islands.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, September 9, 2026 – 116 degrees at Death Valley, CA


>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, September 9, 2026 – 17 degrees at Peter Sinks, UT

 

Weather in Hawaii: Climates and Seasons - Hawaii Travel Guide


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 America: There are no active tropical cyclones

 

 Northeast Pacific:

Tropical Cyclone 14E (Norbert)…is located about 820 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja CA

NORBERT STRENGTHENS SLIGHTLY AS IT CONTINUES MOVING WESTWARD

According to the NHC advisory number 5…

Norbert is moving toward the west near 14 mph, and this motion is expected to continue through Friday. A turn toward the west-northwest is forecast by Friday night. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 45 mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is forecast over the next few days. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1002 mb (29.59 inches).

cone graphic

time of arrival graphic

>>> Central Portion and West Portion of the East Pacific

Showers and thunderstorms associated with a broad area of low pressure are located several hundred miles southwest of the southwestern Mexico coast. Gradual development of this system is expected, and a tropical depression is likely to form by early next week while it moves generally west-northwestward over central and western portions of the East Pacific.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…70 percent

 

Central North Pacific:

Tropical Cyclone 12E (Lowell)…is located about 765 miles northwest of Lihue, Hawaii

LOWELL CONTINUES TO MOVE WESTWARD OVER THE OPEN CENTRAL PACIFIC

According to the NHC advisory number 59…

Lowell is moving toward the west near 12 mph. A general westward motion is forecast to continue for the next day or so. Then, the system is expected to slow down and turn northwestward this weekend. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours. A slight increase in strength could occur on Saturday. However, steady weakening is forecast to occur late this weekend through early next week. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 995 mb (29.39 inches).

 

>>> Well South-southeast of the Hawaiian Islands:

Disorganized showers and thunderstorms located well to the south-southeast of the Hawaiian Islands are associated with a broad trough of low pressure. Some gradual development of this system is possible late this week and into the weekend while it moves generally northward and then meanders to the southeast of the Hawaiian Islands.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…20 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…30 percent

 

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

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

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

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



Interesting:  Next-Gen Sensors: Catching Water Pollution in Real Time

Extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and torrential rains, affect the water quality in lakes, rivers and coastal areas. This creates significant challenges for ecosystems and water supplies, because pesticides that are bound in soil masses can quickly leach into water sources. Now researchers want to monitor this in a new way.

“Today’s monitoring systems aren’t equipped to detect rapid variations. This leaves critical gaps in environmental protection and public health preparedness. The goal of the project, called STARDUST, is to develop an optical sensor system that can detect multiple pesticides in real time in both surface water and groundwater,” says Elizaveta Vereshchagina, a senior research scientist in SINTEF’s Department of Smart Sensors and Microtechnology, Norway.

The technology will provide insight into how extreme weather affects the occurrence of pesticides in water. It is being developed with interdisciplinary collaborators from Norway, Romania, Poland, Ireland and Denmark.

Read more at: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Karolina Barbara Milenko-Kuszewska, a project manager and research scientist at SINTEF, examines the optical sensor that will measure water quality.