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

 

The last update to this website was Tuesday evening at 811pm HST


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

0.30  Moloaa Dairy, Kauai
1.33  Olomana FS, Oahu
0.38  Honolimaloo, Molokai
0.01  Lanai 1, Lanai
1.12  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.99  Spencer, Big Island


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

17  Mana, Kauai – NW 
15  Mokuoloe Island, Oahu – NW
20  Makapulapai, Molokai – E  
13  Lanai 1, Lanai – SW
22  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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Thunderstorms in the deeper tropics…cold fronts moving by to the north

 

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Low clouds arriving on the south to southeast winds…high clouds southeast

 

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Showers locally…some heavy 

 

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




~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Tuesday comments:  I’m here at my friend Linda’s house in Corte Madera, Marin County, California, as my working vacation concludes.

As I’ve been mentioning recently, I fly back to Maui this morning, and will be home in upper Kula this afternoon. I’ll resume my normal updates as soon as I get my computer set back up this afternoon.

324pm, my flight was easy, and my friend David picked me up at the airport, and we stopped by Whole Foods in Kahului on the way home. Obviously I’ve got my computer set up, and I’m in the process of updating all the information on this website. I stopped by friends goat farm and picked up a dozen eggs and a bottle of fresh Kefir.

424pm, As the winds have shifted to the southeast, Maui County has been covered with thick volcanic haze (vog).

530pm, it’s way too voggy for me to take my walk, which I was looking forward to! Looking at the vog map down the page from here, it appears that the entire state is seeing some degree of volcanic haze, although Kauai may be just outside this voggy air.

823pm, we had a brief light shower an hour ago, although that stopped quickly…and during that time it got foggy as well. The temperature has dropped to 61.5 degrees

 

>>> Highest Temperature Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – 105 degrees at Rio Grande Village, TX
>>> Lowest Temperature Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – 16 degrees at Bryce Canyon, UT

 

>>> Interesting weather web blog: Mauka Showers…Waialeale’s Rainfall Trend

 

At the Lake – a poem by Mary Oliver

A fish leaps like a black pin-then-when the starlight strikes its side —
like a silver pin. In an instant the fish’s spine alters the fierce line of rising
and it curls a little-the head, like scalloped tin, plunges back, and it’s gone.

This is, I think, what holiness is: the natural world, where every moment is full
of the passion to keep moving.

Inside every mind there’s a hermit’s cave full of light, full of snow, full of concentration.

I’ve knelt there, and so have you, hanging on to what you love, to what is lovely.

The lake’s shining sheets don’t make a ripple now, and the stars are going off to their
blue sleep, but the words are in place-and the fish leaps, and leaps again from the black
plush of the poem, that breathless space.

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of Tuesday evening:  A land and sea breeze pattern will persist through Wednesday, leading to interior clouds and showers in the afternoon and evening and partial clearing at night. Trade winds will gradually return Thursday and Friday, and while rainfall will become focused over windward areas, a few afternoon showers will develop over leeward slopes. A slight increase in showers is possible for the weekend, followed by a stronger trade winds and more stable conditions early next week.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of Tuesday evening: Light winds and a somewhat stable land and sea breeze pattern is in place over the state. A broad low pressure passing far north of the islands has split the subtropical ridge, and induced a weak surface trough north of Oahu. The resulting weak southeast to south winds over the region were easily overpowered by sea breezes today, leading to interior clouds and mainly isolated showers this afternoon. The exception was windward Oahu, where a fairly narrow band of showers that developed along the Koolau early this morning has helped to fuel scattered showers throughout the day.

In spite of stable conditions and solid inversions between 6,000 to 7,000 feet on the afternoon atmospheric soundings, a few of these showers have become briefly heavy. Away from windward Oahu, the main impact has been increased humidity as dew points climbed to around 70 degrees.

The humid land and sea breeze pattern will continue through Wednesday, with an increase in shower activity expected along the surface trough, as it meanders around the central portion of the island chain. As a result, expect decreased clouds and showers over most areas overnight and another round of afternoon clouds and isolated showers Wednesday afternoon. The weak lingering trough near Oahu and Molokai will lead to higher shower chances on these islands, where an isolated shower could occur through the night.

Kilauea eruption episode 46 started this morning and peaked mid-day. An Ashfall Advisory is in effect through the evening to highlight the possibility of tephra, ash, and Peles hair falling near the volcano. Due to relatively light winds veering with height, material from the eruption has been confined mainly just north and northeast of Kilauea.

Light to moderate trade winds will slowly rebuild Thursday and Friday, as the subtropical ridge redevelops north of the state. Showers will become focused over windward slopes, though afternoon sea breezes will produce afternoon clouds and a few showers across sheltered leeward terrain. Dew points will drop back into the mid 60’s and provide relief from the humidity.

An upper level trough passing overhead could generate an increase in showers during the weekend, but confidence remains rather low. Expect stronger trade winds and increased stability early next week.


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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 Tuesday afternoon: A trough over the far northwest offshore waters will slowly track south through the islands, reaching the central waters Wednesday. This, combined with a larger synoptic scale low pressure system far to the north will lead to light and variable winds, with sea and land breezes present near the immediate coasts. A new high building northwest of the state will bring a return of light to moderate trades Thursday and Friday, with the trades strengthening to moderate and fresh levels over the weekend. Winds and seas are expected to remain below Small Craft Advisory thresholds through at least Friday.

A moderate medium-period northwest swell will gradually fade over the next couple of days. A new long period swell originating from a gale force low south of Kamchatka will build Wednesday night and give another boost to north and west shore surf Thursday and Friday. Surf will gradually decline over the weekend into early next week.

A series of overlapping south swells will keep intermittent small surf rolling into south facing shores during the next week. A small, long-period swell arriving Wednesday from a storm-force low that tracked southeast of New Zealand last week will likely provide a small bump in south shore surf through the end of the week.

Surf along east facing shores will remain below normal during the next 7 days due to the lack of strong trades over and upstream of the islands.

 

 

Hawaii, Oahu, Lanikai, Bikini-clad girl running in shallow ocean water along beach shoreline.


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

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

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

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

 

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: 

Tropical Cyclone 05W is located approximately 379 NM south-southeast of Hagatna, Guam

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/05W_060000sair.jpg

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

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



Interesting:  Integrated Land Planning Is Necessary to Meet Climate, Food and Biodiversity Goals

While the world is a big place, humans are making greater and greater demands on the same areas of land. “This means that, unless we use the same land to serve multiple needs and coordinate this effort through planning, it is unlikely that we will have enough land for conservation, food and energy,” said Grace Wu, a professor in UC Santa Barbara’s Environmental Studies Program.

An international team of researchers looked into the tradeoffs between different land uses, revealing that strategic planning would enable progress toward global biodiversity, climate and sustainable development goals simultaneously. The study, published in Nature Communications, finds that, if an integrated method for land-use planning is employed, future land development would impact 15% fewer species and cut carbon loss by 19%.

The study provides a framework for multi-sector land-use planning that considers the, often overlapping, needs of nature conservation, agriculture and renewable energy. The paper maps these needs around the world, finding that the places needed to meet targets for protected land and productive land frequently intersect.

Read More: University of California – Santa Barbara