The latest update to this website was at 922am Wednesday (HST)

 

Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands as of Wednesday morning:

1.77  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
3.89  Kaala, Oahu
0.21  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.16  Lanai City, Lanai
0.14  Pukalani, Maui
0.35  Pali 2, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) as of Wednesday morning:

22  Lihue, Kauai – SW
43  Kuaokala, Oahu – SE
27  Honolimaloo, Molokai – SSW
24  Lanai 1, Lanai – S 
22  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – SW
20  Hilo AP, Big Island – N

 

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcams on the summit of our tallest mountain Mauna Kea (~13,800 feet high) on the Big Island of Hawaii, and atop the Haleakala Crater (~10,023 feet) 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

 The cold front will stall around Kauai and Oahu

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Hawaii_IR_loop.gif

Variably cloudy skies…with towering cumulus and thunderstorms near Kauai and Oahu

 

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…some are heavy from Kauai to Oahu

 

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

 

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Wednesday comments:  I’m here at home through the winter in upper Kula, Maui

It’s mostly clear with a few clouds here in Maui County early this morning, with a low temperature of 53 degrees at my place, with the relative humidity 71 percent.

Weather Wit of the day: National Weather Service – a prophet making organization

>>> Highest Temperature Tuesday, December 16, 2025 – 87 near Glamis, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, December 17, 2025 – 1 at Gunnison, CO

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview: A cold front stalling near Kauai and Oahu today will produce periods of moderate to locally heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms across the western half of the state, in an unstable southerly wind pattern. More stable conditions are forecast over the eastern islands, as a weak ridge and southeasterly winds limit shower activity.

On Thursday the front weakens into a trough and lifts northwestward back over Kauai and Niihau, providing another round of showers over the Garden Isle, with improving weather trends for Molokai and Oahu. The high pressure ridge aloft will slowly build back in over the islands as the trough north of the state fills in and lifts northward, heralding a return statewide to more stable easterly trade wind weather just in time for the weekend.

These more typical and stable moderate to breezy trade winds with brief windward and mountain showers will last through Christmas Day.

Hawaii’s Weather Details: The short term weather picture looks like a tale of two patterns currently unfolding across the state. A weakening front stalling near Kauai and Oahu will continue to produce southerly winds, drawing up additional unstable and deep tropical moisture across the western half of the state. Expect cloudy skies, periods of moderate to locally heavy showers, and isolated thunderstorms for these western islands through tonight.

Meanwhile Maui and the Big Island are under the more stable influence of a weak high pressure ridge aloft, keeping a drier southeasterly wind regime in place. The central islands of Molokai and Lanai are caught in between these two distinct weather patterns, and a mix of clouds and scattered showers will continue. These western wet weather conditions will continue through tonight, with improving weather trends over the western islands Thursday onward.

By Thursday, the high pressure ridge aloft will slowly build back in over the islands as the trough north of the state fills in and lifts northward, heralding a return statewide to more stable easterly trade wind weather. However, clouds and showers will linger over the islands in Kauai County for one more day, as the trough slowly drifts across the island.

Subsidence temperature inversion heights will range from around 5,000 to 7,000 feet elevation as the ridge builds back in, limiting cloud heights and shower potential. These more typical and stable moderate to breezy trade winds, with brief windward and mountain showers will last through December 25th.

In the extended range outlook, another cold front may approach the Hawaiian Islands from the northwest a few days after Christmas, possibly triggering yet another round of wet weather conditions.

Fire weather:  Wet weather conditions and isolated thunderstorms will continue across Niihau, Kauai and Oahu. Periods of clouds and scattered showers are expected for Molokai and Lanai. Drier conditions remain over Maui and the Big Island. Trade winds and stability trends will slowly return to the western half of the state Friday into the weekend. Wind speeds and humidity levels will keep weather conditions below critical fire thresholds over the next 7-days.

Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – along with a Closer View of the islands / Vog map animation / 8-Day Precipitation model

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

 

Hawaii’s Marine Environment: A cold front near Kauai waters will drift over Kauai and stall near Oahu. Moderate to locally strong south winds will hold over the western half of the state ahead of the front, before easing to light to gentle speeds Thursday. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect for strong winds and high seas. Isolated thunderstorms and heavy showers remain possible mainly over Kauai and Oahu waters through Thursday. A strong high pressure system will build north of the state Friday allowing light to moderate trades to return, and gradually strengthen to moderate to strong speeds Sunday into early next week.

A moderate, medium period north swell (350-360 degree) will fade as a moderate, short to medium period WNW swell (280 to 320 degrees) fills in. This swell will elevate surf along north and west facing shores to just below the HSA threshold and will create fairly choppy conditions. Seas will build around Kauai and Oahu waters. A large, medium period NNW (330-350 degree) swell will fill in and peak Thursday right around advisory levels. The SCA may need to be extended through Friday and expanded to include windward Maui waters as this swell will keep seas elevated. This swell will gradually fade through the remainder of the week, with small to moderate north and northwest swells mixed in through the weekend.

East shore surf will remain small except where NW-N swell energy wraps through the week. By next week, a large, short period northeast swell could elevate surf along east facing shores as strong trade winds return. South shore surf will remain choppy as persistent S-SW winds hold, before gradually easing through the rest of week. Small background southwest swells will keep surf from going flat through the weekend.

 

Hawaii Weather Today » Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / February 25-26, 2018|



World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity

 

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

 

Northeastern Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

North Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Southwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

North and South Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones 

South Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 07S (Bakung)…is located approximately 241 NM west of the Cocos Islands

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh0726.gif

Arabian Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

>>> Here’s a link to the Pacific Disaster Center’s (PDC Global) Weather Wall website

 

Interesting: The Smoky Signature of Climate Change

Across the western U.S., wildfires and the dangerous smoke that results have increased in frequency and intensity since the 1990s – that much is clear. Surprisingly less clear are the exact reasons why: While greenhouse gas-related global warming is often cited as a culprit, to what extent can this claim be quantified?

Atmospheric chemists and wildfire experts in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have authored one of the most rigorous estimates to date of just how much of the fire damage and hazardous smoke of the last three decades is directly attributable to the warming temperatures and drier conditions caused by climate change.

Researchers led by Loretta Mickley, senior research fellow in chemistry-climate interactions and leader of the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group at Harvard SEAS, report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that climate change directly accounts for 60-82% of total burned area in western U.S. forests and 33% in central and southern California since the early 1990s. On average, that’s 65% of total fire emissions in the U.S. between 1997 and 2020.

Read More at: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences