Glenn James
Hawaii Weather Today
Founder and maintainer for 30 years 

 

The latest update to this website was at 927am Thursday (HST)

 

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

0.33  Kilohana , Kauai
0.13  Kaala, Oahu
2.97  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.02  Lanai City, Lanai
2.11  West Wailuaiki, Maui
1.36  Kawainui Stream, Big Island

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

16  Nawiliwili, Kauai – NE
23  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – ENE
21  Kalae Hwy, Molokai – NE
25  Lanai 1,  Lanai – NE
30  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NNE
40  Kealakomo, Big Island – NW

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

Variable clouds

 

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

Low clouds arriving along the windward sides…on the gusty trade winds / high level clouds moving by south of the state

 

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 

 

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 here at home in upper Kula, Maui

533am Thursday morning, with partly cloudy skies here at my place, with the low temperature a chilly 47 degrees, along with the relative humidity 75%.

744am, showers falling along the windward sides of Maui, although it’s not reaching here in Kula, at least at my place…nice rainbow this morning.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, March 25, 2026 – 106 degrees at Death Valley, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, March 25, 2026 – 9 degrees at Rolla, ND

 

I’ve become aware that we may be having what’s called a Super El Nino this year. Records show that this phenomenon occurs typically every 10-15 years. The strongest El Nino’s we’ve had in the recent past were in 1982, 1997-98 and 2015-16.

My weather mentor, Dr. Daniel Swain, a climate  scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, is being quoted as saying: “The vast majority of [the models], almost all, suggest at least a moderate strength El Niño by later this coming summer, and the majority really do go all the way into strong or extreme territory.”

Pulled from the State of the Climate report, here are some of the loudest echoes of the 2015 El Niño:

Record-smashing hurricane season in the central North Pacific

Sixteen tropical cyclones formed in or passed through the unusually warm central Pacific hurricane basin in 2015. That’s more than 3 times the 1981–2010 average of 4.7 cyclones per season, and 4 more than the previous record of 12, set in 1992 (also an El Niño year). In late August, the basin sustained three Category 4 hurricanes at the same time, which was a first, not just for the central Pacific basin, but for any basin during the modern record.

Here’s a satellite picture of what was going on in our Central Pacific during the summer of 2015

p.s. One more thing that Dr. Swain said yesterday, was that the extreme heat spell in the western United States over the past week or more, could easily become the new normal with time….yikes!


Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of 303am Thursday:  A drier and more stable trade wind pattern is expected through the weekend into at least the middle of next week. Showers should be mostly focused along windward and mountain locations. Nights will be cool in sheltered areas this weekend.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of 303am Thursday: Light trade wind showers were detected by radar this morning along windward and mountain areas. Satellite imagery shows typical clouds expected for a trade wind weather pattern.

Winds will continue to ease today before picking back up slightly through the weekend, as a weak cold front moves through. This front will bring another shot of dry air to our area. Lowering dew point temperatures through Monday should allow for cool nights in most areas. Another plus from the dry air will be enhanced evaporation, helping to eliminate standing water from the recent flooding and perhaps aid in cleanup.

 

Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – Zoom Earth – 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…as of 303am Thursday:  A low pressure system northeast of the islands, and a high pressure system to the far northwest of Hawaii, will keep northeasterly trade winds in the forecast through the week. Wind speeds will briefly ease through Friday, and the Small Craft Advisory was cancelled. Fresh to strong trade winds bring a return of SCA conditions Saturday into the first half of next week, as high pressure builds north of the state.

A medium period swell will peak before gradually declining through the weekend. For east facing shores, short period wind wave energy from northeasterly trade winds will hold into the weekend. Strengthening northeasterly winds this weekend and a swath of gales associated with a low around one thousand miles northeast of the islands, will lead to the potential for high surf advisories along north and east facing shores Sunday into early next week. For south facing shores, small background energy pulses will keep surf heights above flat conditions into early next week.

 

Beach beautiful fit Asian bikini girl walking relaxing on Maui island beach vacation destination ,Hawaii, USA. Panoramic banner young people summer travel lifestyle. Stock-foto | Adobe Stock



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: 

Tropical Cyclone 27P (Narelle)…is located approximately 117 NM north-northeast of Learmonth, Australia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/27P_261200sair.jpg

 

North Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

South Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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:  Human-Made Chemicals Found Throughout Ocean Environments

A new study analyzing more than 2,300 seawater samples from around the world has found that human-made chemicals — from plastic additives and industrial lubricants to pharmaceuticals and pesticides — are widespread in the marine environment, particularly in coastal and estuarine waters.

The international study, led by scientists from the University of California, Riverside and co-authored by researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, found that industrial chemicals, many of which are rarely monitored, were the most abundant and widespread, the researchers report in the journal Nature Geoscience. The study, published March 16, represents one of the most comprehensive chemical meta-analyses of the oceans to date, drawing on samples collected for many different research purposes.

“The human footprint is in everything,” said Lihini Aluwihare, a chemical oceanographer at Scripps and co-author of the study. “What determines whether you find it is whether you look for it in your data.”

Read more at: University of California San Diego

Waves crashing along the San Diego coast.