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

 

The latest update to this website was at 11am Friday morning HST


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

0.73  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.54  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.11  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
1.31  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.69  Honolii Stream, Big Island


The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) Friday morning:

21  Nawiliwili, Kauai – NE
31  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – ENE
31  Makapulapai, Molokai – ENE
m   Lanai – missing
43  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NNE
33  Puuloa, Big Island – NW


Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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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Category 4 major Hurricane Lowell south of Lihue, Hawaii…with Category 1 Hurricane Karina well to the east…and Category 2 Hurricane Marie spinning away from the Mexican coast

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Variable low clouds across the state 

 

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Category 3 Hurricane Lowell 

 

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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




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Hawaii Weather Narrative
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Glenn’s Aloha Friday comments:  I’m at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

546am, it’s mostly clear here at my place here in Kula with a low temperature of 53 degrees, and the relative humidity is 67%…with calm winds

 

We continue to be in the heart of our hurricane season, so that we need to keep our eyes peeled for systems taking aim on our Hawaiian Islands through the next three months…through the end of November.

This first TC is Major Category 4 Hurricane Lowell, with the current forecast track showing Lowell staying to the south of the islands, although the models show the system taking a hard turn towards the north just after passing Hawaii. The other system, Category 1 Hurricane Karina, should move by to the northeast and north.


Hurricane Lowell

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Hurricane Karina

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Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Friday morning: A high pressure ridge to the north and Hurricane Lowell passing south of the Hawaiian Islands, will keep breezy trade winds in the forecast today. Expect decreasing wind speeds this weekend, as a low pressure trough moving into the Central Pacific basin weakens the ridge north of the state.

Periods of showers will favor windward mountain areas with brief passing showers over leeward locations. Hurricane Lowell will remain near major hurricane strength when it moves closer to the western Hawaiian Islands late Monday and Monday night. Weather impacts such as high surf and heavy rain may extend hundreds of miles from the center of Hurricane Lowell.

Weather Narrative..as of Friday morning: Satellite imagery shows a long band of unsettled clouds with embedded showers are riding into the islands on the trade winds. Periods of showers will continue to drift over the windward mountain slopes of each island. Elsewhere Hurricane Lowell roughly 600 miles south of Oahu and Kauai, continues to drift slowly westward. A gradual decrease in the forward speed of Lowell remains in the forecast for the next day or two, followed by a sharp turn to the north on Sunday.

Hurricane Lowell will remain near major hurricane strength when it moves closer to the western Hawaiian Islands late Monday and Monday night. There remains a risk for high surf, storm surge, strong winds and heavy rainfall impacts for portions of Hawaii, including in particular the islands of Niihau and Kauai. Deep tropical moisture will be carried northward across all islands, producing warm and humid weather conditions with increasing heavy rainfall trends Sunday into Tuesday, as Hurricane Lowell turns northward.

Initial storm total rainfall estimates range from 2 to 8 inches state-wide with locally higher amounts of around 10 inches possible along terrain favored south and southeast slopes. Please continue to closely monitor the weather forecast for early next week, as the track and associated impacts with Hurricane Lowell will likely evolve over time.

High pressure builds back over the islands from Tuesday afternoon onward, as a wet trade wind pattern with periods of passing showers sets up across the state into the end of next week.

Fire Weather:  Trade wind speeds will begin to trend lower as the ridge north of the islands slowly weakens. Periods of passing showers will mainly impact windward mountain slopes for the next few days. Higher humidity levels will continue to keep conditions under critical fire weather thresholds into next week. The temperatures inversion heights near Maui and the Big Island will range from 6,000 to 7,000 feet elevation today.

 

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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 MapLooping Surface Precipitation…through the next 8-days / Vog Map

 

Marine Conditions…as of Friday morning: A surface high persists north of the Hawaiian Islands and will slowly drift east through the weekend. Currently, Hurricane Lowell is passing south of the islands as it continues to track west. The interaction between the two will strengthen the trade winds across the coastal waters to fresh to locally near gale force. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) has been extended for all Hawaiian Waters through Saturday and will likely be extended.

The latest track from Hurricane Lowell from the National Hurricane Center is bringing Tropical Storm conditions to the far southern offshore waters. Although as Hurricane Lowell turns north, confidence is growing for hurricane conditions to the southwest and western offshore waters on Sunday. How close it gets to the state, is yet to be determined. As for Hurricane Karina, confidence is increasing that Karina will pass to the north and northeast of the state.

Swells from Hurricane Lowell are filling in and will remain elevated above High Surf Advisory (HSA) conditions through Saturday. A large, medium-period east swell from Hurricane Karina is filling in and will continue though the weekend, producing high end advisory level surf or warning level surf along east facing shores. The HSA has been extended in time and expanded to include east facing shores. The swell from Lowell will gradually veer from southeast towards the southwest early next week.

While, the forecast for swells and seas for next week will highly depend on the eventual track and intensity of Lowell, confidence is beginning to increase for the potential of extra- large surf (exceeding warning levels) along south and western exposures early next week. Coinciding also with monthly high tides, this will create the potential for impacts to harbor entrances, channels, as well as coastal properties and infrastructure including roadways.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Thursday, September 3, 2026 – 111 degrees near La Puerta, CA


>>>
Lowest Temperature Thursday, September 3, 2026 – 24 degrees at Peter Sinks, UT

 

What's the weather like? | Baamboozle - Baamboozle | The Most Fun Classroom Games!


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 cyclone

 

 Northeast Pacific:

Tropical Cyclone 13E (Marie)…is located about 550 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California

MARIE MOVING WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AWAY FROM LAND

According to the NHC advisory number 14…

Marie is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph, and a gradual turn toward the northwest is expected within the next day or so. Maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph with higher gusts. A slow weakening trend is expected to begin on Saturday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 972 mb (28.71 inches).

 

Central North Pacific

Tropical Cyclone 11E (Karina)…is located about 955 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii

KARINA STILL A HURRICANE AS IT MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC

According to the NHC advisory number 33…

Karina is moving toward the west near 10 mph, and it is expected to turn to the northwest over the weekend. Maximum sustained winds are near 90 mph with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, although Karina is expected to remain a hurricane during the next day or so. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 973 mb (28.74 inches).

 

Tropical Cyclone 12E (Lowell)…is located about 60 miles south of Lihue, Hawaii

LOWELL REMAINS A MAJOR HURRICANE…INTERESTS IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SHOULD CONTINUE TO CLOSELY MONITOR ITS PROGRESS

According to the NHC advisory number 33…

Lowell is moving toward the west near 8 mph. This general motion with a gradual decrease in forward speed is expected during the next day or two, followed by a sharp turn to the north or north-northeast on Sunday. Maximum sustained winds remain near 125 mph with higher gusts. Lowell is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some re-strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 947 mb (27.97 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

RAINFALL: Hurricane Lowell is expected to produce rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches, with maximum totals exceeding 10 inches possible, for Kauai and the Big Island. For Maui, 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected, with isolated maximum totals of 8 inches possible. Across the remaining islands, rainfall of 1 to 2 inches with maximum amounts of 4 inches is possible. This rainfall may produce flash flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain.

SURF: Swells from Lowell are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions during the next several days across many of the Hawaiian islands.

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 22W (Krovanh) is located approximately 134 NM north of Kadena AB

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Tropical Cyclone 23W is located approximately 240 NM southwest of Iwo To

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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

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



Interesting: 
Suburban Sprawl Puts Western Homes at Risk from Wildfires

Somersett, a short drive from downtown Reno, Nevada, is a peaceful place where homes with sweeping, high-desert views line cul-de-sacs and roads meander through shrubland, trailheads, and golf courses. But in the summer, months of low humidity and hot weather prime the landscape to burn. On the morning of August 22, it did.

In just a few days, strong winds carried the flames of the Hawk Fire more than 23 miles, placing some 90,000 people on evacuation notice as dense smoke and orange skies blanketed the city. By Wednesday, dozens of houses had been destroyed. Two weeks earlier, the Bug Fire burned 150 square miles just north of the same area.

It’s the latest in an era of worsening wildfires in the United States, where more than 7.9 million acres have burned this year. A similar story is playing out in Canada, where First Nations and residents of Ontario have borne the brunt of more than 5,100 fires across the country. Scientists say climate change has made these fires, along with others in Europe, significantly more likely to happen. This year’s blazes in the western U.S. were exacerbated by record-low winter snowfall, depriving the landscape of the moisture that typically seeps from snowpack throughout the summer, and by extreme and long-lasting heat waves that baked the landscape.

Read More: Yale Environment 360

Homes burned in a recent wildfire in Spokane, Washington.