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

 

The latest update to this website was 1240pm Thursday afternoon HST


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

1.29  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
5.98  Tunnel RG, Oahu
1.97  Honolimaloo, Molokai
0.52  Lanai City, Lanai
6.81  Kahakuloa, Maui
2.88  IPIF, Big Island


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

24  Lihue, Kauai – NNE
21  Kaneohe, Oahu – ENE
21  Makapulapai, Molokai – NE
13  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
21  Honolua, Maui – E
23  Mauna Loa Obs, Big Island


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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 Multi-layered clouds…with thunderstorms in the vicinity

 

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Considerable wet clouds over and around Hawaii

 

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Localized Showers…some heavy 

 

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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 my friend Linda’s here in Corte Madera, Marin County, CA on a working vacation.

402am HST, it’s mostly clear with thin high clouds here in Corte Madera, CA, the low temperature was 42.5 degrees…with calm winds

1222pm HST, lots of rain, some heavy, remained focused over Maui County. Here in Marin County it was like Indian Summer this morning, although the clouds have thickened up this afternoon.

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Thursday afternoon: The flooding threat will remain through the day primarily across the windward areas of the eastern half of the state. Conditions will generally be improving from this evening through Friday, but some localized downpours will continue for windward areas through Friday.

For Oahu and Kauai, weather conditions will continue to improve with fair trade wind weather expected over the next few days. A weak front will push through on Sunday, with strong northerly winds following behind Sunday into Monday.

Update: A Flood Watch remains in effect for Maui County and the Big Island today. Latest models continue to show the heaviest rainfall over east and southeast facing areas of Maui and the Big Island. Some mid level dry air is expected to fill in west to east across the state today, which should generally decrease the threat for flash flooding tonight.

But at the lower levels, abundant moisture will remain through Friday, so we will likely continue to see some localized heavy showers continue, through Friday across windward and mauka areas for the eastern half of the state. For rest of the state, a drier trade wind pattern is expected with some passing showers from time to time.

Weather Narrative…as of Thursday afternoon: A meandering low level trough of low pressure laying within an unstable moist air mass, will be the channel in focusing return rain episodes through the afternoon. An upper trough to the west will pass over the state today. This may provide the extra lift needed, along with early day cloud breaks allowing more sun to the surface and destabilizing the atmosphere, to initiate repeat rounds of light to moderate rainfall. While higher resolution model guidance has failed at placing where the higher precipitation will fall, although likely being focused along more eastern-facing exposures. Low level trade flow will assist in keeping better organized rain anchored or pinned across windward and upslope east-facing mauka regions.

Therefore, with 24 hour rainfall of over a foot across areas of eastern Maui, along with little change in the large scale of a southwest positioned upper level low, and associated slowly eastern-moving low level trough located near the Alenuihaha Channel, the Flash Flood Watch has been extended through this afternoon for Maui and Hawaii Counties. While it is hard to determine which areas will receive the most rain, little change in the pattern within this moist fairly unstable environment ensures that those that receive another inch or more on top of already soaked grounds, will experience the greater probability of flooding.

The highest low to mid layer moisture will travel east of the state Friday, as the broad upper low southwest of the island chain begins to wobble west, in response to the passage of an upper trough to the north this weekend. A cooler and drier air mass behind this trough will descend upon the state early next week. The associated surface front is forecast to reach the islands and back trades around to north-northeast late Sunday or early Monday. In the meantime, lingering lower to middle layer moisture over the islands will ensure cloudier skies and periodic trade shower activity, especially over windward locales and upslope mauka, this weekend.

The passage of this trough will usher in a much drier air mass by Monday afternoon. A surface high north of the region will tighten the downstream pressure gradient over the islands enough to significantly strengthen early to mid-week trade winds. Breezy to locally strong trades at higher elevation will persist, as will much drier conditions, through at least next Thursday.

Fire Weather: Due to the recent rain and light winds, fire weather concerns will remain low through Saturday. A front is expected to arrive early next week. Breezy to locally strong north-northeast winds and drier conditions are expected in the wake of this frontal passage late Sunday or early Monday. Thus, fire weather concerns will be on the rise through 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 Conditions…as of Thursday afternoon: A trough over the islands continues to support showers and isolated thunderstorm chances, particularly across the central and eastern waters. This trough will weaken near the Big Island today, allowing ridging to the north to drive moderate to fresh easterly winds over most waters, but southerly lighter winds will remain near the Big Island. The trough will move south of Big Island Friday, and moderate to locally fresh trades will prevail Friday night into the weekend. Stronger northeast winds will likely require a Small Craft Advisory late this weekend or early next week.

A small northwest swell will continue a slow decline today then fade on Friday, but a small, short-period north-northeast swell will maintain small surf along north-facing shores during the next few days. A larger, long-period northwest swell will arrive late Saturday and may push surf above the high surf advisory threshold Sunday. The swell will shift more northerly and may briefly build further on Monday before dropping Tuesday.

A series of overlapping south-southwest swells will maintain south shore surf above seasonal average through the weekend. Surf along south-facing shores will decline to around seasonal average early next week.

Surf along most east-facing shores will be dominated by wrapping north to north-northeast swell energy, producing periods of moderate surf. Strong northeast winds and a large, rough north- northeast swell are possible Sunday night and Monday.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, October 28, 2026 – 93 degrees near Hildago, TX


>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, October 28, 2026 – 9 degrees at Peter Sinks, UT

 

Hilo Weather - Everything You Need To Know


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 cyclone:

Gulf of America: There are no active tropical cyclones

 

Northeast Pacific:

Tropical Cyclone 22E (Vance)…is located 95 miles east-southeast of the southern tip of Baja CA

VANCE WEAKENS WHILE CONTINUING NORTHWARD NEARING THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA…MOISTURE FROM VANCE WILL SPREAD INTO PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

According to the NHC advisory number 34

The depression is moving toward the north near 7 mph, this motion is expected to continue until Vance dissipates tonight or early Friday. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 35 mph with higher gusts. Weakening is forecast, and Vance is expected to become a post-tropical remnant low this evening. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 mb (29.77 inches).

cone graphic

 

Central North Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>>Well Southeast of the Hawaiian Islands:

A broad area of low pressure is likely to develop well to the southeast of the Hawaiian Islands this weekend or early next week. Thereafter, environmental conditions appear generally favorable for some slow development of this system as it moves westward to west-northwestward into the Central Pacific basin.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…30 percent 

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 30W (In-fa)…is located approximately 252 NM east-northeast of Saipan

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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

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



Interesting:  Schools Increasingly Affected by Poor Air Quality as Wildfire Smoke Becomes More Common

American children are increasingly exposed to air pollution as wildfire smoke becomes more common, and some schools and childcare centers struggle to keep indoor breathing conditions clean, a new national study shows.

The researchers note that components of wildfire smoke, including PM2.5, which is fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller, are known health hazards, especially for adolescents and younger children.

For the study, published in Environmental Research, scientists looked at air quality data from across the United States from 2006 through 2023 and found some alarming trends, said co-author Molly Kile of Oregon State University.

“The average number of annual smoke days at public schools rose from 6.8 to 54.4 between the beginning and end of the study period,” said Kile, an environmental epidemiologist in the OSU College of Health. “Childcare centers experienced an increase from 9.4 to 112.2 days. Our children are collectively experiencing billions of days of smoky air each year.”

Read More: Oregon State University

Image: Skies over a neighborhood are dark orange due to smoke from a wildfire in Oregon.