The latest update to this website was at 553am Wednesday (HST)

 

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

0.45  N Wailua Ditch, Kauai
0.46  Bellows AFS, Oahu
0.96  Honolimaloo, Molokai
0.33  Lanai City, Lanai
1.81  Hana AP, Maui
4.30  Mountain View, Big Island 

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

08  Port Allen, Kauai – NE
10  Kili Dr, Oahu – NE
09  Makaena, Molokai – NE
13  Lanai 1,  Lanai – NE
20  Nene Nest, Maui – SW
30  Moana Loa Obs, Big Island

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 with still quite a bit of moisture over the state

 

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

Middle and lower level clouds moving over the state from the west 

 

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 Wednesday comments:  I’m here at home in upper Kula, Maui

526am Wednesday morning, there’s no wind, variably cloudy skies here at my place, with the low temperature 56 degrees, along with the relative humidity 75%.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Tuesday, March 17, 2026 – 104 degrees at Indio, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, March 18, 2026 – minus 12 degrees at Mount Washington, NH

– Potential for locally heavy rain Thursday into the weekend, with the highest probability for Maui County and Big Island.
– This upcoming system will not be as strong as the previous kona storm.
– An overall wet pattern to continue over the next 7-days across Hawaii

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of 406am Wednesday: A weather pattern featuring light winds, mostly cloudy skies, and scattered to numerous showers will continue today and tonight, with the greatest moisture residing over portions of Maui County and the Big Island. The weather will once again become more active beginning as early as Thursday, as a new low develops, bringing renewed chances for heavy rain and moderate kona winds, especially for Friday into the weekend. Given the high soil saturation from the recent kona storm, even moderate rainfall rates could pose a risk for rapid runoff and flooding, especially during the latter portion of the week.

Hawaii’s Weather Details…as of 406am Wednesday: Light to occasionally moderate showers continue across portions of the Big Island, as a low-level trough moves overhead. Automated rainfall gauges across the Big Island show that accumulations have been relatively light at most locations, with very few locations measuring over 0.50 inch since midnight.

Meanwhile, widespread cloud cover continues to stream over primarily the eastern end of the state as well. Elsewhere, conditions have remained mostly dry throughout the night in the wake of the trough. An overnight advanced scatterometer pass shows light winds prevailing across the region. At the summits of the Big Island, however, latest observations continue to show very strong winds well in excess of 65 mph for the last several hours. Therefore, the High Wind Warning for Big Island summits will remain in effect through 6pm this evening.

The state continues to reside beneath a large upper-level troughing pattern, which continues to transport moisture-rich air into the state. The upper air soundings from Lihue and Hilo continue to show a moisture-rich atmosphere over the islands, which will support scattered to numerous showers in the forecast for today and tonight. Despite this abundance of moisture, today is still likely to be the driest portion of the forecast for the rest of this week, ahead of the next low pressure system that is forecast to form nearby. Winds will remain relatively light and variable through tonight.

From Thursday onward, the upper-level winds will become stronger and a trough will deepen into a low just west of the state. Once again, a rich plume of deep tropical moisture will be drawn over the islands, especially the eastern half of the state over Maui County and the Big Island, and will mark the return of south to southwesterly surface flow kona winds. As a result, shower chances will increase significantly again beginning for some areas on Thursday, and lasting into the weekend, including the potential for heavy rain and flooding.

The latest model guidance continues to support an additional several inches of rainfall possible over portions of the state during this period. While this next system is not anticipated to be as intense as the recent kona storm event, it is important to note that it will impact an already highly saturated environment.

Given the antecedent conditions, including elevated streams and saturated soils, even moderate rainfall rates may quickly lead to runoff issues. The threat for flash flooding will become elevated statewide by Friday, with the potential for more significant impacts persisting through the weekend.

 

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 406am Wednesday: Light to locally moderate east to southeast winds will slowly strengthen to moderate speeds by Thursday, as a ridge builds to the north of the state. Winds across the coastal waters will veer to the south by Thursday into the weekend. By this weekend, a weak low approaching from the west traverses across the state and begins to lift north on Saturday, which appears likely to maintain light to moderate southerly winds for the area.

Offshore NDBC buoy northwest of the islands continues to rise as this growing north-northwest swell continues to exceed guidance. Therefore, the High Surf Advisory has been extended for north facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and Maui. Surf will gradually decline through Friday as the swell shifts out of the north and north-northeast. A new small to moderate long period west-northwest swell is expected to arrive late Saturday and hold through early next week.

Surf along south shores will see moderate surf just below High Surf Advisory (HSA) criteria as the long period south swell continues to fill in, and will hold through Thursday. Surf along east facing shores will remain well below average due to the lack of trades locally and upstream. The exception will be for east facing shores exposed to north-northeast swells Thursday through the weekend.

 

Hawaii Kauai Beaches: A Guide for Families -



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…is located approximately 364 NM northeast of Cairns, Australia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/27P_181200sair.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: Reduced physical activity due to global heating will lead to rise in health issues, study says

Rising temperatures are making physical activity undesirable and even dangerous in many parts of the world, and as global heating worsens, it will further affect how much people are able to move.

Researchers analyzed data from 156 countries between 2000 and 2022 and modeled how rising temperatures may affect physical activity globally by 2050.

They found that each additional month with an average temperature above 27.8C would increase physical inactivity by an average of 1.5 percentage points globally, with an even higher increase of 1.85 points in low and middle-income countries.

Physical inactivity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and mental health disorders, all of which shorten life expectancy, said the study’s lead author, Christian García-Witulski, a research fellow at the Lancet Countdown Latin America and a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina.

Reduced physical activity is already a big global health problem and is responsible for an estimated 5% of all adult deaths, according to the study, which was published in the Lancet Global Health journal. About a third of the world’s population fails to meet World Health Organization guidelines for weekly exercise.

The study projects that the increase in physical inactivity could contribute to about half a million additional premature deaths annually and $2.4bn – $3.68bn in productivity losses by 2050.

Read more…The Guardian