The latest update to this website was at 1103am Friday (HST)

 

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

9.89  Mount Waialeale, Kauai                                   
5.72  Poamoho, Oahu
2.10  Honolimaloo, Molokai
1.24  Lanai City, Lanai
3.93  Puu Kukui, Maui
1.58  Waikii, Big Island

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

36  Lihue, Kauai – SW
52  Kaneohe, Oahu – SSW
56  Makapulapai, Molokai – SE
53  Lanai 1,  Lanai – SE
51  Kapalua, Maui – SE
35  Puuanahulu, Big Island – SW

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

Inclement weather conditions…becoming serious today into the weekend

 

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

Clouds moving into the state from the west…localized thunderstorms

 

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

  Heavy duty rain bands moving across the state locally

 

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

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

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

It’s mostly cloudy with a light shower early this morning here at my location, along with an occasional gust of wind, with a low temperature of 57 degrees, and the relative humidity is 80%.

810am, cloudy with a shower, while the winds are up and down…nothing radical in either wind or rain yet.

857am, the wind is starting to really kick up it’s heels all the sudden…here at my place in upper Kula.

1030am, the winds have definitely picked up here at my place…very gusty! Off and on rain, my temperature is 61.3 degrees

1103am, it’s getting windy enough that I’m starting to think more about losing my power at any moment!

 

>>> Highest Temperature Thursday, March 12, 2026 – 99 degrees near North Shore, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Friday, March 13, 2026 – minus 3 degrees at Mount Washington, NH

 

NWS Weather Prediction Center as of Friday:

Powerful Kona Storm To Bring Numerous Impacts Across Hawaii through this weekend

The high-impact and life-threatening Kona Storm pattern will continue across Hawaii through the weekend. Model consensus is for this storm to begin to weaken by Monday, as the associated mid to upper level trough becomes more elongated and sheared in a west to east direction. However, this will not affect the placement of an axis of very anomalous precipitable water (PW) values to the southeast of the low, with values 2 to 4+ standard deviations above the mean, remaining centered across the Islands through much of the upcoming new work week.

Heaviest rains likely for the Friday through Sunday period, when the overall large scale lift should be strongest to the southeast of the Kona low. After this, with the expected weakening of the associated upper trough, precipitation is expected to be less organized. However, with the axis of anomalous PW values remaining across the Islands, heavy rains are still possible each day.

With soils already becoming saturated, the multi day threat of heavy rains will support increasing risk of significant flash flooding statewide into this weekend.

 

>>> I’m keeping my cell phone and other devices charged up as much as possible, between now and when the worst of this storm activity is finished with us.

>>> If or when my power goes off, or I lose connectivity, I obviously won’t be able to continue the updating of this website. However, once one or the other returns, rest assured that I’ll immediately begin the normal updating procedures.

 

> Bands of heavy rain/thunderstorms through the day. Timing and rain amounts difficult to say with certainty
> Flood Watch entire state through Saturday, High Wind Warning smaller islands+Big Island summit/Haleakala
> Impacts include major flooding, damaging winds and potentially severe thunderstorms (isolated waterspouts/tornadoes)
> Molokai radar down

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of 858am Friday:  A powerful kona storm will near the state, producing periods of hazardous weather impacts across the Hawaiian Islands through the weekend. Expect a combination of threats ranging from significant flash flooding, damaging winds, strong to severe thunderstorms, and snow and ice over the highest Big Island summits. Southerly to southwesterly winds will be strongest from Friday to Saturday and will produce damaging wind gusts. The highest threats for damaging winds remain along north and east of the island mountains.

Unsettled wet weather conditions with decreasing southwesterly kona wind trends will occur early next week. This kona storm begins to lift northward on Monday, and unsettled weather will start to ease across the Hawaii region. High pressure will build back in north of the state on Wednesday, allowing trade winds to return, spreading from north to south down the island chain reaching Maui and the Big Island by Thursday morning.

Hawaii’s Weather Details…as of 326am Friday:  A powerful kona storm remains in place northwest of the Hawaiian Islands this morning. The big picture satellite imagery continues to show several upper level lows and troughs rotating around the larger low pressure complex. Satellite cloud top temperatures for shower bands south and west of the state over the past few hours are trending colder, and appear more strongly organized. Cooling cloud tops means stronger storms reaching higher levels of the atmosphere. These trends will continue through the morning hours as southerly wind speeds ramp up.

The large scale weather threats will pulse up and down as each of these upper level troughs dig into the islands, producing smaller scale convective heavy shower and thunderstorm banding features. The heaviest rainfall rates will fall along these developing small scale heavy rain bands. Additionally, any thunderstorms developing within these bands are capable of reaching up into the upper atmosphere and pulling down strong winds aloft down to the ground, producing strong and damaging wind gusts potentially ranging from 50 to 70 mph at times.

The Flash Flooding threats will continue into the weekend, due to both saturated soil conditions that more easily lead to ground runoff and flooding from even more moderate continuous rainfall rates. The highest flood threats across the state will favor southern and western slopes of all islands. These are typically the drier sides of the islands, less accustomed to heavy rain and flooding. Driving under these heavy shower bands will become challenging with ponding of water on area roadways.

Current weather trends in this pattern will change rapidly, these threats to life and property will develop swiftly and can affect any location in the Hawaiian Islands. Postpone outdoor activities or travel if possible until early next week, as the kona storm begins to drift northward away from the islands, and the threat level across the state diminishes. A Flood Watch continues for all Hawaiian Islands into Saturday, this Flood Watch may need to be extended in time as the heavy rainfall threat may linger into Sunday.

Weather conditions become vastly more severe today, as stronger southerly to southwesterly winds will produce damaging wind gusts along island mountain slopes, favoring northern and eastern slopes of steep mountain terrain. Saturated ground conditions and trees unaccustomed to south to southwest winds will fall and likely cause blocked roadways and lead to power outages. These strong southwesterly winds will continue through Saturday afternoon. These stronger southwest winds speed up into the 50 to 70 mph range around the 5,000 to 10,000 foot level. Southerly winds will also converge at the lower levels, lifting the atmosphere and producing strong convective heavy shower and thunderstorm bands.

As these clouds reach higher and higher heights in the atmosphere they will reach up and pull down these stronger winds to the surface, yielding wind gusts in the 50 to 70 mph range in the strongest thunderstorm cells. This means even outside of terrain enhancing wind gusts, any strong thunderstorms are capable of producing hurricane force wind gusts over islands or coastal waters through Saturday. A Wind Advisory was issued this morning for the lower elevation areas, below summit level, of the Big Island. A High Wind Warning remains in effect to cover these stronger damaging wind threats for the rest of the state.

Some of these stronger thunderstorms may become severe with the heaviest rainfall rates coupled with strong damaging winds. High levels of instability, wind shear and atmospheric forcing ingredients are all coming into focus over the islands through Saturday for a potential severe weather event. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch may be needed to cover this threat through the Saturday time period. However, the NWS will likely wait until they see these severe thunderstorm developing over the local area, before pulling the trigger on this Severe Thunderstorm Watch with a short lead time measured in hours.

Colder temperatures below freezing and developing showers over the Big Island summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are producing heavy snowfall and periods of icing at times. A combination of ice, snow and strong winds will continue to produce above the 12,000 foot elevation level through today. A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for this winter weather threat and may need to be extended into Sunday. The Mauna Kea Access road to the summit remains closed to the public.

From Saturday night to Sunday another upper level trough passes over the islands, leading to another upward pulse in moderate to heavy shower activity. Thunderstorms will also threaten the islands and become more of a flooding threat, as decreasing upper level and surface wind speeds diminish the damaging wind gust potential.

Monday and Tuesday, the large kona storm begins to weaken and lift northward, slowly drifting away from the Hawaiian Islands. This means wet weather continues, however moderate to heavy rainfall rates will decrease in coverage, and southwest kona winds will gradually weaken through the first half of next week.

From Wednesday to Thursday, the latest long range guidance shows a high pressure system building back into position just north of the island chain. Trade winds will build back into the islands from north to south, with more typical brief passing showers over windward mountain areas, reaching Maui and the Big Island by Thursday morning.

 

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 326am Friday:  Prepare for gusty winds, steep and fast building seas, and low visibility in heavy showers across the entire marine waters, as this strong kona storm event continues to impact the coastal and offshore waters through the weekend. Strong to gale southerly winds will continue through the weekend, as a Gale Warning is in effect all waters around Kauai and Oahu through tonight. Winds are expected to near Maui County Saturday and Saturday night to near gale-force, so a Gale Watch has been posted for those areas during that time. These strong to gale- force winds will last into the weekend, as the band of thunderstorms push eastward through Saturday. The winds by early next week will shift westerly and diminish, as the storm gains increasing distance away far to the north of the islands.

A small, short to medium period west to west-northwest swell will bring small to moderate surf to north and west facing shores through the weekend. Kauai will block some of this swell energy from reaching Oahu and Maui, but it will make it into the west facing shores of the Big Island. Additionally, a small, medium period north swell is expected to build and peak Saturday before gradually declining.

Rough and choppy surf will continue along south-facing shores due to the south to southeast wind direction. These south winds will intensify causing south shore surf to build into the weekend, likely just below advisory levels. Once southerly winds diminish early next week, a small to moderate, long-period south swell generated by a gale force low east- southeast of New Zealand, will arrive along south-facing shores and build into mid-week. Surf along east-facing shores will remain below seasonal levels as south to southeast winds prevail.

 

WATCH: Heavy rain and high winds in Hawaii



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 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:  Marine Plastic Pollution Alters Octopus Predator-Prey Encounters

More than 350,000 chemicals are used worldwide, and many find their way into the ocean through plastic pollution. As plastics accumulate in coastal waters, they continuously leach bioactive additives that can interfere with the chemical cues marine animals rely on to find food, avoid predators, choose habitats and communicate.

One such chemical, oleamide, is an industrial lubricant in plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene. As these plastics degrade, oleamide seeps into the water. But it’s not just industrial: oleamide is naturally produced by many organisms and influences sleep in mammals, acts as a pheromone in some marine species, and closely resembles oleic acid – a cue tied to death and scavenging in arthropods like crabs. By mimicking natural signals, oleamide may quietly alter how marine life senses food and interacts with one another.

To understand these effects, Florida Atlantic University researchers studied how plastic-derived oleamide influences predator-prey behavior. They focused on a common South Florida octopus (Octopus vulgaris), a key mesopredator, and observed its responses to four widespread prey: hermit crabs, free-living crabs, snails and clams.

Read more at: Florida Atlantic University

Madelyn A. Hair returns an octopus to its capture site after participating in the study.