The latest update to this website was at 605am Monday (HST)

 

Here are the highest temperatures Sunday…and the lowest Sunday:

82 – 75  Lihue AP, Kauai
87 – 75  Honolulu, AP
83 – 70  Molokai AP, Molokai
86 – 71  Kahului AP, Maui
84 – 72  Kona AP, Big Island
81 – 68  Hilo, AP, Big Island

>>> There are lots of new locations that measure rainfall and winds now, here’s a map of all areas for your reference (the map is clickable to zoom in closer)

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

1.29  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.35  Waiawa, Oahu
0.16  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.90  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.55  Kealakekua, Big Island

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

17  Port Allen, Kauai
32  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
29  Makapulapai, Molokai
22  Lanai 1, Lanai
36  Na Kula, Maui
36  Puuloa, 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/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/tpw/13/GOES17-TPW-13-900x540.gif 

 A cold front is located far northwest…with lots of clouds south


https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/GOES17-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Low clouds being carried our way on the trade winds

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/hi/13/GOES17-HI-13-600x600.gif

High level clouds arriving from the west

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/HAWAII_loop.gif

Localized showers

 

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

Kauai and Oahu (Satellite)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHKI_loop.gif

Kauai and Oahu (Radar)

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Oahu-Maui_VIS_loop.gif

Oahu and Maui County (Satellite)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHMO_loop.gif

Oahu and Maui County (Radar)

 

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

 Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, and the Big Island (Satellite)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHKM_loop.gif

Maui County and the Big Island (Radar)

 

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/PHWA_loop.gif

Big Island (Radar)

 

Model showing precipitation through 8-days (you can slow this animation down)

 


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

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Monday comments:  I’m home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii.

It’s partly cloudy here in Maui County early this morning before sunrise, with some higher level clouds. The low temperature here at my place was 54 degrees.

(From the NWS forecast office in Honolulu – Tina Stall) April had a respectable showing state-wide to round out the 2024-2025 wet season. The majority of stations reported near to above average rainfall totals for the month, with most of that falling during the second half of the month. The month began with moderate southeast to south winds and a surface ridge over the state, ahead of a cold front approaching from the northwest. The front moved through Kauai on the 3rd and stalled over the Kauai Channel on the 4th before dissipating. Moderate to fresh east to northeast trade winds filled in behind the front and continued through around the 14th. An increase in low-level moisture around the 9th and 10th acted to boost trade wind showers with some pockets of moderate to heavy rain, especially on Kauai and the Big Island, though no significant flood impacts occurred.

Around the middle of the month, the trade winds eased enough to allow a land/sea breeze pattern to set up from the 16th through the 19th. A disturbance aloft moving over the state during this time resulted in enough instability for some heavy showers and thunderstorms. The 17th focused the heaviest showers along Windward Maui and Oahu, as well as leeward Big Island and Kauai. The 17th through 18th saw the heaviest rainfall with windward and interior portions of Kauai and Oahu picking up 7 to 10 inches of rain in 24 hours, Mt. Waialeale, where they picked up the highest daily total for that island this month. Kauai Emergency Management reported flash flooding near the Hanalei River Bridge that day as well. The Poamoho Rain Gage #1 also recorded the highest daily total for Oahu in April. Other windward areas saw around 2 to 4 inches of rain, while the light winds and sea breezes allowed leeward areas to pick up several tenths of an inch of much needed rainfall.

Moderate to fresh easterly trades with typical scattered windward and mountain showers returned for the next few days as high pressure reasserted itself north of the area. During this period, a few heavier showers occurred over the leeward slopes of the Big Island and portions of Maui with rainfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour at times, though no significant flooding was observed. Trades weakened and shifted out of the southeast beginning on the 22nd ahead of the next weather maker in the form of a developing surface low and accompanying upper-level low northwest of the islands. These lows, along with the associated instability maximum and most thunderstorm activity, remained centered just west of Kauai, with the remainder of the state under high-moisture south to southeast flow. Portions of Kauai, Oahu, and Maui saw some heavy showers stream over them from the south with rainfall rates of around one inch per hour over the next couple of days, but the moderate to fresh wind speeds kept the showers moving quickly enough to avoid any significant flooding effects.

As the lows to the northwest weakened and stalled west of Kauai into the weekend of the 25th and 26th, the moderate southeasterly winds weakened, allowing land and sea breezes to set up over the majority of the state. However, Hawaii remained under a moist and relatively unstable airmass for the next few days, allowing some afternoon showers to become somewhat heavy over interior and leeward areas of Kauai and Oahu. None of these were enough for any real flooding impacts. Trade winds began to slowly return to round out the month as the troughs to the west dissipated.

Weather Wit of the day:  May – Days of shine and roses

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  High pressure far the northeast will generate breezy trade winds, with mainly windward and mountain showers. A weak upper low moving across the state could increase shower coverage and intensity through the weekend.

Hawaii’s Weather Details:  Currently, satellite imagery shows some low clouds moving in on the trades, bringing in some showers to windward and mountain locations which can be seen on radar. Bottom line is we are under a fairly typical trade wind pattern through the rest of this new week.

A high pressure system far to the northeast of the islands is moving slowly east-northeast. This in turn will continue to produce moderate to locally breezy trades across the state through mid-week. Windward showers can be expected overnight into the early morning each day.

Some spillover to leeward areas is possible, although coverage is expected to be isolated in nature. Trades may ease up slightly by the latter half of the week, as a few cold fronts move by north of the islands. Another disturbance should impact the islands over the weekend, increasing showers.

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 / Vog map animation

Hawaii’s Marine Environment:  Fresh to locally strong trade winds will persist through much of the week, as as an area of high pressure remains far northeast of the state. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect for most Hawaiian waters as a result. However, the high is expected to slowly drift the east, which will allow the trades to weaken slightly tonight through mid-week. Therefore, the SCA has been scaled back tonight through Tuesday evening to the more typical windy waters near Maui and the Big Island. This SCA will likely be extended through mid to late week.

The current moderate period south-southwest swell will bring elevated surf to south facing shores, then slowly decline through mid-week. By the end of the week, only small background south swell will exist.

Surf along east-facing shores will be rough and choppy due to the stronger trade winds. Rough and choppy surf will persist throughout the week, with a slight decrease in surf heights as the trades ease slightly tonight through mid-week.

A series of small northwest swells will keep small surf in place along north facing shores through the upcoming weekend.

 



World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity

 

Atlantic Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Caribbean Sea:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Gulf of Mexico:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Northeastern Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

North Central Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s the link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)

Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Southwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

North and 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:  Halo Patterns Around Coral Reefs May Signal Resilience

Study models spatial patterns of “grazing halos” around reefs.

In coral reefs throughout the world, visually striking bands of bare sand surrounding reefs are often visible in satellite imagery, but their cause remains a mystery.

One theory is fear. Parrotfish and other herbivores will leave a reef’s shelter to eat algae or the surrounding seagrass, but their fear of being gobbled up by predators may keep them from roving too far or eating too much, creating, what’s known as “grazing halos”—bands encircling reefs where vegetation once existed.

Prior studies have proposed that these and other halos may reflect what is known in ecology as the “landscape of fear” theory: fear of predation causes prey to alter their foraging behavior, which may result in the creation of halos marking where prey feel safe to eat.

Read more at Dartmouth College