The latest update to this website was at 6pm Wednesday (HST)

 

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

3.09  Lihue AP, Kauai
3.69  Kaala, Oahu
0.02  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.02  Lanai City, Lanai
0.14  Pukalani, Maui
0.28  Kealakomo, Big Island

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

24  Lihue, Kauai – WSW
28  Kuaokala, Oahu – SSE
30  Molokai AP, Molokai – SSE
27  Lanai 1, Lanai – SW 
38  Kahului AP, Maui – SW
25  Hilo AP, Big Island – SE

 

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

 The cold front has stall around Kauai 

 

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

Variably cloudy skies…with towering cumulus and thunderstorms near Kauai and Oahu

 

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…some are heavy from Kauai to Oahu

 

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

 

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Wednesday comments:  I’m here at home through the winter in upper Kula, Maui

It’s mostly clear with a few clouds here in Maui County early this morning, with a low temperature of 53 degrees at my place, with the relative humidity 71 percent.

1245pm, it’s mostly sunny along with very gusty southwest kona winds.

515pm, the weather is very dry and sunny over Maui County, although the cold front between Kauai and Oahu is producing showers…some of which are still heavy.

Weather Wit of the day: National Weather Service – a prophet making organization

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, December 17, 2025 – 85 near Jacumba, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, December 17, 2025 – 1 at Gunnison, CO

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview: A stalled cold front near Kauai will produce periods of moderate to locally heavy showers and a few thunderstorms across the western portion of the state, in an unstable southerly wind pattern tonight. Meanwhile, more stable conditions are forecast over the eastern islands, as a weak ridge and southeasterly winds limit shower activity. The front will weaken into a trough and lift northwestward back over Kauai County on Thursday, providing continued shower chances over the western end of the state, with improving weather trends for Molokai and Oahu.

Ridging aloft will then slowly build back in over the islands as the trough north of the state fills in and lifts northward, marking a return of more stable easterly trade wind weather this coming weekend. These more typical and stable moderate to breezy trade winds, with brief windward and mountain showers, will last through Christmas Day.

Hawaii’s Weather Details: An active weather pattern continues across the western portion of the state as a front remains stalled near Kauai. A meandering band of showers thunderstorms has been moving over and near Kauai, bringing repeated rounds of moderate to locally heavy rain. Rain gauges and radar estimated rainfall amounts, shows that portions of Kauai, in particular the southern and eastern portions of the island near Lihue and surrounding areas, have received in excess of 2 inches of rain. When combined with rainfall that also fell last night and during the early morning hours, widespread 24 hour rainfall totals between 1 to 3 inches have been measured across the Garden Isle.

Fortunately, due to the progressive nature of the heaviest showers within the band of moisture, flooding has been predominantly localized and impacts minimized thus far in this event. For Oahu, showers have been fewer, though areas of West Oahu and the North Shore did pick up decent rainfall totals earlier. Much drier conditions are observed across Maui County and the Big Island, though terrain- influenced gusty southerly flow has been observed at both Kahului and Hilo.

From this tonight into Thursday, expect cloudy skies, periods of moderate to locally heavy showers, and a few thunderstorms to continue across Kauai County, Oahu, and surrounding waters, as unstable deep tropical moisture continues to be introduced over the western half of the state, in the vicinity of the stalled frontal boundary, and it’s associated pre-frontal convergence. Of note, the latest hi-res and probabilistic guidance, as well as the various convection-allowing models, continue to suggest that bands of potentially training showers (heavy at times) and isolated thunderstorms could move over Kauai and/or Oahu tonight.

Confidence in exactly where the heaviest, or repeated, showers will set up is fairly low. While it is certainly possible that they could remain mostly over the water in the Kauai Channel for the majority of the night, it is nearly equally probable that they could begin training over the islands of Kauai or Oahu depending on the front’s progress, potentially leading to flash flooding concerns. Therefore, the Flood Watch will continue through Thursday afternoon.

By later Thursday into Friday, the high pressure ridge aloft will slowly build back in over the islands, as the remnants of the frontal boundary (now weakened to a trough) north of the state fills in and lifts northward. This will mark the return of more stable easterly trade wind weather for the weekend.

However, clouds and showers will linger over the islands in Kauai County for one more day, as the trough slowly drifts across the islands. Inversion heights will be limited as the ridge builds back in, limiting cloud heights, and therefore, shower potential. These more typical and stable moderate to breezy trade winds with brief windward and mountain showers will last through December 25th.

Fire weather:  Wet weather conditions and isolated thunderstorms will continue across Niihau, Kauai and Oahu. Periods of clouds and scattered showers are expected for Molokai and Lanai. Drier conditions remain over Maui and the Big Island. Trade winds and stability trends will slowly return to the western half of the state Friday into the weekend. Wind speeds and humidity levels will keep weather conditions below critical fire thresholds over the next 7-days.

Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – 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: A cold front near Kauai waters will drift over Kauai and stall near Oahu. Moderate to locally strong south winds will hold over the western half of the state ahead of the front, before easing to light to gentle speeds Thursday. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect for strong winds and high seas. Isolated thunderstorms and heavy showers remain possible mainly over Kauai and Oahu waters through Thursday. A strong high pressure system will build north of the state Friday allowing light to moderate trades to return, and gradually strengthen to moderate to strong speeds Sunday into early next week.

A moderate, medium period north swell (350-360 degree) will fade as a moderate, short to medium period WNW swell (280 to 320 degrees) fills in. This swell will elevate surf along north and west facing shores to just below the HSA threshold and will create fairly choppy conditions. Seas will build around Kauai and Oahu waters. A large, medium period NNW (330-350 degree) swell will fill in and peak Thursday right around advisory levels. The SCA may need to be extended through Friday and expanded to include windward Maui waters as this swell will keep seas elevated. This swell will gradually fade through the remainder of the week, with small to moderate north and northwest swells mixed in through the weekend.

East shore surf will remain small except where NW-N swell energy wraps through the week. By next week, a large, short period northeast swell could elevate surf along east facing shores as strong trade winds return. South shore surf will remain choppy as persistent S-SW winds hold, before gradually easing through the rest of week. Small background southwest swells will keep surf from going flat through the weekend.

 

Hawaii Weather Today » Hawaiian Islands Weather Details & Aloha Paragraphs / February 25-26, 2018|



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 and South Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones 

South Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 07S (Bakung)…is located approximately 331 NM west-northwest of the Cocos Islands – Final Warning

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh0726.gif

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: The Smoky Signature of Climate Change

Across the western U.S., wildfires and the dangerous smoke that results have increased in frequency and intensity since the 1990s – that much is clear. Surprisingly less clear are the exact reasons why: While greenhouse gas-related global warming is often cited as a culprit, to what extent can this claim be quantified?

Atmospheric chemists and wildfire experts in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have authored one of the most rigorous estimates to date of just how much of the fire damage and hazardous smoke of the last three decades is directly attributable to the warming temperatures and drier conditions caused by climate change.

Researchers led by Loretta Mickley, senior research fellow in chemistry-climate interactions and leader of the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group at Harvard SEAS, report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that climate change directly accounts for 60-82% of total burned area in western U.S. forests and 33% in central and southern California since the early 1990s. On average, that’s 65% of total fire emissions in the U.S. between 1997 and 2020.

Read More at: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences