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

 

The last update to this website was Thursday afternoon at 1211pm HST


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

0.12  N Wailua Ditch, Kauai
0.40  Kaala, Oahu
0.06  Honolimaloo, Molokai
0.16  Lanai City, Lanai
0.25  EMI Baseyard, Maui
0.12  South Point, Big Island


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

09  Mana, Kauai – NNE  
14  Kuaokala, Oahu – NNE
12  Makaena, Molokai – NE  
07  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
17  Na Kula, Maui – W
14  Lalamilo, Big Island – NE


Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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.

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

Thunderstorms in the deeper tropics 

 

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High clouds southeast…surface low to the northeast 

 

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

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Showers locally…not many

 

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




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Hawaii Weather Narrative
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Glenn’s Thursday comments:  I’m at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

544am, it’s mostly clear with some clouds around the edges here in Kula, with a low temperature of 50.5 degrees here at my place…with the relative humidity 82 percent.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, May 6, 2026 – 103 degrees near Hidalgo, TX
>>> Lowest Temperature Thursday, May 7, 2026 – 10 degrees at Leadville, CO

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of Thursday afternoon:  Gentle to moderate trade winds will hold into Friday. These gentle winds will allow for a hybrid land/sea breeze and trade wind pattern to continue for the next 24 hours, with clouds and showers focusing over interior and mountain areas during the afternoon, with some clearing for the leeward areas overnight. Friday night into early next week, a band of moisture and gradually strengthening trade winds will increase chances of precipitation primarily over windward and mountain areas.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of Thursday afternoon: A tranquil, dry morning across the islands under partially clear skies and light, variable breezes. Imagery shows that moisture levels are near to slightly below normal by seasonal standards. Weak troughing located a few hundred miles northeast of the state will likely provide just enough instability, to go with low end moderate rain chances today and tonight.

Early day warming under partially clear skies will initiate thicker clouds and increase scattered showers over leeward Big Island`s Kona region. Trades will return today, but likely still be weak enough for localized sea breezes to develop and become the dominant flow pattern. Early day sun on leeward slopes, with sea breezes drawing up higher moisture, will increase leeward isolated showers.

Hawaii lies between two surface high pressure systems…one far northwest of the islands and the other far northeast of the state. This has created a relaxed surface pressure gradient, maintaining localized sea breezes during the day, followed by nocturnal drainage or land breezes. The presence of a northeast surface trough, with approaching weak mid to upper level troughing from the northwest, within a somewhat moistened environment, will ensure thick mountain clouds, and more frequent precipitation within higher elevations.

Tomorrow will be another partly cloudy day with thicker clouds and more frequent showers being confined to windward upslope regions and higher terrain. While feeling a touch more humid due to the lack of moderate trades, thicker cloud cover should keep many locales in the mid to upper 70’s for the majority of the afternoon.

High pressure to the northwest of the island chain will move across to the north the next couple of days. This will assist in tightening up the pressure gradient over the islands, and in the process strengthening trade winds. The trade winds will gradually make their return tomorrow and strengthen to more moderate magnitudes by the upcoming weekend.

Overall troughing will lift northeast of the state going into the early part of next week. A general weak troughing pattern will hang over the state through Monday. Ribbons of higher moisture moving in on more established trades will promote the increased frequency of light to moderate precipitation, especially over traditionally more wet areas such as Kauai and Oahu`s higher elevations, eastern Maui County, and windward Big Island. More robust ridging is forecast to expand in from the west early next week. This will provide greater stability in tandem with a relatively drier atmosphere. Thus, overall statewide shower activity will be on the decline going into the middle of next week.


https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/graphics/npac.gif


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 MapLooping Surface Precipitation…through the next 8-days / Vog Map

 

Marine Environmental Conditions…as of Thursday morning: A weak trough residing northeast of the islands will keep trade winds light to locally moderate across all local waters into Friday. By this weekend, a surface ridge building northwest of the state will bring a return of moderate to locally fresh trades. A Small Craft Advisory may be needed for the typical windy waters surrounding Maui and the Big Island by early next week as the high expands eastward.

A moderate, long period, northwest swell is filling in across the local waters, as noted on the latest Hanalei buoy observations. This swell should peak later today and bring elevated surf along north and west facing beaches, just shy of advisory levels. Expect a gradual decline to swell and surf Friday into the weekend.

A small, long-period, south swell will continue to fill in today. This swell should provide a small bump in south shore surf through the end of the week.

Surf along east facing shores will remain below normal during the next several days, due to the lack of strong trades over and upstream of the islands. East shore surf will gradually increase into the weekend as trades make a slow return.

 

 

Kauai's Best Family Friendly Beach - Vagabond3


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 cyclones

>>> Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

>>> Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

>>> Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: 

Tropical Cyclone 05W (Hagupit) is located approximately 202 NM east-southeast of Yap

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

 

>>> 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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Turning Plastic Waste Into Clean Fuel Using Sunlight

Scientists are advancing a promising solution to two of the world’s biggest challenges – plastic pollution and clean energy – by transforming waste plastics into valuable fuels using sunlight.

A new paper led by Adelaide University PhD candidate Xiao Lu explores how solar-powered technologies can convert discarded plastics into hydrogen, syngas and other useful industrial chemicals, offering a pathway toward a more sustainable, circular economy.

Globally, more than 460 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year, with millions of tonnes leaking into the environment. At the same time, the urgent need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels has driven the search for cleaner energy sources.

The research, published in Chem Catalysis, highlights how plastics – rich in carbon and hydrogen – can be repurposed as an untapped resource rather than waste.

Read More: Adelaide University