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

 

The latest update to this website was Wednesday afternoon 106pm HST


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

1.57  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.10  Moanalua RG, Oahu
0.01  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.01  Lanai City, Lanai
0.73  West Wailuaiki, Maui
1.66  Honolii Stream, Big Island


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

24  Lihue, Kauai – NE
43  Palehua, Oahu – SE
35  Makapulapai, Molokai – E 
28  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
51  Na Kula, Maui – E 
39  Puulua, Big Island – NE


Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’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

Cold front far northwest…high clouds southeast

 

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Variably cloudy, mostly low clouds in the general vicinity

 

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

Localized showers mostly windward 

 

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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 at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

It’s mostly clear with low clouds along the windward sides with some showers here in Maui County, with calm winds at my place, with a low of 55 degrees and the relative humidity is 84%

109pm, I played 6 Pickleball games this morning in Makawao, and each of the games was rousing for sure. Lots of clouds around this afternoon, with the bulk of them over and around the mountains, and along the windward sides. It’s what I’d call a rather normal day for this time of year, with most of the showers falling along the north and east facing slopes.


>>> Highest Temperature Tuesday, May 19, 2026 – 109 degrees at Rio Grande Village, TX
>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – 12 degrees near Mackay, ID

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of Wednesday afternoon:  Trade winds will steadily strengthen through Thursday and could produce advisory level winds by Thursday afternoon, especially over Maui County and the Big Island. Passing showers will continue to ride in with the breezy to windy trade winds through early next week, primarily during the nights and early morning hours across windward and mountain areas.

Short Term Update…as of Wednesday afternoon:  Trade wind showers were seen in the usual locations, meaning mainly windward and mountains, with precipitation amounts ranging from a few hundredths up to around 3/4 of an inch in some higher elevations. Skies were partly to mostly cloudy. Today should play out like a typical trade wind day, with a slight increase of winds as the day progresses.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of Wednesday morning: Radar and satellite imagery shows scattered showers arriving with the breezy trade winds, mainly over windward and mountain areas. As we go through the day today and into tonight, trade winds will steadily strengthen, and a drier air mass will move over the state. With the drier air mass in place by Thursday, showers will remain on the lighter side, but we should continue to see scattered showers over windward and mountain areas.

As the drier air mass moves in on Thursday, the inversion will lower and strengthen as well, which will result in some gusty winds over and to the lee sides of terrain. Winds are expected to reach advisory thresholds on Thursday for the windier areas around Maui County and the Big Island, where gusts of up to 50 mph will be possible. For Oahu, wind gusts should be slightly weaker but gusts of at least 40 mph should be expected for areas downwind of terrain by late Thursday.

For the weekend, windy conditions will likely continue through Saturday. Trade winds could drop a notch on Sunday, but nonetheless breezy to strong trades will likely continue through early next week. Passing showers will continue to ride in with the strong trades from time to time and will mainly be focused over windward and mountain areas.


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

 

Marine Environmental Conditions…as of Wednesday afternoon: The high pressure ridge north of the Hawaiian Islands will strengthen over the next few days, with winds into the strong to gale range from Thursday into early Friday morning. A Gale Watch was issued for the Alenuihaha and Pailolo Channels. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect and will expand to all island waters by Thursday. Expect SCA to continue into the first half of next week.

Small, short to medium period, north-northwest (330 degree) swell energy will decline through Thursday. The next small, north-northwest (330 degree) swell will move into the Hawaii area on Saturday, increasing surf heights along north and west facing shores through the weekend.

A series of small, long period, south swell energy supports near-average surf along south facing shores over the next 7-days. Meanwhile, strengthening trades maintain elevated surf along east facing shores into next week.

 

The 9 Best South Maui Beaches: Wailea, Kihei, and Makena Beaches! - The Hawaii Vacation Guide


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

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 7 days.

>>> Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 7 days.

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

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 7 days.

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

 

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

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 7 days.

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

 

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

Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will begin on June 1, 2026.

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

 

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclone

>>> Southwest Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

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



Interesting:  Satellite Launch Pollution Rapidly Accumulating in the Upper Atmosphere

The potent pollution from so-called “mega-constellation” satellite systems launched en masse into space since 2019 will account for nearly half (42%) of the total climate impact of space sector pollution by the end of the decade, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

Publishing in Earth’s Future, the research team examined air pollution produced by the growing number of rocket launches, and the discarded rocket bodies and dead satellites falling back to Earth. The black carbon (soot) generated from these sources lingers in the upper atmosphere far longer than that from ground-based sources, resulting in a 500-fold greater impact on the climate.

Using data from rocket launches and satellite deployments between 2020 and 2022, the team projected emissions out to the end of the decade. The analysis showed that in 2020 these mega-constellations contributed about 35% to the total climate impact from the space sector and will climb to 42% by 2029.

Read More at: University College London