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:

0.01  Waiakoali, Kauai
0.03  Luluku, Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.36  Waikamoi Treeline, Maui
0.29  Kaiholena, Big Island

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

14  Moloaa Dairy, Kauai
18  Kaneohe, Oahu
18  Makapulapai, Molokai
18  Lanai 1, Lanai 
25  Na Kula, Maui
18  Pali 2, Big Island

 

Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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

Cold front northwest…thunderstorms far south 

 

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

 Variable low clouds over the islands…high clouds north and south 

 

 

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…very few 

 

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 in Corte Madera (Marin County, CA) at my friend Linda’s place

It’s partly cloudy early this morning…with a low temperature of 40 degrees.

Heading out to play Pickleball in Mill Valley.

It was a wonderfully pleasant autumn day here in Marin County!

Weather Wit of the day: Marine Advisory – A wave review

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, November 26, 2025 – 88 near Escondido, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, November 26, 2025 – minus 12 near Poplar, MT

 

KEY POINTS: Extra Large Swell

  • An extra large west-northwest to northwest (300-320 degree) swell is expected to rapidly fill in Saturday evening and peak Saturday night into Sunday and will likely produce giant surf of 40 to 50 feet along north facing shores and 25 to 35 feet along west facing shores. This could lead to coastal and harbor impacts across exposed north and west facing shores, especially during the high tides.

  • Expect ocean water surging and sweeping across beaches creating the potential for impacts to coastal properties and infrastructure, including roadways. Powerful long shore and rip currents will be present on most beaches.  Large breaking waves and strong currents may impact harbor entrances and channels causing challenging boat handling.

     

CONFIDENCE AND DETAILS

Kauai, Oahu, and Maui County

HIGH Confidence

High Surf Warning along north and west facing shores of Kauai and Oahu and north facing shores of Maui. Surf heights of 40 to 50 feet with occasional larger sets along north facing exposures.

25 to 35 feet along west facing exposures.

MODERATE Confidence

Waves washing across roads near the shoreline that are exposed to the west-northwest to northwest swell at high tide.

Details: An extra large west-northwest to northwest (300-320 degree) swell will rapidly build Saturday evening and peak Saturday night into Sunday and gradually decline Sunday afternoon through the middle of next week. High tides will occur near midnight and noon Saturday night and Sunday.

Swell Direction: 300-320 degrees.

Peak Swell Height: 15 to 20 feet Saturday night into Sunday.

Peak Swell Period: 16 to 20 seconds.

Onset: Forerunners arriving as early as Saturday afternoon and rapidly building through Saturday night.

Peak: Late Saturday night into Sunday morning with wave heights of 40 to 50 feet with occasional higher sets along north facing shores and 25 to 35 feet along west facing exposures.

Duration of event: Warning level surf expected late Saturday afternoon through possibly Monday along north and west facing exposures.

 

Big Island

High Confidence

High Surf Warning for west facing exposures. Surf heights of 12 to 18 feet with higher sets along select Kona shores.

Details: An extra large west-northwest to northwest (300-320 degree) swell will rapidly build Saturday night and peak during the day Sunday and gradually decline Sunday evening through the middle of next week. High tide will occur around noon on Sunday.

Swell Direction: 300-320 degrees.

Peak Swell Height: 6 to 7 feet on Sunday.

Peak Swell Period: 16 to 20 seconds.

Onset: Forerunners arriving as early as late Saturday afternoon and building through the night Saturday.

Peak: During the day Sunday with wave heights of 12 to 18 feet along west facing shores of the Big Island. The high tide is expected just around noon on Sunday.

Duration of event: Warning level surf expected Saturday night through possibly Monday.

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview: Weak ridging will reside over the islands through Thanksgiving. The result will be a stable environment with mainly clear to partially cloudy skies and light winds. The lack of any significant trade flow, or just light southeast or variable breezes will make if feel more humid into the holiday weekend.

Due to this wind pattern allowing the smaller islands to fall in the rain shadow of Big Island, any precipitation will be light and typically occur over further interior, leeward locales. Kauai and Niihau rainfall will likely increase early next week, as a the tail-end of a cold front approaching the area from the northwest stalls near the Garden Isle.

Hawaii’s Weather Details: A high pressure ridge parked over the islands through the holiday weekend will produce just enough subsidence to maintain slightly above normal warmth, more humid days under partial cloudiness, and light variable to southeasterly breezes. The strong, relatively lower inversion heights are solid evidence of the subsidence, as will be dry statewide conditions under fair weather cumulus.

The position of the ridge in relation to the islands will also keep the state under a light southeasterly wind pattern. These light, synoptic scale winds under more sun and clear overnight skies, will allow the local scale sea and land breezes to kick in over each island.

Southeasterly winds will produce a rain shadow effect as upstream air approaches the state and flows around Big Island. This equates to a disrupted (non-trade like) pattern and to lessened clouds as orographic lift over the island’s topography will be limited. This will result in less frequent shower activity.

We can’t completely get away from the nature of the tropics, so expect a few brief stray showers primarily along upslope higher terrain. The highest probabilities of precipitation will occur during the overnight to early morning hours over the eastern slopes of Big Island and Maui. Recent Kilauea volcanic activity from Episode 36 will increase the vog levels, and the noticeable presence of haze through Thanksgiving.

The weather pattern changes early next week, as a cold front approaches the state from the northwest. The forward motion of this boundary will slow and eventually stall near Kauai next Tuesday. Southerly winds ahead of the front pulling a more moisture-rich air mass over the western islands, will likely increase mid to late week rainfall across Niihau, Kauai and Oahu.

Wet weather will favor the southern and western slopes of Kauai and Oahu as the southerlies lift tropical moisture into the higher terrain. This may be the first significant weather maker of the wet season, so it will be interesting to see how the forecast evolves through the holiday weekend.

Fire weather:  While statewide precipitation will be on the down trend, lower wind speed and higher humidity will remain below critical fire weather thresholds through the weekend. Temperature inversion heights near Big Island and Maui will range between 5,000 to 6,000 feet.

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 surface ridge, parked just north of the state, will allow for mainly gentle to moderate east to east-southeast flow across the waters through the end of this week. However, winds are forecast to ramp up for the typical windy areas around Maui and the Big Island late Thursday into Friday, and a Small Craft Advisory may be needed. Waters located in the leeward sides of the islands will be more sheltered, and thus lighter flow with a nocturnally driven land/sea breeze pattern close to the coasts. Similar conditions prevail through the weekend as a frontal system stalls north of the islands.

A series of rather impressive long period northwesterly swells will affect the waters through the forecast period. Forerunners from the first, medium to large, northwesterly (320-340 deg) swell have shown up at Waimea Bay buoy. Swell energy will ramp up, peak tonight, then slowly ease during the day Thursday. Thus, a High Surf Advisory will remain in effect through Friday morning for most exposed north and west facing shores of the smaller islands. Combined seas during the peak of the swell, and a Small Craft Advisory (SCA) for rough seas may warranted for the waters northwest of Kauai and Oahu.

Over the next several days, models rapidly deepen a low in the north Pacific, roughly 1,500 to 2,000 NM northwest of Kauai. A significant fetch of gale to storm force winds associated with this low will be pointed down the great circle route towards the island chain, and produce the next big swell event. Guidance depicts this long period, northwest swell first reaching the waters by mid-day Saturday, then ramping up quickly thereafter. The peak of the event currently appears to be Saturday night into Sunday, with the potential for the first of the season extra-large northwest (310-320 deg) swell. If current trends come to fruition, a High Surf Warning for exposed north and west facing shores would be needed, in addition to a SCA for rough seas.

Surf along east facing shores will remain small through the weekend due to the lighter winds. Expect manly tiny surf along south facing shores with minor background energy.

The 5 Best Beaches in Maui: A Must See Experience



World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity

 

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.

 

Northeastern Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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

North Central 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)

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean:  

Tropical Cyclone 33W (Koto)…is located 366 NM east-southeast of Da Nang, Vietnam

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/wp3325.gif

Southwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

North and South Indian Ocean:  

Tropical Cyclone 04B (Senyar)…is located 572 NM southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Final Warning

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/io0425.gif

Tropical Cyclone 05B…is located 1046 NM south-southwest of Kolkata, India

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/wp3325.gif

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: World’s Mountains Warming Faster Than Lowlands

Around the world, mountains are warming faster than surrounding lowlands, scientists warn. More intense heat is melting glaciers and diminishing snowfall, threatening a vital source of fresh water for more than a billion people, according to an exhaustive review of scientific research.

It is clear that warmer weather is altering mountain landscapes, said lead author Nick Pepin, of the University of Portsmouth. “What’s less well known is that as you go higher into the mountains, the rate of climate change can become even more intense.”

Pepin and his colleagues analyzed data on shifting temperature, rainfall, and snowfall across mountain ranges, from the Rockies to the Alps to the Himalayas, from 1980 to 2020. They found that, compared to lowlands, mountains are warming by another 0.21 degrees C per century. Data shows that as alpine areas heat up, snowfall is turning to rain, and rain is becoming more erratic. The research was published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.

Read More: Yale Environment 360