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

 

The latest update to this website was at 1045am Friday morning HST


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

1.06  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.40  Kalawahine, Oahu
0.84  Honolimaloo, Molokai
0.04  Lanai City, Lanai
0.66  Wesr Wailuaiki, Maui
0.40  Pahoa, Big Island


The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) Friday morning: 

27  Port Allen, Kauai – E
28  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – ESE
27  Makapulapai, Molokai – E
29  Lanai 1, Lanai – ENE
33  Na Kula, Maui – ESE 
33  Puuloa, 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 (out of operation). 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/GOES19/ABI/SECTOR/eep/13/GOES19-EEP-13-900x540.gif

  A tropical disturbance (Invests 90C) is southwest of Hawaii…Tropical Cyclone 05E (Elida) offshore from Mexico

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/14/20261981150-20261981940-GOES18-ABI-HI-14-600x600.gif

Variable low clouds…high clouds in the 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 

 

https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/png/hfo.png

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




~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Aloha Friday comments:  I’m at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

503am, it’s mostly clear here in upper Kula with calm winds, and a low temperature at my place of 56.5 degrees…with the relative humidity 82%

910am, mostly sunny with a few fair weather clouds around here and there.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Thursday, July 16, 2026 – 121 at Stovepipe Wells, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Friday, July 17, 2026 – 34 degrees at Truckee, CA

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Friday morning: Locally breezy trade winds will remain through the weekend, easing a bit early next week. Typical trade wind showers will favor windward and mauka areas.

Short Term Outlook: Current satellite and radar data shows most of the showers today will be moving over windward portions of the Big Island with fewer showers over other islands.

Weather Commentary…as of Friday morning: High pressure remains anchored far northeast of the islands. The pressure gradient over the islands supports the light to moderate trade wind flow we have been experiencing recently.

The high is expected to weaken and lift to the north. The resultant pressure gradient over the islands should weaken, leading winds easing a bit more to start the next week.

As a new high builds north of the islands by midweek, the pressure gradient over the islands will tighten, leading to an uptick in the trades. High pressure aloft will maintain a stable atmosphere, limiting clouds and showers, mostly to the windward and mauka 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 Conditions…as of Friday morning: As high pressure far north of the islands edges slightly south and east through this weekend and interacts with a couple of lows and troughs passing to the south and southwest of Hawaii, trades will remain fresh to strong. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) is in effect for the windier channels and waters around Maui County and the Big Island through Saturday afternoon. Winds will begin to diminish again late this weekend as high pressure to the north starts to weaken, which should eliminate the need for a SCA Sunday into early next week.

A small, medium-period west-northwest swell will gradually fade today into the weekend, causing surf along north-facing shores to drop to flat/tiny by the weekend.

Meanwhile, south-facing shores will remain elevated as a fresh south- southwest swell building today will briefly boost surf back to near average through early Saturday. This will maintain small surf along west- facing shores as well. A larger, moderate south swell is expected to build Sunday through early next week, bringing potentially above-average (though sub-advisory) waves to south shores.

On east-facing shores, strengthening trade winds will make surf slightly bigger and choppy this weekend, with a potential small-to- moderate swell arriving early-to-mid next week from Tropical Storm Elida.

 

Surprising Things About Visiting Hawaii's Friendliest Island, Molokai - Business Insider


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


Eastern Tropical Atlantic:

A broad area of low pressure, associated with a tropical wave, is located near the southern Cabo Verde Islands. The low continues to produce a limited and disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms while it moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph. Significant development of this system is not expected before environmental conditions become even less favorable for development over the weekend. Regardless of development, this system will likely produce some gusty winds and locally heavy rain over the southern Cabo Verde Islands over the next several hours.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…10 percent

 

Northern Gulf of America and near Florida:

An area of low pressure is forecast to form this weekend over the northeastern Gulf of America. Some gradual development of this system is possible while it moves slowly northeastward over the northeastern Gulf and near the coast of the southeastern United States early next week.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…30 percent

 

>>> 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)

 

Northeast Pacific:

Tropical cyclone 05E (Elida)…is located about 875 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California

ELIDA’S INTENSITY REMAINS STEADY

According to the NHC Advisory number 13

Elida is moving toward the west-northwest near 12 mph (19 km/h). A turn toward the northwest is expected later this evening, followed by a north-northwestward motion at a slightly faster forward speed by Sunday. Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher gusts. A very limited window for strengthening remains possible, and Elida could become a strong tropical storm. Weakening is expected to start over the weekend and continue into early next week. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles (315 km) from the center.

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES19/ABI/SECTOR/eep/13/GOES19-EEP-13-900x540.gif

 

>>> Central and western East Pacific:

Invest 97E

A tropical wave located several hundred miles south-southwest of the coast of southwestern Mexico is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for development of this system, and a tropical depression is expected to form over the weekend while it moves west-northwestward to northwestward at 10 to 15 mph over the central portion of the eastern Pacific.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…70 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…90 percent

 

>>> Eastern and Central east Pacific:

A broad area of low pressure is forecast to develop well to the south of Mexico during the middle to the end of next week. Environmental conditions could support some gradual development of this system thereafter while it moves westward to west-northwestward across the eastern and central portions of the eastern Pacific.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…20 percent

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

 

Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclone

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/tpw/13/GOES18-TPW-13-900x540.gif


>>> Well Southwest of the Hawaiian Islands:

Invest 90C

A broad area of low pressure located a few hundred miles southeast of Johnston Atoll is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms away from the center. Environmental conditions are expected to become increasingly unfavorable, and development is no longer expected.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…near 0 percent

 

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

>>> 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:  Robin Study Suggests Fleeing Isn’t Necessarily Wildlife’s First Response to Wildfire Smoke

Research by Oregon State University biologists suggests that toxic air stemming from wildfires won’t necessarily prompt animals to flee in search of better breathing conditions.

The study of American robins led by OSU’s Jamie Cornelius is one of the few to examine how wildfire smoke, an increasingly common phenomenon as annual fire seasons become longer and more intense, affects animal behavior.

Published in Integrative and Comparative Biology, the paper also presents a “stay, shift, go” framework for characterizing how wildlife species respond to smoky conditions.

Read More at: Oregon State University

Image: American Robin