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

 

The latest update to this website was at 105pm Thursday afternoon HST


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

3.23  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.44  Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
0.12  Honolimaloo, Molokai
1.16  Lanai City, Lanai
0.74  Ulupalakua, Maui
0.55  Puu Waawaa, Big Island


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

23  Port Allen, Kauai – E
25  Honolulu AP, Oahu – NE
30  Makapulapai, Molokai – E
33  Lanai 1, Lanai – ENE
43  Na Kula, Maui – SE 
38  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/14/20261971030-20261971820-GOES18-ABI-HI-14-600x600.gif

Variable low clouds…high clouds in the vicinity

 

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

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Localized showers 

 

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




~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Thursday 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 53  degrees…with the relative humidity 82%

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

 

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, July 15, 2026 – 121 at Death Valley, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Thursday, July 16, 2026 – 34 degrees at Foxpark, WY

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Thursday afternoon: Trade winds will gradually increase through tomorrow, and will by locally breezy through most of the weekend. Winds will ease a bit early next week. Fairly typical summertime weather is expected through the week, with showers favoring windward and mountain areas.

Short Term Update: Much of the passing trade wind showers are now focusing over windward and mountain areas of Kauai rather than the Big Island this morning.

Weather Commentary…as of Thursday afternoon: Trade winds will back out of a more typical east-northeast direction and increase today. The local pressure gradient and resulting trades will strengthen as a mid-level trough moves away to the west, and robust surface high pressure holds far northeast of the islands.

A pocket of moisture moving along the trade wind flow will be focused over windward Big Island through the morning, with a lesser amount of shower activity expected on other windward slopes. A ridge aloft will maintain stable conditions that will limit shower intensity and keep windward rainfall totals on most islands less than a quarter of an inch today. Aside from scattered afternoon showers on the Kona slopes, leeward areas will experience little rainfall.

Typical summertime trade wind weather will prevail Friday through the weekend. Trades will become locally breezy as the surface high remains parked to the northeast, and broad areas of low pressure pass well south of the islands in the deeper tropics. Stable and somewhat dry conditions will keep modest shower activity focused over windward areas. Trades will ease slightly late Sunday into the first half of next week. Little to no organized areas of moisture are seen in the guidance, suggesting continued mainly windward showers.

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 Thursday afternoon: High pressure far north of the islands and very broad weak troughing to the west, is leading to a slightly veered and lighter trade wind flow across the coastal waters. The pressure gradient is expected to strengthen today as the high pressure to the north dips south, causing an increase in trade wind speeds by this afternoon and continuing through the weekend.

As the trades gradually strengthen to fresh to strong levels today, a Small Craft Advisory has been issued for the windier channels and waters around Maui County and the Big Island through Friday afternoon. This will likely need to be extended through at least Saturday, before weakening high pressure to the north allows winds to diminish again.

A small, long-period west-northwest swell from former Super Typhoon Bavi will maintain similar surf heights along west-facing and north-facing shores today (as compared to yesterday) before gradually subsiding tonight into the weekend. This swell is overlapping for some west-facing shores with a gradually fading small, medium-period southwest Tasman Sea swell that will produce somewhat below average surf for south-facing shores today. North-facing shores return to flat to tiny surf by this weekend with the loss of the west-northwest swell.

Surf returns to near average for south-facing shores late Friday, with a reinforcing small, long-period south-southwest swell. This swell then fades through the weekend. A moderate, long-period south swell will arrive Sunday and build through early next week, bringing the potential for above-average (though sub-advisory) surf.

Surf along east-facing shores will be slightly below seasonal averages through Thursday, with lighter trade winds, then climb back up a notch as trades strengthen through the weekend. Early to mid-week next week, there`s potential for a small, long- to medium-period swell to arrive, generated from Tropical Storm Elida in the eastern Pacific.

 

The Best Hawaiian Islands For Hiking, Surfing, and Beaches - AFAR


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:

Showers and thunderstorms associated with a tropical wave located southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands remain disorganized.

Some slow development is possible during the next day or two while the system moves generally west-northwestward at about 10 mph.

By this weekend, the system is forecast to move into a less conducive environment, and further development is not expected.

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

 

Northeastern Gulf of America and Offshore of the Southeastern U.S.:

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…near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…20 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 735 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California

ELIDA STRENGTHENS A LITTLE…EXPECTED TO TURN NORTHWESTWARD TONIGHT AND FRIDAY

According to the NHC Advisory number 9

Elida is moving toward the west near 10 mph. A turn toward the west-northwest is expected tonight, followed by a northwestward motion beginning Friday and continuing through the weekend. Maximum sustained winds are now near 65 mph with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Elida is expected to become a hurricane on Friday before reaching its peak intensity Friday night or Saturday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles from the center.

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

 

>>> Offshore of Southern and Southwestern Mexico:

A tropical wave located several hundred miles south of the coast of southern Mexico is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system thereafter, and a tropical depression is likely to form by this weekend into early next week while it moves generally west-northwestward well offshore of Mexico.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…20 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…90 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 several hundred miles southwest of the Hawaiian Islands and a few hundred miles southeast of Johnston Atoll is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development over the next day or so, and a tropical depression could still form by Friday as the system moves slowly northwestward toward the vicinity of Johnston Atoll. By this weekend, this system is expected to move into unfavorable environmental conditions, likely ending its opportunity to develop.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…30 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…30 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:  New Eruption in the Bismarck Sea

It’s a truism among oceanographers that there is more accurate mapping of the surface of the Moon and Mars than of the deep-ocean floor. That’s especially true for the Bismarck Sea, a relatively deep body of water north of Papua New Guinea. It’s an ocean basin with a geologically complex seafloor rife with faults, volcanic features, rifts, scarps, and active subduction and spreading zones at depths that make high-resolution sonar mapping challenging.

When satellites detected signs of an unexpected submarine volcanic eruption in the Central Bismarck Sea on May 8, 2026, volcanologists were confronted with the reality that no high-resolution maps of the area were available, and relatively little is known about the deep-water eruption setting. The new eruption is thought to be occurring along the Titan Ridge, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of the location of a submarine eruption in 1972. However, there is little clarity or consensus among scientists about precisely which volcanic feature may be erupting, the original depth of the currently active vent, or when it last erupted.

“The good news is that there are huge opportunities to explore and learn using both government and commercial satellite platforms already in orbit,” said Jim Garvin, the chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Read More: NASA Earth Observatory

Image: Floating pumice and green, discolored water extend southwest from the eruption site as a white volcanic plume drifts west overhead in this image acquired by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite on May 15, 2026.