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

 

The latest update to this website was at 637pm Wednesday evening HST


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

0.06  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.04  Dillingham, Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.49  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.79  Kawainui Stream, Big Island


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

24  Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
27  Kuaokala, Oahu – SW 
24  Molokai AP, Molokai – NE
m   Lanai – missing
25  Kealia Pond, Maui – NE
23  Kealakomo, Big Island – NNE


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/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/tpw/13/GOES18-TPW-13-900x540.gif

  Very strong Tropical cyclone 01C (Lala) well west-northwest…moving further away

 

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/CP01/refresh/CP012026_5day_cone+png/150554_5day_cone.png

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/20262311930-20262320320-GOES18-ABI-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif
A trough of low pressure will pass by to our northeast, bringing an increase in showers (primarily to the windward and mountain areas)

 

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…very few 

 

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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 Wednesday comments:  I’m at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

436am, it’s clear here at my place here in Kula with a low temperature of 54 degrees, and the relative humidity is 84%

1235pm, partly cloudy with a mix of high and lower level clouds here in Maui County.

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Wednesday evening: Trade winds weaken Thursday as a surface trough passes over the islands. The trough also brings an increase in moisture that will produce an increase in shower activity through Friday. A new potential tropical system is forming southeast of the state (90% chance of formation). Forecasts from the National Hurricane Center will likely begin Thursday morning.

Weather Narrative..as of Wednesday evening: We are fully focused on the potential for tropical storm development to our east-southeast, and expect the NHC to begin official forecasts late tonight or early Thursday morning. At this time, models suggest it could track similarly to Lala. However, because a clear center has yet to form, it is impossible to accurately predict (with any confidence) the details we all want to know.

While we wait for the system to form, we will go ahead and discuss what we expect over the next couple of days. Trades will weaken notably Thursday as a surface trough moves over the islands from east to west. Winds will be weaken enough to allow for a sea-breeze to develop in some leeward areas, increasing the chance of showers there. Friday, we`ll see winds slowly increase in speed and veer to easterly.

We`ll see typical trade showers, mainly over windward and mountain areas, and most common at night, through Friday night and perhaps into Saturday. Winds and precipitation over the weekend will be highly dependent on the track of the tropical system developing to our east-southeast at this time. It is likely that precipitation will increase on the east side of the state Saturday night into Sunday, and then remain high Sunday night into Monday.

On the west side, precipitation will likely increase Sunday into Sunday night, and last into Monday or Monday night. Exact timing is impossible to pin down at this time. Wind speeds will depend on how close it ends up coming to each island. We should stay tuned for each new forecast, as things will become clearer and better defined rapidly over time. And as we noticed with Lala, there will probably be a surprise or two even after the models seem to have come into agreement.

 

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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 Wednesday afternoon: High pressure to the far northeast will gradually weaken over the next couple of days. As a trough to the east of the islands passes on a westward track across the region, moderate trades will become light and variable for most waters by Thursday, allowing daytime sea breezes and overnight land breezes to become established. By late Friday, moderate to locally fresh trades will begin to build back into the region as the high drifts southward closer to the island chain and an area being watched closely for potential tropical development nears the state from the southeast. The forecast for this weekend will depend on how this next potential tropical cyclone evolves.

Surf along south facing shores will remain slightly below average through Thursday, with background swell energy in place. A long period south-southwest swell generated from gales just south and east of New Zealand will begin arriving late Thursday into Friday, boosting surf to near average. Surf along east facing shores will continue to fade as background flow becomes weaker, then build heading into this weekend as the trades restrengthen. North facing shores will remain tiny through Friday, with a slight bump from Lala swell (290 to 300 degrees) possible this weekend.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, August 19, 2026 – 120 degrees at Death Valley, CA


>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, August 19, 2026 – 31 degrees near Mackay, ID

 

Tap Into Mother Nature At These 3 Stunning Hawaiian Islands | URBAN LIST


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.

 

Northeast Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> South-southwest of Mexico:

An area of low pressure is forecast to form several hundred miles south-southwest of the coast of southern Mexico around the end of the week. Gradual development of this system is likely thereafter, and a tropical depression is expected to form this weekend while the system moves generally west-northwestward, remaining well offshore of Mexico.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…80 percent

 

Central North Pacific:

Tropical Cyclone 01C (Lala)…is located about 185 miles south-southwest of Maro Reef

LALA STILL A MAJOR HURRICANE AS IT APPROACHES THE PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT

According to the NHC advisory number 31…

Lala is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph. A turn toward the north is forecast early Thursday, with a northwestward motion expected by this weekend. On the forecast track, the center of Lala will be near portions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument on Thursday. Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph with higher gusts. Lala is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some gradual weakening is expected during the next couple of days, but Lala is forecast to remain a hurricane through this weekend. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 959 mb (28.32 inches).

 

>>> Invest 90C

A broad area of low pressure located well to the east-southeast of the Hawaiian Islands is producing showers and thunderstorms that are gradually becoming better organized. Environmental conditions appear favorable for further development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form during the next day or so while the disturbance moves westward to west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph and crosses into the Central Pacific tonight. Interests in the Hawaiian Islands should closely monitor the progress of this system.

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

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>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: 

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/abpwsair.jpg

 

Tropical Cyclone 17W (Saudel)…is located approximately 235 NM north of Chuuk

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/wp1726.gif

 

>>> 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: Butterflies on the Move to Higher Ground

How are butterflies in the Alps responding to rising temperatures? A University of Würzburg study shows that species with a poor capacity to regulate their body temperature are particularly likely to shift to higher elevations.

Climate change presents animals and plants with a fundamental challenge: what can they do when their established habitats become increasingly warm? They can adapt to the changing conditions – or move to areas where the climate remains suitable for them.

Among butterflies in the German Alps, the second response appears to play a particularly important role. This is the finding of a new study by Dr Esme Ashe-Jepson from the Chair of Global Change Ecology at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU). Her results have now been published in the journal Communications Biology.

Read More: University of Würzburg