Glenn James

Hawaii Weather Today
Creator, Author, and Administrator for over 30 years

 

The latest update to this website was at 837pm Wednesday evening HST


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

0.72  Kalaheo, Kauai
0.72  Kunia Substation, Oahu
0.01  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.07  Puu Kukui, Maui
0.40  Kohala Ranch, Big Island


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

20  Barking Sands, Kauai – SE
17  Makua Range, Oahu – SW
20  Molokai AP, Molokai – SSW
24  Summit, Maui – WNW
30  Mauna Loa Obs, Big Island 


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 (currently out of service). 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

A cold front with a low pressure system to the northwest
Hurricane Rachel far east towards Mexico…will be no threat to Hawaii


https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/14/20262801920-20262810320-GOES18-ABI-HI-14-600x600.gif

Variable clouds over the island chain…well developed cumulus clouds southwest 

 

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…some are heavy  

 

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

520am, it’s clear here at my place, the low temperature 52 degrees, relative humidity is 78%…with calm winds

315pm, we’re have south to southeast winds here on Maui, and it has gotten very voggy as a result. There are some heavy showers down to the southwest, looking like they are taking aim on Kauai and Oahu…and I’m starting to wonder whether they will make it into Maui County!

505pm, satellite imagery shows heavy showers almost reaching Kauai, with more headed towards Oahu…and even parts of Maui County.

Looking way ahead, it looks very likely that we’ll have a drier than normal winter here in Hawaii…and a VERY WET winter in CA, especially southern California.


Hawaii’s Weather Highlights
…as of Wednesday evening:
Strengthening low pressure roughly 750 miles north of Kauai will produce increased south winds through Thursday, and will draw deep tropical moisture over at least the western half of the island chain. The threat of heavy flooding rainfall and thunderstorms will be greatest tonight and Thursday over Kauai and Oahu, where a Flood Watch is in effect. Chances for heavy rain will diminish on Friday as the low weakens several hundred miles northwest of Kauai. The low will slowly fill Saturday and Sunday, though a few heavy showers may linger through the weekend under southeast to east winds.

Short Term Update: An area of deep tropical moisture is making inroads into the area as it is drawn north by an upper low west of Kauai. So far, radar indicates a wide coverage of poorly organized moderate to locally heavy showers from Oahu to Kauai, with the greatest coverage further west. The most recent radar trends show an accelerating expansion of shower coverage around Kauai and south of Oahu. Some signs of increased organization are noted southwest of Kauai as well.

The primary limiting factor for further organization is a lack of surface convergence. With that said, deep layer forcing should be sufficient to maintain a fairly organized band of heavy rain over Kauai, with continued widely scattered/locally heavy showers over Oahu. Going forward, guidance varies in their depictions of exactly how progressive this band will be, and whether it will impact Kauai, Oahu, both, or simply remain in the channel.

It is evident at this time that it will impact Kauai, the primary uncertainty being the time at which it will advance eastward. The high res guidance, which can be prone to erroneous eastward propagation, is expectedly more progressive. If organized heavy rain can remain tied to larger scale forcing, then suspect it will be rather stationary over Kauai through much of the night, before advancing eastward during predawn hours potentially affecting Oahu through Thursday morning.

In advance of this feature, a wide coverage of locally heavy showers will persist and still may potentially affect Maui County during the day Thursday. Potential for a spatial expansion of the Flood Watch will be considered, depending upon the available model output by Thursday morning.

Weather Narrative…as of Wednesday evening: The atmosphere is destabilizing as deepening low pressure north of the state produces increased southerly winds. The main surface low is forming along a front roughly 750 miles north of Kauai, leading to light to moderate south to southeast winds and increasing humidity, with dew points surging into the lower 70’s over the islands.

Meanwhile, an upper level trough is digging toward Kauai from the west, and is rapidly destabilizing the atmosphere, especially over Kauai and Oahu. The southerly flow is also tapping moisture surrounding a tropical disturbance a couple hundred miles south of Kauai and drawing it northward. As of this writing, only scant rainfall has occurred over land today, but the leading edge of the heavy showers is pushing into the coastal waters south of Kauai and Oahu. Expect these showers to reach Kauai, and possibly Oahu, before sunset.

Heavy showers will develop across the western half of the island chain this evening and persist into Thursday, bringing a flood threat focused from Kauai to Oahu where a Flood Watch is in place. The aforementioned upper level trough will swing over Kauai tonight through Thursday afternoon. This will coincide with deep moisture, having precipitable water in excess of two inches, moving over the islands from the south.

As a result, expect heavy showers and thunderstorms to move over Kauai and Oahu from the south, and maintaining a flood threat through at least Thursday morning. The main concern in this flow would be heavy training showers over leeward areas that have a lower threshold for flood impacts, though the entirety of Kauai and Oahu are at risk of flooding rain. Maui County will be on the outer edge of the zone of concern for heavy showers, and even though it is not included in the Flood Watch, there is some chance of impacts, especially on Molokai and Lanai.

The flood threat diminishes significantly on Big Island. Southeast slopes of the Puna and Kau Districts could experience a brief period of heavy rainfall, and spotty showers will be possible elsewhere on the island, mainly in the afternoon. While gusty downsloping winds to the north of terrain are typically a concern in this setup, the flow does not appear to be strong enough for gusts to reach the advisory level of 50 mph.

The low will stall and begin to gradually weaken roughly 800 miles northwest of Kauai on Friday. This will reduce upper level support for widespread heavy rainfall. However, light southeast winds will persist and rich but shallow moisture will remain pooled over the islands. Under these humid conditions with dew points hovering in the low to mid 70’s, isolated pockets of heavy showers could still flare up, especially along terrain. At this time, an extension of the Flood Watch is not planned, though it is possible.

Guidance suggests light east to east-southeast will gradually push the high precipitable water air mass westward during the weekend, as the low fills northwest of Kauai. Chances of heavy rainfall will diminish, though some isolated nuisance flooding will still be possible near terrain. In addition, this should bring some relief from the humidity as dew points slowly lower.

Guidance divergences somewhat early next week. The GFS model clears out the low and ushers in a moderate trade wind flow, but the ECMWF maintains some lingering remnants of the low north of the state, and keeps the trade wind flow very light.

Fire Weather:  Moist and humid conditions under moderate south winds will develop overnight and persist through Thursday. Chances for widespread rainfall diminish on Friday, while humid and light southeast winds prevail. Light to moderate easterly trade winds are expected this weekend. The inversion will be wiped out by evening, and will likely not redevelop until the weekend.

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 Wednesday evening: Gentle to moderate south to southeast winds will continue over the next couple of days, as a low pressure system develops north of Hawaii. Enhanced showers with the potential for a few thunderstorms are forecast for the western half of the state through Thursday. A surface trough will linger near the area through the weekend into early next week, keeping potential for variable winds and unsettled weather.

South swell will continue into next week, with pulses of long period reinforcement arriving Thursday and Saturday. Surf will stay below advisory levels along south facing shores. Small to moderate surf along north and west facing shores will continue through the rest of the week, as swell energy is reinforced by the slowly moving surface low northwest of the Hawaiian Islands. A larger swell will arrive around Tuesday, bringing north and west shore surf to just below advisory thresholds. Surf along east facing shores will remain small as local winds remain fairly weak.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, October 7, 2026 – 108 degrees at Death Valley, CA


>>>
Lowest Temperature Wednesday, October 7, 2026 – 21 degrees near Bynum, MT

 

Embrace Rainy Days on Kauai With These Activities


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


Caribbean Sea:
There are no active tropical cyclones


Gulf of America:

Tropical Cyclone 09L (Isaias)…is located about 460 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River

ISAIAS NEARING HURRICANE STRENGTH…HURRICANE AND STORM SURGE WARNINGS ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN GULF COAST

According to the NHC advisory number 6 

Isaias is moving toward the east-northeast near 9 mph. A continued east-northeastward motion is expected tonight, followed by a turn toward the northeast and north on Thursday and Friday. On the forecast track, Isaias is expected to pass to the north of the Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday and make landfall along the U.S. northern Gulf Coast within the warning area late Friday or early Saturday. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 70 mph with higher gusts. Isaias is forecast to become a hurricane soon, continue strengthening through early Friday, and remain a strong hurricane as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Friday night. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure based on dropsonde data is 988 mb (29.18 inches).

cone graphic

 

Northeast Pacific

Tropical cyclone 18E (Rachel) is located about 840 miles west of the southern tip of Baja CA

RACHEL WEAKENS SLIGHTLY

According to the NHC advisory number 44 

Rachel is moving toward the west-northwest near 7 mph and this motion is expected to continue over the next day or so. Rachel is then forecast to slow down before making a sharp turn to the northeast by the end of the week. Maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is forecast over the next few days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 982 mb (29.00 inches).

cone graphic

 

Tropical cyclone (Simon) is located about 265 miles south-southeast of Manzanillo, Mexico

SIMON FORECAST TO RAPIDLY INTENSIFY

According to the NHC advisory number 3 

Simon is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph and this motion is expected to continue through Thursday, followed by a turn toward the northwest and north on Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Simon is expected to remain south of Mexico through Friday, but approach the coast of southwestern Mexico on Saturday. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 50 mph with higher gusts. Rapid strengthening is forecast, and Simon is expected to become a major hurricane by late Friday or early Saturday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1002 mb (29.59 inches).

 

>>> South of Guatemala:

An area of low pressure is forecast to form south of the coast of Guatemala during the early portion of next week. Environmental conditions appear conducive for some gradual development of this system thereafter while it moves generally west-northwestward around 10 mph

* Formation chance through 48 hours…near…0 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…30 percent

 

Central North Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 15E (Nolo) is located about 1097 NM southeast of Misawa, Japan

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/ep1526.gif

 

Tropical Cyclone 27W(Koguma)…is located approximately 1210 NM east-southeast of Iwo T0

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/wp2726.gif

 

Southwest Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

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

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



Interesting: 
Itching for a Solution: Addressing Mosquito-Borne Disease as Climate Change Bites

Prevention measures, including vector control, vaccine deployment and cutting greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming are critical to counter the growing burden of mosquito-borne diseases in a changing climate, according to a new paper by Monash University researchers.

The review, published today in Science Advances, examines the complex ecological, epidemiological and socioeconomic factors that influence the transmission of malaria and dengue.

Malaria is a serious, life-threatening disease caused by a parasite that is typically spread to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

Dengue is caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Aedes mosquitoes.

Read More: Monash University