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

 

The latest update to this website was at 1246pm Saturday afternoon HST


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

0.31  Kilohana, Kauai
0.24  Lyon, Oahu
0.43  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.97  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.40  Kawainui Stream, Big Island


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

24  Lihue, Kauai – NE
35  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – ESE
27  Makapulapai, Molokai – ENE
m   Lanai – missing
24  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NE
37  Puuloa, Big Island – NW


Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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. 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.


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Big Blue…click twice for largest version

 

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Category 4 major Hurricane Lowell south of Lihue, Hawaii…with Category 1 Hurricane Karina well to the east…and Category 1 Hurricane Marie spinning away from the Mexican coast

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Variable low clouds across the state 

 

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Category 4 Hurricane Lowell 

 

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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




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Hawaii Weather Narrative
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Glenn’s Saturday comments:  I’m at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

439am, it’s mostly clear here at my place here in Kula with a low temperature of 51.5 degrees, and the relative humidity is 77%…with calm winds. This low temperature is the coolest I’ve had all summer…perhaps the first subtle sign of our change from summer to autumn later this morning.

Lowell has dropped down to a Category 4 hurricane again this morning.

1255pm, It’s a typical late summer early afternoon, with the usual popcorn cumulus clouds, although when I was over in Haiku playing pickleball this morning, there were a few light showers.

 

Interesting Weather Web blog: Mauka ShowersMajor Hurricane Lowell – Waiting for That Turn

 

We continue to be in the heart of our hurricane season, so that we need to keep our eyes peeled for systems taking aim on our Hawaiian Islands through the end of November.


Hurricane Lowell

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Hurricane Karina

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Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Saturday afternoon:  Breezy east-northeast trade winds will gradually veer to the east and then east-southeast this weekend into the upcoming week, as Hurricane Lowell approaches from the southwest. Lowell is forecast to pass west of Kauai’s coastal waters as a major Category 3 Hurricane. Impacts such as high surf and heavy rain are forecast to extend hundreds of miles from the center, potentially impacting any part of the island chain.

Weather Narrative..as of Saturday afternoon: Radar and satellite imagery shows a fairly typical summertime trade wind pattern, with scattered showers over windward and mountain areas. Increasing moisture upstream is also evident and will contribute to increasing showers this evening into Sunday mostly for windward and mountain areas. Weather conditions then deteriorate Sunday evening into the upcoming week.

Lowell is currently south-southwest of Kauai, moving west at 7 mph as a category 4 (150 mph maximum sustained winds) hurricane. Lowell is forecast to make a sharp turn to the north and then north-northeast at some point later today into tonight. It’s forward speed will increase once it begins moving north, and will make its closest approach to the Hawaiian Islands Monday night as a category 2 to 3 hurricane. Lowell is forecast to pass west of Kauai’s coastal waters, and will bring several hazards to the state. The hazards are expected to be flooding, strong southerly winds, and high surf.

The greatest risk for flooding at this time appears to be Sunday evening through Tuesday morning, and could potentially linger into Wednesday, as deep tropical moisture associated with Lowell is drawn up from the south. The environment will begin destabilizing Sunday afternoon, along with moisture depth. The winds will also veer to the east-southeast and increase starting Sunday evening.

The threat of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms will be present anywhere in the state, and flooding could occur as a result. Exact details on where the heaviest rain will fall remain uncertain, as any heavy showers and thunderstorms that develop will likely be disorganized. Therefore, everyone in the state should be prepared for flooding. The issuance of a flood watch is anticipated later this afternoon.

Winds will increase and veer out of the east-southeast by Sunday night into Monday morning with Kauai County having the strongest winds. Winds will also increase out of the southeast for the rest of the islands to a lesser extent, and could be amplified by island terrain.

For surf and other marine impacts, please see the marine section of the discussion below.

Any deviation in track or intensity could also change how these hazards effect the islands.

High pressure is forecast to build back in Thursday through next Saturday, bringing in drier and more stable conditions. Long range models then indicate a tropical wave potentially moving over the islands next Sunday into Monday, although confidence is very low this far out.

Fire Weather: Periods of passing showers will mainly impact windward and mountain slopes through early Sunday. Considerably more showers are likely over most areas from Sunday afternoon into early next week. The temperatures inversion heights near Maui and the Big Island will range from 6,000 to 7,000 feet elevation today.

Hydrology: At this time, heavy rain looks like a possibility statewide beginning Sunday evening through potentially Wednesday, depending on how long the moisture lingers in the area. Initial storm total rainfall estimates range from 2 to 8 inches statewide. With a significant period of south to southeast winds forecast, we expect locally higher amounts (around 10 inches) along south and southeast slopes. The issuance of a flood watch is anticipated later this afternoon for the whole state.

 

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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 MapLooping Surface Precipitation…through the next 8-days / Vog Map

 

Marine Conditions…as of Saturday afternoon: A surface high persists north of the Hawaiian Islands and will slowly drift east through the weekend. Currently, Hurricane Lowell is around 540 nm south-southwest of the islands as it continues to track west. The trade winds are beginning to ease slightly as Lowell gains a bit of distance from the island chain, and the Small Craft Advisory (SCA) has been trimmed back to only the windier waters and channels around Maui County and the Big Island through this afternoon. Lowell is expected to turn northward on Sunday, which will cause winds to veer to the southeast to south with the strongest winds over the western end of the state.

Confidence has grown with the latest updates from the National Hurricane Center for the potential for hurricane conditions in the offshore waters west of 160W Sunday night through Tuesday. While confidence is increasing in the track forecast of the cyclone, a deviation in track of 50 nm west or east from the current predicted path will have significant differences in impact for the coastal waters around Kauai County. As for Hurricane Karina, it is expected to weaken and pass northeast of the state.

Southerly swell generated by Hurricane Lowell will keep surf along south facing shores at High Surf Advisory criteria today. As Lowell begins to turn north on Sunday, its swell will gradually veer from south to southwest and begin a rapid upward trend. Very large surf exceeding warning criteria appears increasingly likely for south and west facing shores on Monday. Coinciding also with monthly high tides, this will create the potential for impacts to harbor entrances, channels, as well as coastal properties and infrastructure including roadways. Surf will then rapidly decrease on Tuesday after the hurricane passes north of the island chain. A pulse of northwesterly swell could then bring a bump to north shore surf on Tuesday and fade through Thursday.

East facing shores will see continued advisory level surf from a large, medium-period east swell generated by Hurricane Karina to the east of the islands. This swell will gradually fade early next week as Karina weakens into a tropical storm. Late next week, surf along east facing shores could be bolstered by some medium-period swell generated by Hurricane Marie in the East Pacific. Otherwise, expect choppy conditions from easterly trade wind swell through the week.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Friday, September 4, 2026 – 109 degrees at Rio Grande Village, Texas


>>>
Lowest Temperature Friday, September 4, 2026 – 26 degrees near Calpet, WY

 

Hawaii Landscape Photography Prints | Fine Art Wall Art | Aaron Reed


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:
There are no active tropical cyclones

 

 Northeast Pacific:

Tropical Cyclone 13E (Marie)…is located about 675 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California

MARIE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS

According to the NHC advisory number 18…

Marie is moving toward the northwest near 9 mph. A similar motion is expected today. A slight decrease in forward speed with a brief turn toward the west-northwest is possible on Sunday. Marie is then expected to resume a northwestward heading at a faster forward speed. Maximum sustained winds are near 90 mph with higher gusts. Steady weakening is forecast through early next week. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 970 mb (28.65 inches).

 

Central North Pacific

Tropical Cyclone 11E (Karina)…is located about 795 miles east-northeast of Hilo, Hawaii

KARINA FORECAST TO QUICKLY WEAKEN THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK

According to the NHC advisory number 37…

Karina is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph. A turn toward the west is expected by late Sunday, and the system is expected to continue westward early next week until it dissipates. Maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph with higher gusts. Steady weakening is anticipated. Karina is forecast to dissipate late Monday or early Tuesday. 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 985 mb (29.09 inches).

 

Tropical Cyclone 12E (Lowell)…is located about 630 miles south-southwest of Lihue, Hawaii

LOWELL FORECAST TO TURN NORTHWARD ON SUNDAY AND APPROACH THE WESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS ON MONDAY…INTERESTS IN HAWAII SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR LOWELL’S PROGRESSAccording to the NHC advisory number 38…

Lowell is moving toward the west near 7 mph. A turn toward the northwest is expected by tonight, followed by a faster motion toward the north and north-northeast on Sunday and Monday. On the forecast track, the center of Lowell will move across portions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, just to the west of the Hawaiian Islands, Monday night. Maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph with higher gusts. Lowell is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Fluctuations in intensity are possible during the next day or so, followed by a gradual weakening trend on Sunday and Monday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 931 mb (27.50 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

RAINFALL: Hurricane Lowell is expected to produce rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches, with maximum totals exceeding 10 inches possible, for Kauai and the Big Island. For Maui, 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected, with isolated maximum totals of 8 inches possible. Across the remaining islands, rainfall of 1 to 2 inches with maximum amounts of 4 inches is possible. This rainfall may produce locally significant flash flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain.

SURF: Swells from Lowell are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions during the next several days across many of the Hawaiian islands.

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 22W (Krovanh) is located approximately 64 NM south-southeast of Kadena AB

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Tropical Cyclone 23W is located approximately 341 NM east-northeast of Kadena AB – Final Warning

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>>> 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: 
Rare, Widespread Snow in the Atacama Desert

In August 2026, back-to-back winter storms left parts of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile covered in a rare blanket of snow. The typically arid region has seen snowfall before, notably in 2025 and before that in 2011. But one of the 2026 events was unusually widespread, stretching from the Andes to near the Pacific coast.

The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the NASA-USGS Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 satellites captured these images (above) on August 6 and August 14, before and after a period of severe weather, respectively. They show a detailed view of the Chajnantor plateau within the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex, home to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)—one of the planet’s most powerful radio telescopes. As snow and high winds set in, ALMA suspended operations, moving its antennas into a protective survival mode.

Another storm in the second half of the month blanketed an even wider area with fresh snowfall. This image, captured by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite on August 19, shows snow extending westward from the Andes, across the desert’s hyper-arid core, and close to the Pacific coast south of the Chilean port city of Antofagasta. This coastal area is home to several other major astronomical observatories, some of which also suspended operations during the event.

Read More: NASA Earth Observatory

Image: A blanket of snow spans a vast area of northern Chile, from the Andes to near the Pacific coast, captured in this image on August 19, 2026, by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite.