The latest update to this website was at 703pm Thursday (HST)

 

Here are the highest temperatures Thursday…and the lowest Thursday:

83 – 72  Lihue AP, Kauai
83 – 71  Molokai AP, Molokai
87 – 72  Kahului AP, Maui
82 – 73  Kona AP, Big Island
79 – 65  Hilo, AP, Big Island

>>> There are lots of new locations that measure rainfall and winds now, here’s a map of all areas for your reference (the map is clickable to zoom in closer)

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

1.26  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
2.11  Schofield East, Oahu
0.20  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.07  Lanai City, Lanai
0.17  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.35  Kaloko-Honokohau, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) as of Thursday evening:

28  Port Allen, Kauai
35  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
36  Molokai AP, Molokai
28  Lanai 1, Lanai
46  Na Kula, Maui
36  Kawaihae Rd, Big Island

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcams on the summit of our tallest mountain Mauna Kea (~13,800 feet high) on the Big Island of Hawaii, and atop the Haleakala Crater (~10,023 feet) 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.

 

https://weather.gc.ca/data/satellite/goes_gwdisk11_1070_100.jpg

Big Blue…click twice for largest version

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/tpw/13/GOES17-TPW-13-900x540.gif 

 A cold front far north…thunderstorms far south


https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/GOES17-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Low clouds being carried our way on the trade winds

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES17/ABI/SECTOR/hi/13/GOES17-HI-13-600x600.gif

High level Cirrus clouds moving over Maui County and the Big Island

 

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

Localized showers

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Kauai_VIS_loop.gif

Kauai and Oahu (Satellite)

 

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

Kauai and Oahu (Radar)

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Oahu-Maui_VIS_loop.gif

Oahu and Maui County (Satellite)

 

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

Oahu and Maui County (Radar)

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Hawaii_VIS_loop.gif

 Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, and the Big Island (Satellite)

 

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

Maui County and the Big Island (Radar)

 

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

Big Island (Radar)

 

Model showing precipitation through 8-days (you can slow this animation down)

 


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 home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii.

It’s clear to partly cloudy here in Maui County early this morning before sunrise, with clouds along the windward sides…and some high level cirrus clouds. The low temperature here at my place was 53 degrees.

Mid-day here in Maui County is mostly cloudy. I was just playing Pickleball in Makawao and it was off and on showering. As I drove back home to Kula it was off and on lightly sprinkling, with light drizzle here at my Weather tower early this afternoon.

Early evening, just past sunset here in Maui County, the high cirrus clouds lit up a pretty orange! My high temperature here in upper Kula was a relatively comfortable 75 degrees.

If the winds become southeast this weekend, we could see the return of voggy weather.

Weather Wit of the day:  Clear Sky – It’s azure thing

 

>>> NOAA Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Climate Prediction Center announced a 30% chance of below-normal tropical cyclone activity for the upcoming central Pacific Hurricane Season. The 2025 outlook also indicates a 50% chance of a near-normal hurricane season and a 20% chance that it will be above-normal.
In terms of storm numbers, the forecast calls for 1-4 tropical cyclones across the central Pacific, which is located north of the equator between 140°W and the International Date Line. A near-normal season has 4 or 5 tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones include tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.
The outlook is a guide to the overall seasonal tropical cyclone activity in the central Pacific basin, and does not predict whether or how many of these systems will affect Hawaii. The central Pacific hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through November 30.

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  Moderate to locally breezy easterly trade winds will prevail through the rest of the week. A disturbance aloft will linger near the state and enhance moisture in the trade wind flow. Showers will be active across windward slopes and will periodically pass over leeward areas, especially at night. Leeward Big Island will experience spotty showers, some heavy each afternoon.

Hawaii’s Weather Details:  A breezy and slightly unstable trade wind flow will prevail during the next few days. A robust high meandering about 1200 to 1300 miles northeast of the state, will maintain easterly trades near current strength, though a shift out of the east-southeast is expected during the weekend as troughing develops far northwest of the islands.

The inversion is elevated and weak at around 9,000 feet due to an upper-level low parked over the islands. This feature should deepen slightly Friday and Saturday, leading to modest instability. The instability will enhance pockets of moisture moving within the trade wind flow, causing showers along windward areas to be more frequent and briefly heavy. One such area of moisture will move through on Friday and allow some showers to periodically pass over leeward areas from Kauai to west Maui. On leeward Big Island, typical spotty afternoon showers will be briefly heavy with a slight chance of thunderstorms each afternoon.

Moderate to locally breezy trade winds will shift back out of the east-northeast on Monday, as surface high pressure becomes established far north of the islands. The upper-level trough is expected to drift just northeast of the state through at least next Wednesday. This subtle shift is expected to be enough to lessen the chances of thunderstorms, though the inversion may remain slightly weak and elevated. As a result, expect showers along windward areas to continue to be more active than usual.

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 / Vog map animation

Hawaii’s Marine Environment:  A strong high will remain nearly stationary far northeast of the state through the week, and continue to bring fresh to locally strong trade winds to all local waters. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) for the windier waters around Maui County and the Big Island remains in effect through Friday. Windward Big Island waters has also been added to the SCA due to the locally strong east to east-southeast flow. Winds may ease slightly and veer toward the east-southeast over the weekend due to a trough far northwest of the state.

Surf along south facing shores will remain small due to mainly background energy. A tiny long-period south-southwest swell will build in late Friday into the weekend. Otherwise, expect mainly background energy through the middle of next week.

Surf along east-facing shores will remain rough and choppy the next several days, due to the fresh to locally strong trades. Surf along north-facing shores will remain small with some background northwest energy moving through Friday into the weekend.

 



World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity

 

Atlantic Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Caribbean Sea:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Gulf of Mexico:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Northeastern Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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

North Central Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Here’s the link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)

Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Southwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

North and South Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Arabian Sea:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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

>>> Here’s a link to the Pacific Disaster Center’s (PDC Global) Weather Wall website

 

Interesting:  Flamingos Create Water Tornadoes to Trap Their Prey

Stomp dancing, head jerking, chattering and skimming generate whorls and eddies that funnel brine shrimp and small animals into the birds’ mouths.

Flamingos standing serenely in a shallow alkaline lake with heads submerged may seem to be placidly feeding, but there’s a lot going on under the surface.

Through studies of Chilean flamingos in the Nashville Zoo and analysis of 3D printed models of their feet and L-shaped bills, researchers have documented how the birds use their feet, heads and beaks to create a storm of swirling tornadoes, or vortices, in the water to efficiently concentrate and slurp up their prey.

“Flamingos are actually predators, they are actively looking for animals that are moving in the water, and the problem they face is how to concentrate these animals, to pull them together and feed,” said Victor Ortega Jiménez, an assistant professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in biomechanics. “Think of spiders, which produce webs to trap insects. Flamingos are using vortices to trap animals, like brine shrimp.”

Read more at University of California – Berkeley

Image: Flamingos feed by dragging their flattened beaks forward along the bottom of shallow lakes. To increase the efficiency of feeding, they stomp dance to churn the bottom, create an upwelling vortex with their heads and clap their beaks constantly to draw food, like brine shrimp, into their mouths.