The latest update to this website was at 443pm Friday (HST)

 

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

0.92  Mohihi Crossing, Kauai
0.27  Waianae Valley, Oahu
1.66  Puu Alii, Molokai
2.08  Lanai City, Lanai
2.51  Wailuku, Maui
0.77  Piihonua, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) as of Friday afternoon:

23  Port Allen, Kauai – ESE 
30  Kuaokala, Oahu – ENE
22  Kalae Hwy, Molokai – NNE
23  Lanai 1,  Lanai – NE
21  Honoapiilani, Maui – NNE
25  Mauna Loa Obs, 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/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/tpw/13/GOES18-TPW-13-900x540.gif

 Unsettled weather will prevail

 

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

Finally some clearing (temporary) over the state…from west to east 

 

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

Showers locally…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 Aloha Friday comments:  I’m here at home in upper Kula, Maui

It’s partly to mostly cloudy early this morning, with a low temperature of 55 degrees at my place.

1218pm I can finally see a bit of blue skies here on Maui, although I’m wondering if the sunshine/warmth, might trigger more showers this afternoon…especially in the upcountry areas.

250pm, the skies over Maui County have cleared significantly this afternoon, which is interesting to see after all the cloudiness we’ve had lately. We should know that we aren’t out of the woods just yet, as our weather will turn back towards the unsettled side of things this weekend.

443pm, it’s here in upper Kula, and it feels very muggy and warm, although summer-like! Looking over towards the West Maui Mountains there’s a towering cumulus cloud…with showery looks clouds over towards the windward side.

 

Weather Wit of the day: Winter Weather – Clime and punishment

 

Interesting weather webblog: Mauka Showers…Collecting Rainfall Data, Part 2 – “What you tink dis is, automation?”

 

>>> Highest Temperature Friday, January 23, 2026 – 89 at Ochopee, FL
>>> Lowest Temperature Friday, January 23, 2026 – minus 34 at Badoura, MN

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  A moist air mass will linger over the islands through the weekend, with showers favoring windward and mountain areas tonight, as moderate easterly trades redevelop. Winds will weaken and veer east-southeasterly Saturday, then become light and southerly on Sunday, allowing land and sea breezes to dominate and drive afternoon showers over interior and leeward areas. Forecast confidence decreases early next week as one or more weak fronts approach the state, though limited upper-level support should keep rainfall impacts modest.

Hawaii’s Weather Details:  A moist and somewhat unstable air mass remains in place across the state. Light to moderate east-northeasterly winds are present over the western islands, while light east-southeasterly winds continue over the eastern end of the island chain. Earlier, weak low-level convergence along a fading surface boundary over the central islands, provided the focus for locally heavy rainfall and isolated thunderstorms. That boundary will continue to weaken, allowing moderate easterly trade winds to become more uniform across the area, as high pressure slides eastward north of the state. As a result, clouds and showers will focus over windward and mountain areas overnight.

Looking ahead to the weekend, that same high pressure system will continue shifting eastward, in advance of the next front approaching from the northwest. This will cause winds to gradually veer east-southeasterly Saturday, then weaken further and turn southwesterly across the western half of the state by Sunday. With this lighter background flow, land and sea breezes will become more dominant each day.

Meanwhile, the upper-level trough that has been supplying instability will slowly pull away to the east, allowing atmospheric stability to increase from west to east as mid-level ridging builds in. That said, the air mass will remain quite moist and some instability will linger, especially on Saturday. Model guidance keeps precipitable water values well above seasonal averages through the weekend, so even with improving stability, scattered showers are still expected, especially across interior and leeward areas each afternoon, where sea breeze convergence sets up. While an isolated thunderstorm cannot be ruled out, the probability remains too low to include in the forecast at this time.

Forecast confidence decreases heading into next week, as models continue to struggle with the timing of an early-week front, and even more so with a possible follow-up front later in the week. With mid-level ridging forecast to persist over the state, these fronts are expected to arrive with limited upper-level support. That should keep shower activity fairly modest and allow the cooler air masses behind them to only briefly influence the islands before sliding east.

For the first front early next week, the ECMWF model is faster than the latest GFS, bringing the boundary through early Monday, while the GFS delays passage until later Monday into Tuesday. Behind the front, winds are expected to quickly veer easterly, then southeast on Tuesday, before weakening and turning southerly by Wednesday. This would once again favor a land and sea breeze regime mid-week, ahead of another potential front toward Thursday or Friday.

Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – along with a Closer View of the islands / Vog map animation / 8-Day Precipitation model

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/graphics/npac.gif 

 

Hawaii’s Marine Environment:  A stalled trough over the central waters will dissipate, keeping light to gentle east-northeast winds in the forecast. Easterly trade winds will continue as a high pressure system just north of the Hawaiian Islands drifts eastward. By Saturday wind directions will veer from a more southeasterly direction, as the high moves away from the islands on its eastward journey, and a cold front approaches the region from the northwest direction.

A weakening cold front moves near the islands from Sunday night through Monday. Larger differences in weather model forecast guidance on this next system may produce changes in the wind portion of the forecast. By the start of next week our weather conditions will briefly become easterly trade winds, the strength of the winds may change as this pattern evolves over time, and the next cold front approaches from the west.

A medium period north-northwest (330-340 degree) swell will continue to build into the region, producing advisory level surf heights for exposed north and west facing shores. Offshore buoy observations at buoys 51001 and 51101 are observing a 6 to 8 ft swell in the 11-13 sec period band. These swell observations support continued HSA conditions for affected shores.

Several additional northwest swells will move through the Hawaii region over the next 7-days. The current north-northwest swell will peak, then begin to decline by tonight into Saturday. The next small long period northwest (310-320 degree) swell will fill in over the weekend, keeping surf heights elevated. As this swell fades by Sunday night, another medium period, northwest (310-320 degree) swell builds into the region, peaking on Wednesday near advisory thresholds. Another overlapping large, long to medium period northwest (310-320 degree) swell builds in from Wednesday night onward, peaking above warning levels for the second half of next week.

Surf along east-facing shores will remain small into next week due, to the lack of persistent trade winds locally and upstream. South facing shores will also remain on the seasonably small side.

 

Windward Glory | Kaneohe Bay | Oahu, Hawaii



World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity

 

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

 

Northeastern Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

North Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

Southwest Pacific Ocean: 

Tropical Cyclone 16P is located approximately 474 NM south of Suva, Fiji – Final Warning

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh1626.gif

North Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones 

South Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 17S (Luana) is located approximately 78 NM north of Broome, Australia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh1726.gif

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:  In Hunt for Rare Earths, Companies Are Scouring Mining Waste

Over many decades, coal mining in West Virginia has exposed sulfur-bearing rocks to oxygen, creating a widespread problem that continues to plague the region: the draining of highly acidic water into streams and creeks, which are then rendered lifeless.

But a relatively new process developed by researchers at West Virginia University and Virginia Tech is providing hope for some waters plagued by acid mine drainage. The method, which captures the rare earths liberated by the fugitive sulfuric acid, not only cleans the streams. It also generates revenue to pay for the cleanup and provides a sustainable source of the critical metals needed to manufacture electric vehicles, wind turbines, and other technologies propelling the global transition from fossil fuels.

Three pilot facilities in West Virginia are each currently producing four to five tons of rare earth oxides a year. A larger facility is under construction at the enormous Berkeley Pit, a shuttered open-pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, where a company aims to produce 40 tons of rare earths a year from the pit’s billions of gallons of toxic wastewater. Combined with the output of other planned re-mining operations, such efforts, experts say, could obviate the need for new mines.

Read More at: Yale Environment 360