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

 

The latest update to this website was at 430pm Wednesday afternoon HST


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

2.51  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.98  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.24  Honolimaloo, Molokai
0.13  Lanai City, Lanai
0.92  EMI Baseyard, Maui
1.21  Lower Kahuku, Big Island


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

10  Port Allen, Kauai – NE
18  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – SE
10  Makapulapai, Molokai – NE
08  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
16  Mamane Place, Maui – NW
24  Kawaihae Rd, Big Island – NE


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

  Two tropical disturbances (Invests 90C and 91C) south and southwest of Hawaii…Tropical Cyclone 05E (Elida) offshore from Mexico

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/20261961810-20261970200-GOES18-ABI-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Variable low clouds…high clouds moving over the state from the 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 

 

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

512am, it’s mostly clear here in upper Kula with calm winds, and a low temperature at my place of 53.5 degrees…with the relative humidity 83%

915am, sunny to partly sunny, with low clouds and some high cirrus too…nice summer day!

253pm, it’s cloudy with a light shower here at my place in upper Kula. I played pickleball in Makawao this morning, and on the drive back here I ran through several areas of heavy rain.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, July 15, 2026 – 121 at Death Valley, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Wednesday, July 15, 2026 – 37 degrees at Foxpark, WY

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Wednesday afternoon: High pressure far northeast of the state will prompt locally breezy trades through the weekend. Winds will ease a bit early next week. Fairly typical summertime weather is expected the next several days, with a few showers favoring windward and mountain areas during the night and morning hours.

Weather Commentary…as of Wednesday afternoon: Our weather continues to be dominated by a large, sprawling, persistent 1035 millibar surface high centered over the far NE Pacific. This high will probably continue to be there for the next 10 days. This leaves the islands in a gentle to locally breezy trade wind pattern, where weak troughs and areas of convergence can temporarily veer local background flow to the ESE like we see today.

A few small showers have popped up on the northwestern sides of the islands today, but overall any convection has greatly under-performed. The models agree on fairly normal summertime weather continuing through the next week or so, with hard-to-time areas of shallow moisture convergence riding in on the trades. These will not get any help from the mid-levels, where very warm temperatures and ridging will keep strong subsidence in place above the trade wind inversion.

We will still see some trade wind showers from time to time, favoring overnights and early mornings windward. After today, the pressure gradient strengthens a bit more for a minor peak in trade winds about Saturday, before easing up just a bit.

Kilauea volcano episode 51 is ongoing, but there has been only very localized reports of tephra in the closed area of the park so far.  Model guidance shows low level winds 10,000 feet and below would likely push any ash cloud toward the WSW, while winds at about 15,000 feet and higher would carry any ash able to reach that height toward the N or NNE.

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 afternoon: High pressure far north of the islands will maintain a trade wind pattern, however as the high has weakened and lifted away from the islands, trade winds are not quite as strong. Winds across the coastal waters remain below Small Craft Advisory levels. Winds could rebound Thursday into the weekend as the high sinks southward, tightening the pressure gradient over the islands and bringing Small Craft Advisory winds back to the typical windy waters.

A small bump in the otherwise fading medium-period southwest swell should bring a slight increase in south surf today. The southwest will return to a gradually decline by tonight and continue through the rest of the week. A series of overlapping small south and southwest swells will maintain small south shore surf, with a larger south swell expected early next week.

Surf along east-facing shores will be slightly below seasonal averages through Thursday with lighter trade winds. Surf may then climb back up somewhat as trades strengthen through the weekend.

A series of small, long to medium period west to west-northwest swells generated by former Super Typhoon Bavi will be possible throughout the rest of the week. Otherwise, no significant north or northwest swells are expected.

 

Hawaii Wall Art Print, Tropical Oahu Landscape Photography, Lush Green Jungle Mountains, Palm Trees Road, Island Paradise Home Decor - Etsy


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.

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

 

Northeast Pacific:

Tropical cyclone 05E (Elida)…is located about 585 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California

ELIDA STRENGTHENS A LITTLE MORE

According to the NHC Advisory number 5

Elida is moving toward the west near 14 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue today followed by a gradual turn to the west-northwest and northwest over the next few days. Maximum sustained winds have increased to 50 mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is forecast over the next day or so followed by a somewhat faster rate of intensification. Elida is forecast to become a hurricane on Friday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles from the center.

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES19/ABI/SECTOR/eep/13/GOES19-EEP-13-900x540.gif

 

>>> Offshore of Southern and Southwestern Mexico:

An area of low pressure is expected to form later this week several hundred miles south of the coast of southern Mexico. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system thereafter, and a tropical depression is likely to form by this weekend into early next week while it moves generally west-northwestward well offshore of Mexico.

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

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

 

Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclone

>>> Well South-southwest of the Hawaiian Islands:

Invest 91C

A broad area of low pressure located several hundred miles south-southeast of the Hawaiian Islands is producing limited shower and thunderstorm activity. Environmental conditions are becoming increasingly less favorable, and little if any additional development is expected.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…10 percent

 

>>> Well Southwest of the Hawaiian Islands:

Invest 90C

Disorganized showers and thunderstorms continue to develop around a broad area of low pressure located well southwest of the Hawaiian Islands and several hundred miles southeast of Johnston Atoll. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of the system over the next day or two, and a tropical depression could form by Friday as the system moves slowly northwestward toward the vicinity of Johnston Atoll.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…50 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…medium…50 percent

 

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> 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:  Smoke Season is Back

As Canada heads into the 2026 wildfire season, Canadians should expect smoke-filled skies to become a more regular part of summer, even in communities far removed from active fires.

New insights from the University of Waterloo highlight how wildfire smoke is evolving into a widespread public health concern, with impacts that are harder to predict and increasingly difficult to avoid.

“Wildfires have historically been a major driver of harmful air pollution in Canada. Under climate change, that influence is expected to grow,” says Dr. Rebecca Saari, an Associate Professor of civil and environmental engineering at Waterloo and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Global Change, Atmosphere and Health. “Other work shows in recent years that wildfire smoke has caused annual health damages ranging from around half a billion to over $6 billion dollars a year.”

Read More at: University of Waterloo