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

 

The latest update to this website was at 1234pm Friday afternoon HST


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

0.80  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.71  Kaala, Oahu
0.83  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
1.77  Puu Kukui, Maui
1.24  Kawainui Stream, Big Island


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

24  Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
39  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – ESE
32  Makapulapai Molokai – E 
33  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
33  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NE
33  Lalamilo, 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

  Hurricane 06E (Fausto) far east 

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/20262051410-20262052200-GOES18-ABI-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Variable low clouds…higher level clouds in the vicinity too

 

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

516am, it’s mostly clear here in upper Kula with calm winds, and a low temperature at my place of 53 degrees…with the relative humidity 80%

 

We have Hurricane Fausto continuing to churn the waters of the eastern Pacific, far to the east of the Hawaiian Islands. It will continue more or less westward over the next several days. It will cross over into our central Pacific Saturday. From there it may eventually get close to Hawaii, or move by not far to the north. If this were to occur, we could see the associated cloud field bring showers and wind our way around Tuesday of next week. Additionally, we should see rising surf this weekend along the east facing shores…generated by Fausto. As we know, things may change going forward, so that I’ll keep abreast of these changes and make updates here as warranted.

cone graphic

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/tpw/13/GOES18-TPW-13-900x540.gif

time of arrival graphic

 

>>> Highest Temperature Thursday, July 23, 2026 – 121 near Death Valley, CA

>>> Lowest Temperature Friday, July 24, 2026 – 32 degrees near Old Station, CA

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Friday afternoon: Breezy to locally windy conditions will persist through Saturday. Widely scattered showers will arrive on the trade winds and primarily focus along windward exposures, upslope mountains and within higher terrain. Hurricane Fausto will travel west and weaken as it approaches the islands Tuesday. Tropical Storm Fausto or the remnants of Fausto is forecast to skirt north across the western half of the island chain mid next week.

Weather Commentary…as of Friday afternoon: Traditional trade-like weather is expected through the upcoming weekend. The pressure gradient from a large 1037 millibar high far north of the island chain, will remain taunt enough to continue to support breezy to locally windy trades the next couple of days. Very dry air resides above trade inversion. Satellite imagery confirming what the near term guidance has been forecasting, that of very dry mid layer air blanketing Hawaii and surrounding waters.  The boundary layer will be deep enough to efficiently support widely scattered, quick moving trade showers.

As we move into early next week we’ll have to see how TC Fausto survives the unfavorable environment  as he moves into our central Pacific. Recent satellite imagery is showing the impact of dry entrainment into the hurricane, as Fausto struggles to maintain its strength. Obviously, it is too far out to provide much of a forecast, but Fausto is projected to weaken along his westerly track toward the state. NHC’s latest forecast calls for gradual to steady weakening that is in-line with recent model trends. The tropical cyclone is forecast to either weaken to a tropical storm or a remnant low by the time it reaches our area early next week.

 

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 Friday afternoon: Robust high pressure far north of the state continues to produce fresh to strong trade winds, and a Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect for all Hawaiian waters. For tonight through Saturday night, the SCA will be trimmed back to the typically windy waters around Big Island and Maui County, due to an expected slight easing of the trades as the high drifts westward. Trades may decline slightly Sunday into Monday, but wind trends become less clear Tuesday, due to uncertainty in the eventual track and strength of Hurricane Fausto. The current National Hurricane Center forecast calls for Fausto to be a tropical storm by Sunday, with continued weakening as it passes near the islands Tuesday.

The current south-southwest swell has peaked and will maintain south shore surf above the High Surf Advisory threshold as it declines today. Offshore NOAA buoy 51002 has measured a decline in long period energy, but there are still several more hours of large surf expected at the nearshore Barbers Point buoy, which has shown the swell at more than 4 feet at 20 seconds during the past several hours. Surf along south facing shores will be at borderline advisory heights tonight, followed by another pulse of swell that will likely push surf above the advisory level Saturday and Sunday. The south-southwest swell will slowly decline early next week, with a smaller south-southwest swell possible during the middle of the week.

Rough east shore surf will remain a notch above seasonal average into Saturday, mainly from short period wind swell, but also due to fading swell from dissipated TC Elida. The trade wind swell will drop slightly as long period swell from Hurricane Fausto begins to arrive late Saturday. The Fausto swell will likely produce advisory-level surf along east facing shores Sunday or Monday, with the largest surf expected Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the eventual track of the tropical cyclone.

Surf along north facing shores will remain at flat to tiny levels through the weekend. Some increase is expected as Fausto or its remnants pass over the area Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

Hawaiian volcanoes: Nature's awesome power is on full display right now - oregonlive.com


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.

 

Northeast Pacific:

Tropical cyclone 06E (Fausto)…is located about 1460 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii

FAUSTO MOVING QUICKLY WESTWARD TOWARD THE CENTRAL PACIFIC

According to the NHC Advisory number 24 

Fausto is moving toward the west near 15 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue for the next several days. Maximum sustained winds are near 105 mph with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is forecast during the next several days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 967 mb (28.56 inches).

 

Tropical cyclone 07E (Genevieve)…is located about 585 miles south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico

DEPRESSION BECOMES TROPICAL STORM GENEVIEVE …EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY INTENSIFY DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS

According to the NHC Advisory number 2 

Genevieve is moving toward the west-northwest near 13 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue for the next several days. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 45 mph with higher gusts. Significant strengthening is forecast during the next few days, and the cyclone is expected to reach hurricane intensity over the weekend. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1001 mb (29.56 inches).

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

 

Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclone

>>> Well Southwest of Hawaii:

An area of low pressure located well southwest of the Hawaiian Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for some gradual development of this system while it moves slowly westward to west-northwestward, and a tropical depression is likely to form after it enters the western Pacific basin over the weekend or early next week.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…30 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…70 percent

 

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:  

Tropical cyclone 11W (Noul)…is located approximately 317 NM east-southeast of Hong Kong

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/wp1126.gif

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/11W_241800sair.jpg

 

>>> 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:  Antarctica Is Giving Us a Warning of Sea Level Rise Decades in Advance – Now Is Our Time to Act

Scientists predict that the next three to five decades provide a critical window to anticipate and plan for Antarctic ice loss and its contribution to sea level rise.

Research published in Nature, led by Monash University researcher Dr Felicity McCormack from Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), looks at the predictability of Antarctic ice loss and what this means for sea level rise projections.

Based on reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a global sea level rise exceeding two metres by 2100 cannot be ruled out under high-emission scenarios due to the large-scale collapse of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

This level of sea level rise would expose one quarter of Australian residential properties to inundation, render much sovereign territory across the Pacific uninhabitable, and displace hundreds of millions of people globally, representing one of the most significant humanitarian and economic challenges in history.

Read More: Monash University