Glenn James
Hawaii Weather Today
Founder and maintainer for 30 years 

 

The latest update to this website was at 439am Monday (HST)

 

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

0.32  Kilohana , Kauai
0.08  Kaala, Oahu
0.23  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.25  West Wailuaiki, Maui
1.55  Honokaa, Big Island

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

35  Barking Sands, Kauai – NNE
45  Kuaokala, Oahu – NNE 
29  Anapuka, Molokai – NNW
32  Lanai 1,  Lanai – NE
31  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NE
39  Kealakomo, Big Island – N

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

Thunderstorms south…a cold front far northwest

 

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Low clouds arriving along the windward sides / higher level clouds moving into 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

  Showers locally 

 

Please open this link to see details on the current Watches, Warnings and Advisories noted above

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Sunday comments:  I’m here in Corte Madera, Marin County, California

458am Hawaii time, I’m here at my friend Linda’s house. It’s clear and cool here, with a chilly 43.5 degree low where.

1217pm Hawaii time, it’s rather too warm for me here in Corte Madera, with my outdoor temperature sensor reading 83 degrees. I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to cool off, with the high temperature is expected to reach only 70 degrees…while the projected high temperature on Tuesday reaching only 61 degrees!

315pm Hawaii time, the high temperature here in Corte Madera was 86.5 degrees, way too hot for me! It’s down towards 84 degrees not long before the sunset sets. I just took my last walk of the day, and with only a T-shirt on. I’m greatly looking forward to sunset, I want that sun to go down. Linda and I shopped at the Good Earth market in Mill Valley, my favorite store in the world…it’s a very large place, and everything they sell is organic. We bought a nice piece of wild caught Rockcod, and will serve that with small potatoes and steamed broccoli for dinner. Tomorrow the high temperature is suppose to plummet to 70 degrees, with Tuesday’s high a nice and cool 60 degrees!

6pm Hawaii time, other than some high cirrus clouds, skies remain clear here in Marin County, and lets not forget that very bright near full moon…with the fullest extent on Wednesday coming up. The temperature has dropped to the low 60’s. BTW, of course when I say Hawaii time, it is 3-hours later here in California.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Sunday, March 29, 2026 – 103 degrees near Topock, AZ
>>> Lowest Temperature Monday, March 30, 2026 – 10 degrees at Mount Washington, NH

 

I’ve become aware that we may be having what’s called a Super El Nino later this year. Records show that this phenomenon occurs typically every 10-15 years. The strongest El Nino’s we’ve had in the recent past were in 1982, 1997-98 and 2015-16.

My weather mentor, Dr. Daniel Swain, a climate  scientist with the University of California, is being quoted as saying: “The vast majority of [the models], almost all, suggest at least a moderate strength El Niño by later this coming summer, and the majority really do go all the way into strong or extreme territory.”

Pulled from the State of the Climate report, here are some of the loudest echoes of the 2015 El Niño:

Record-smashing hurricane season in the central North Pacific

Sixteen tropical cyclones formed in or passed through the unusually warm central Pacific hurricane basin in 2015. That’s more than 3 times the 1981–2010 average of 4.7 cyclones per season, and 4 more than the previous record of 12, set in 1992 (also an El Niño year). In late August, the basin sustained three Category 4 hurricanes at the same time, which was a first, not just for the central Pacific basin, but for any basin during the modern record.

Here’s a satellite picture of what was going on in our Central Pacific during the summer of 2015

p.s. One more thing that Dr. Swain said, was that the extreme heat spell in the western United States recently, could easily become the new normal with time.

 

Interesting website: Mauka Showers…Double Trouble – Second Storm Produces Massive Flooding Problems in Hawaii



Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of 350pm Sunday: Breezy and gusty northeast trade winds will prevail through Tuesday, before decreasing a notch mid-week, then becoming light and variable heading into next weekend.

A cool and dry airmass should keep showers light and over windward and mountain areas for the next few days, except windward areas of the Big Island, where lingering moisture could keep scattered showers through Monday.

A cold upper level trough of low pressure may slightly enhance trade wind showers during the overnight and early morning hours each day this week.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of 350pm Sunday: A 1034 millibar high to the far northwest, and a 1011 mb low to the far northeast, are continuing to drive breezy and gusty northeast trade winds across the state. Current observations show northeast trade winds gusting to between 30 and 40 mph across some of the windier areas statewide.

Breezy and gusty trades are expected to remain in place for the next few days, as the high to the northwest remains nearly stationary. Models continue to keep wind speeds below Wind Advisory criteria (sustained speeds of 30-39 mph and gusts 50-57 mph), though a few of the typically windier spots across the state may edge up pretty close to criteria at times through Tuesday.

With drier air filtering across the state, shower activity is limited, with low level clouds and a few showers focusing over windward Maui and the Big Island, where the greatest amount of moisture resides. Generally, in this breezy northeasterly trade wind pattern, clouds and light showers will favor north and east facing coasts and slopes, particularly during the overnight to early morning periods.

These showers may become slightly enhanced (produce brief moderate rainfall) at times as an upper level trough edges over the state, and brings much cooler temperatures aloft. However, limited moisture, along with the relatively strong low level temperature inversion under the surface ridge, will help to keep shower activity limited.

By mid-week, the high pressure to the northwest is forecast to weaken and move east, which in turn will allow the trade winds to ease. Next weekend could see light and variable winds, as the pressure gradient backs off further. With a weak upper level trough swinging quickly through Friday into Saturday, shower activity may be enhanced slightly, though moisture still looks to remain limited and low level forcing, minimal.

 

Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – Zoom Earth – 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…as of 350pm Sunday: Strong high pressure NNW of the islands and low pressure to the NE maintain fresh to strong NE trades through Monday. The gradient then relaxes as the low dissipates allowing winds to ease and veer to the E as the high settles to the N through midweek. The Small Craft Advisory for all waters due to winds and seas remains in effect through tonight.

The aforementioned low is directing a moderate to large short period NNE (020) swell that will peak tonight. Given recent observations at NDBC Buoy 51000, surf will reach the High Surf Advisory (HSA) threshold for N facing shores, select exposed E facing shorelines, and West Maui. A High Surf Advisory has therefore been issued for these zones. This swell will slowly decline through the week.

The Marine Weather Statement remains in effect beginning at 6pm today for harbor surges due to the NNE swell, particularly for Hilo and Kahului Harbors.

Surf along E shores remains short period and choppy due to steady trade winds with select shorelines also seeing exposure to the imminent NNE swell. For S shores, a small medium period swell will provide small surf for the next few days. Surf along W shores remains small.

 

A breathtaking view from the Diamond Head summit in Oahu, showing the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean, the coastline of Waikiki with its high-rise buildings, and distant mountains under a bright blue sky with a few clouds.



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

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 Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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:  Global Atlas Will Track Human and Climate Impact on River Systems

Rivers are critical resources that affect everything from watersheds to agriculture to energy. But rivers, in turn, have been impacted by humans, often in the form of hydraulic infrastructure such as dams and wells.

A new project, led by Stefano Galelli, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering, will create a global record that shows how river systems around the world have changed under human influence over the last 75 years.

The project, Dynamic Atlas of Riverine Ecosystems and infrastructure (DARE), received a $5 million grant from Schmidt Sciences as part of the foundation’s Virtual Institute for Earth’s Water (VIEW) program, which aims to create a definitive account of the planet’s freshwater resources.

By using satellite data and computational modeling, the five-year project will track changes in river discharge, sediment transport, temperature and fish biodiversity in all the world’s rivers from 1950 to 2025.

Read More: Cornell University