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

 

The latest update to this website was at 732pm Friday evening HST


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

0.93  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.42  Kalawahine, Oahu
0.83  Honolimaloo, Molokai
0.03  Lanai City, Lanai
0.83  West Wailuaiki, Maui
2.00  Kawainui Stream, Big Island


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

25  Port Allen, Kauai – E
31  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
31  Makapulapai, Molokai – ENE
43  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
53  Na Kula, Maui – E 
42  Puuloa, 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/GOES19/ABI/SECTOR/eep/13/GOES19-EEP-13-900x540.gif

  A tropical disturbance (Invest 90C) is southwest of Hawaii…Tropical Cyclone 05E (Elida) moving westward away from Mexico

 

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Variable low clouds…high clouds in the vicinity

 

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

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

Localized showers…mostly on the Big Island 

 

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 at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

503am, it’s mostly clear here in upper Kula with calm winds, and a low temperature at my place of 56.5 degrees…with the relative humidity 82%

910am, mostly sunny with a few fair weather clouds around here and there.

1218pm, sunny and warm to very warm, depending upon where you are…up the mountain or down at the beach.

454pm, just another summer day here in Hawaii, nothing of note out of the ordinary.

704pm, the sun has finally set, and I’m very glad that it did, as it was a very long, rather hot and sunny afternoon here at my Kula weather tower! Looking down into the central valley, just after sunset, I see lots of haze in the air.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Friday, July 17, 2026 – 117 at Stovepipe Wells, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Friday, July 17, 2026 – 34 degrees at Truckee, CA

 

Interesting Weather Blog…Mauka Showers – The Most Common Wind Direction at Hilo is from the West-Southwest?!

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Friday evening: Locally breezy trade winds will remain through the weekend, easing a bit early next week. Typical trade wind showers will favor windward and mauka areas.

Weather Commentary…as of Friday evening: Radar and satellite imagery shows a typical summertime trade wind pattern, with a larger amount of windward showers over the Big Island. Windward and mountain areas of all islands will see passing showers through tomorrow, then a noticeable decrease is possible by Sunday as drier air moves through.

Next week will see a usual summertime trade shower pattern, favoring windward and mountain areas as well as the overnight/early morning hours. The Kona slopes will also have their daily afternoon cloud and shower buildups. High pressure will remain far north of the area will maintain light to locally breezy east-northeast trade winds through Saturday.

By Sunday into early next week the high looks to get disrupted and move east. This will allow trade winds to weaken a little bit during the beginning of next week. Long range guidance then shows the high re-strengthening and allowing trades to become breezy again during the second half of next week. A ridge aloft will maintain stable conditions that will keep most showers light to moderate.

 

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 evening: As high pressure far north of the islands edges slightly south and east through this weekend and interacts with a couple of lows and troughs passing to the south and southwest of Hawaii, trades will remain fresh to locally strong. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) is in effect for the windier waters and channels around Maui County and the Big Island through Saturday afternoon. Winds will begin to diminish again late this weekend as high pressure to the north starts to weaken, which should eliminate the need for a SCA Sunday into early next week.

A small, medium-period west-northwest swell will gradually fade today into the weekend, causing surf along north-facing shores to drop to flat/tiny by the weekend. Surf along south facing shores will remain elevated keeping levels near average through Saturday. A larger, moderate south swell is expected to build Sunday through early next week, bringing potentially High Surf Advisory level conditions Monday and Tuesday. As this swell slowly fades into the middle of next week, another moderate south swell is expected next Thursday.

East facing shores will remain choppy through Saturday and will gradually drop as trade winds ease. Energy from Tropical Storm Elida may reach the islands during the middle of next week bringing a slight boost for east facing shores.

 

Surprising Things About Visiting Hawaii's Friendliest Island, Molokai - Business Insider


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


Eastern Tropical Atlantic:

A broad area of low pressure, associated with a tropical wave, is located near the southern Cabo Verde Islands. The low continues to produce a limited and disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms while it moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph. Significant development of this system is not expected before environmental conditions become even less favorable for development over the weekend. Regardless of development, this system will likely produce some gusty winds and locally heavy rain over the southern Cabo Verde Islands over the next several hours.

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

 

>>> 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

Northern Gulf of America and near Florida:

Showers and thunderstorms over the eastern Gulf of America and portions of the Florida Peninsula are associated with an upper-level low and a surface trough. Surface observations indicate that pressures are high in the area and that currently there are no signs of a surface circulation. However, some gradual development of this system is possible while it meanders northward, bringing heavy rain to portions of the Florida west coast during the next several days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…30 percent

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

 

Northeast Pacific:

Tropical cyclone 05E (Elida)…is located about 900 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California

ELIDA TURNS NORTHWESTWARD OVER OPEN WATERS

According to the NHC Advisory number 14

Elida is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph, and this motion is expected to continue through Saturday. A north-northwestward motion is forecast later this weekend and into early next week. Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is expected overnight. Weakening is forecast to begin later on Saturday and continue through early next week. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles from the center.

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

 

>>> Central and western East Pacific:

Invest 97E

A tropical wave located several hundred miles south-southwest of the coast of southwestern Mexico continues to produce a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for development of this system, and a tropical depression is expected to form over the weekend while it moves west-northwestward to northwestward at 10 to 15 mph over the central portion of the eastern Pacific.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…80 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…90 percent

 

>>> Eastern and Central east Pacific:

A broad area of low pressure is forecast to develop well to the south of Mexico during the middle to latter part of next week. Some gradual development of this system is possible thereafter while it moves westward to west-northwestward across the eastern and central portions of the eastern Pacific.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…30 percent

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

 

Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclone

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


>>> Well Southwest of the Hawaiian Islands:

Invest 90C

A broad area of low pressure located a few hundred miles southeast of Johnston Atoll is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms away from the center. Environmental conditions are expected to become increasingly unfavorable, and development is no longer expected.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…low…near 0 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:  Robin Study Suggests Fleeing Isn’t Necessarily Wildlife’s First Response to Wildfire Smoke

Research by Oregon State University biologists suggests that toxic air stemming from wildfires won’t necessarily prompt animals to flee in search of better breathing conditions.

The study of American robins led by OSU’s Jamie Cornelius is one of the few to examine how wildfire smoke, an increasingly common phenomenon as annual fire seasons become longer and more intense, affects animal behavior.

Published in Integrative and Comparative Biology, the paper also presents a “stay, shift, go” framework for characterizing how wildlife species respond to smoky conditions.

Read More at: Oregon State University

Image: American Robin