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

 

The latest update to this website was at 713pm Thursday evening HST


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

0.94  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.47  Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.13  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.82  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.74  Kawainui Stream, Big Island


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

29  Lihue, Kauai – NE
47  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – E
46  Molokai AP, Molokai – NE
m   Lanai – missing
42  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NW
40  Puuloa, Big Island – NNW


Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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. 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.


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Big Blue…click twice for largest version

 

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Category 4 major Hurricane Lowell south of Lihue, Hawaii…with Category 4 major Hurricane Karina well to the east…and Category 2 Hurricane Marie spinning away from the Mexican coast

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Variable low clouds across the state 

 

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Category 4 Hurricane Lowell 

 

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Localized showers 

 

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




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Hawaii Weather Narrative
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Glenn’s Thursday comments:  I’m at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

456am, it’s mostly clear with high cirrus clouds here at my place here in Kula with a low temperature of 54 degrees, and the relative humidity is 80%…with calm winds

558am, the high icy Cirrus clouds lit up a beautiful pink at sunrise!

120pm, it’s calm here in upper Kula, which are protected by the bulk of the Haleakala Crater, However, in those areas exposed to the strong and gusty eastern winds, this air in a hurry is gusting up over 55 mph.

430pm, sunny to partly sunny here on Maui, with some cloudy areas around the mountains. It’s partly to mostly cloudy here in upper Kula with generally very light breezes.

715pm, it’s mostly clear over most of Maui, and well after the sunset, there’s a remarkable orange glow in the western horizon! You know, I told several of my close friends here on Maui, a couple of days ago, that we’d need to batten down the hatches. At least so far, that action hasn’t been necessary, and here in upper Kula, at least at my place, it’s been unusually calm.

 

We continue to be in the heart of our hurricane season, so that we need to keep our eyes peeled for systems taking aim on our Hawaiian Islands through the next three months…through the end of November.

This first TC is Major Category 4 Hurricane Lowell, with the current forecast track showing Lowell staying to the south of the islands, although the models show the system taking a hard turn towards the north just after passing Hawaii. We don’t want to see another Hurricane Iniki situation, when that Category 4 hurricane slammed into Kauai back in September 1992! The other system, Major Category 4 Hurricane Karina, should move by to the northeast and north.

Hurricane Lowell

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Hurricane Karina

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Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Thursday evening: Strong pressure gradient between Hurricane Lowell and the subtropical high will bring windy conditions through Friday, before tapering off this weekend. Showers will focus along windward and mauka locations. Hurricane Lowell will approach the western end of the Hawaiian Islands late Sunday, bringing possible surf, rain, wind and flooding impacts particularly to the western portion of the state. The extent of impacts will be determined by the eventual track of Lowell.

Weather Narrative..as of Thursday evening: Hurricane Lowell is SSW of Hilo and SSE of Lihue. Strong gradient winds resulting from the pressure difference between the storm and the subtropical high to the north, is resulting in strong trade winds across the islands through Friday. Scattered clouds and showers moving in with the trades will focus across windward slopes, but may occasionally reach leeward sides of the smaller islands. A Wind Advisory goes through tonight for portions of Oahu, Maui County and Big Island with sustained winds 20 to 30 mph and gusts to 50 mph. This advisory may need to be extended into Friday, but by Saturday, a weekend Hurricane Karina will begin to disrupt the trade wind flow, and likely weaken the speeds a bit.

Typical summertime trade winds and night/early morning windward showers are forecast Saturday and through the day Sunday. Attention will shift late Sunday into early next week to the forecast track of Hurricane Lowell, currently a category 4 hurricane. The NHC track forecast moves Lowell slowly westward through Friday night, with an abrupt northward turn and increase in forward speed on Saturday. While confidence is low whether a direct impact will occur or not, Lowell will likely bring some impacts to the state including storm surge, high surf, wind, and rainfall impacts to portions of Hawaii, particularly as it moves closest to Kauai County Monday night.

The extent of these impacts could range from minor to major depending on the eventual path of the storm, and more specifically when the abrupt turn to the north occurs. Regardless, Lowell is forecast to be a category 3 hurricane at its closest proximity. Coastal inundation could also be exacerbated by the peak monthly high tides that are expected to occur Monday.

Interests in Hawaii should continue to closely monitor the progress of Lowell through the upcoming Labor Day weekend, listen to the advice of officials, and ensure they have their hurricane plan and supply kit in place. On Tuesday, winds will weaken and shift south to southeasterly in the wake of Lowell, but lingering shower bands may occur through the day. Karina will weaken to a remnant low and eventually be absorbed into Lowell north of the state mid-week. Winds will eventually shift back to trades during the second half of the week, with no significant weather events expected.

Fire Weather: Trade winds will remain strong and gusty into Friday. Gusts to, or over 50 mph, will be possible in the typical windy areas. Relative humidity values are forecast to remain too high for critical fire criteria to be reached, and fuels are currently rated as not critical. Therefore, the strong winds will not trigger fire weather watches or warnings. The trade inversion is forecast to be 6,000 ft to 7,000 feet through tonight.

 

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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 MapLooping Surface Precipitation…through the next 8-days / Vog Map

 

Marine Conditions…as of Thursday evening: A strong surface high persists far north of the Hawaiian Islands and will slowly drift east through the weekend. Currently, Hurricane Lowell is passing near 450 nm south of the islands as it continues to track west. The interaction between the two will strengthen the trade winds across the coastal waters to fresh to locally near gale force. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) has been extended for all Hawaiian Waters through Friday afternoon and will likely be extended.

The latest track from Hurricane Lowell from the National Hurricane Center is bringing Tropical Storm conditions to the far southern offshore waters this afternoon. Although as Hurricane Lowell turns north, confidence is growing for hurricane conditions to the southwest and western offshore waters on Sunday. How close it gets to the state, is yet to be determined. As for Hurricane Karina, confidence is increasing that Karina will pass to the north and northeast of the state.

Swells from Hurricane Lowell has filled in and will remain elevated above High Surf Advisory (HSA) conditions through Friday. The HSA has been extended due to a reinforcing south swell from Hurricane Lowell and will peak Friday morning. The swell will gradually veer from southeast towards the southwest early next week. While, the forecast for swells and seas for next week will highly depend on the eventual track and intensity of Lowell, confidence is beginning to increase for the potential of extra- large surf (exceeding warning levels) along south and western exposures early next week. Coinciding also with monthly high tides, this will create the potential for impacts to harbor entrances, channels, as well as coastal properties and infrastructure including roadways.

A large, medium-period east swell from Hurricane Karina will steadily fill in Friday into the weekend and will likely produce high end advisory level surf or warning level surf along east facing shores by this weekend.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Thursday, September 3, 2026 – 111 degrees near La Puerta, CA


>>>
Lowest Temperature Thursday, September 3, 2026 – 24 degrees at Peter Sinks, UT

 

What's the weather like? | Baamboozle - Baamboozle | The Most Fun Classroom Games!


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

Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclone

Gulf of America: There are no active tropical cyclone

 

 Northeast Pacific:

Tropical Cyclone 11E (Karina)…is located about 1085 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii

KARINA REMAINS STEADY BUT EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AS IT CONTINUES WEST-NORTHWESTWARD

According to the NHC advisory number 31…

Karina is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph and this motion is expected to continue over the next couple of days. Maximum sustained winds are near 105 mph with higher gusts. Some weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, although Karina is expected to remain a hurricane during the next day or two. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 969 mb (28.62 inches).

 

Tropical Cyclone 13E (Marie)…is located about 470 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California

MARIE NOW A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE AS IT CONTINUES MOVING WEST-NORTHWESTWARD

According to the NHC advisory number 12…

Marie is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph and this motion is expected to continue through the weekend. Satellite images indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph with higher gusts. Some slight additional strengthening is possible tonight. Gradual weakening is expected to begin by Saturday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 972 mb (28.71 inches).

 

Central North Pacific

Tropical Cyclone 12E (Lowell)…is located about 495 miles south-southwest of Hilo, HI

LOWELL MOVING WESTWARD AS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE …INTERESTS IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF LOWELL

According to the NHC advisory number 31…

Lowell is moving toward the west near 9 mph. This general motion with a gradual decrease in forward speed is expected during the next day or two, followed by a turn toward the northwest and north this weekend. Reports from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph with higher gusts. Lowell is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are expected during the next few days. However, Lowell is expected to remain a major hurricane through the weekend. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 943 mb (27.85 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

SURF: Swells generated by Lowell are spreading northward and will affect portions of the Hawaiian Islands during the next several days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 22W (Krovanh) is located approximately 180 NM north of Kadena AB

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>>> 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: 
A Weakening Atlantic Ocean Current System Could Accelerate Earth’s Warming, Research Suggests

A current system in the Atlantic Ocean that shapes regional climates and distributes ocean nutrients also serves as a control knob to help regulate temperatures across the planet, new research has found.

An analysis of past natural oscillations in the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation system, or AMOC, shows that during periods with a strong AMOC, the global ocean and planet lost heat. When the AMOC was weak, the global ocean and planet gained additional heat.

“The AMOC works like a heat valve that controls the energy budget of the planet,” said Christo Buizert, a paleoclimatologist at Oregon State University and lead author of the study, which was just published in Nature Geoscience.

Read More: Oregon State University