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

 

The latest update to this website was at 1211pm Saturday afternoon HST


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

0.28  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.43  Kalawahine, Oahu
0.15  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.60  West Wailuaiki, Maui
2.92  IPIF, Big Island


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

28  Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
38  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – ESE
32  Makapulapai, Molokai – SE
36  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
43  Na Kula, Maui – E 
37  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

  Tropical Cyclone 05E (Elida) far east…thunderstorms south of Hawaii

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/14/20261991030-20261991820-GOES18-ABI-HI-14-600x600.gif

Variable low clouds…high clouds in the vicinity

 

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

518am, it’s mostly clear to partly cloudy here in upper Kula with calm winds, and a low temperature at my place of 59 degrees…with the relative humidity 82%

 

>>> Highest Temperature Friday, July 17, 2026 – 117 at Stovepipe Wells, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Saturday, July 18, 2026 – 35 degrees near McCloud, CA

 

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

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Saturday afternoon: Locally breezy trade winds will remain through the weekend, easing a bit early next week. A trend toward fewer windward and mountain showers, and more sunshine, is expected this weekend as drier air pushes in on the trades. Typical trade wind showers will return early next week.

Short Term Update: Skies were partly to mostly cloudy in most areas, with isolated showers in windward and mountain locations. Trades were averaging 10 to 20 mph sustained, with gusts 20 to 30 mph in the typical windier locations. Today will be a fairly normal summer trade wind day.

Weather Commentary…as of Saturday afternoon: A persistent, large 1033 millibar high over the far NE Pacific has been keeping locally breezy trades blowing across the Aloha State for quite a long while now. An area of moisture, and perhaps a very weak surface trough, riding through on the trades has been enhancing windward and mountain showers overnight, especially for Big Island and Maui. A few windward Big Island gauges have picked up 1.5 to 2 inches of rain in the last 12 hours although more recently, those showers have been diminishing.

The area of moisture will move west of us during the day for a decrease in trade wind showers and increasing sunshine. Models are in good agreement that a pocket of drier air will overspread the state tonight into Sunday, especially for the smaller islands, and this should lead to fewer windward and mountain showers. A modest increase in moisture returns by Tuesday for a few more showers once again, and then the models show the airmass drying out again for the second half of the week.

Models agree the pressure gradient will tighten just a bit leading to a minor increase in trade wind speeds today. This uptick will be short-lived as a weak front far to our north temporarily disrupts the NE Pacific high Sunday into Monday. Starting Tuesday, the NE Pacific high reestablishes and strengthens, leading to a slow, gradual increase in trade wind speeds. It will take a few days, but should be breezy to locally windy by next Friday, as the high peaks in intensity around 1037 millibars far north of us.

We should keep an eye on the developing tropical disturbance several hundred miles southwest of Ixtapa, Mexico. Various ensemble systems have been showing a small potential for this system to bring us some tropical trouble in about a week and a half or so. Much too early to speculate on any details, and plenty of the model members don`t bother us with it at all. However, a good reminder to stay prepared.

 

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 Saturday afternoon: High pressure far northeast of the islands and a passing broad trough to the south will bring a slight uptick in the trade wind speeds today, with fresh to locally strong trades across the region through at least this afternoon. The Small Craft Advisory (SCA) currently in effect through 6pm this evening has been expanded to include most waters surrounding The Big Island and Maui County, including the windward zones and Kaiwi Channel. Winds will begin to diminish Sunday into early next week as high pressure to the north starts to weaken, which should eliminate the need for a SCA. Then as high pressure builds back to the north, trades will strengthen over the latter half of next week.

Surf along south facing shores will remain elevated keeping levels near average through the day today. 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-southwest swell is expected to arrive next Thursday.

A small, medium-period west-northwest swell will gradually fade through the weekend, causing surf along north-facing shores to drop to flat/tiny levels.

East facing shores will remain choppy today and then will gradually drop through the rest of the weekend into early next week as trade winds ease. Energy from Tropical Storm Elida may reach the islands during the middle of next week and bring a slight boost for east facing shores.

 

Hawaiian Islands | Hawaii Landscape Photography | Scott Smorra


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 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:

Satellite images and surface observations indicate that a broad surface low is forming over the eastern Gulf of America. However, the associated winds remain light, and the showers and thunderstorms are still disorganized. Gradual development of this system is possible, and it could become a tropical depression while it moves slowly northward or north-northwestward during the next few days. Interests along the Florida Gulf coast, southern Alabama, and southwestern Georgia should monitor the progress of this system as it is expected to bring heavy rain to portions of that region during the next several days. An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system on Sunday, if needed.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…30 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…medium…40 percent

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

 

Northeast Pacific:

Tropical cyclone 05E (Elida)…is located about 935 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California

NO CHANGE TO ELIDA’S INTENSITY

According to the NHC Advisory number 17

Elida is moving toward the north-northwest near 12 mph, and this motion with some increase in forward speed is expected through much of the weekend. An eventual turn to the north is forecast to occur by late Sunday. Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph with higher gusts. The system is expected to begin weakening later tonight with that weakening trend forecast to continue over the next few days as the storm moves over cooler waters. Elida is likely to become a post-tropical cyclone on Monday. 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 East Pacific:

Invest 97E

Showers and thunderstorms are becoming better organized in associated with a broad area of low pressure located several hundred miles south-southwest of the coast of southwestern Mexico. Environmental conditions appear conducive for continued development of this system, and a tropical depression is expected to form tonight or on Sunday while it moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph over the central portion of the eastern Pacific.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…90 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

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 7 days.

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

 

>>> 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:  Massive Calving Episode in Greenland May Foreshadow More Rapid Ice Sheet Loss

Last November, a study led by Adrien Wehrlé, a researcher in the department of geography at the University of Zürich, Switzerland, looked at the massive calving response of one of West Greenland’s active glaciers, Sermeq Kujalleq in the Kangia icefjord (SKK), to the drainage of two surface lakes. Called supraglacial lakes, these are temporary meltwater ponds that form and accumulate in the depressions or holes on the surface of glaciers and ice sheets. Using satellite and terrestrial radar observations, the researchers studied the response of SKK to the drainage of two supraglacial lakes in July 2022.

SKK, also known as the Jakobshavn glacier, is a large and rapidly retreating outlet glacier on the Greenland ice sheet. As one of the world’s fastest moving and most active ice streams located in West Greenland, it discharges more than 50 gigatons of ice into the ocean each year. Rising temperatures and increased melting will cause larger lakes that may increase the frequency and magnitude of drainage events, further degrading glaciers and contributing to sea level rise.

Between July 21 and 24, two supraglacial lakes located 13 km south of SKK and 25 km from the glacier’s edge released a catastrophic surge of fast-flowing meltwater that propagated all the way to the glacier’s lowest depths.

Read More: Columbia Climate School