Glenn James
Hawaii Weather Today
Founder and maintainer for 30 years 

 

The latest update to this website was at 541am Monday (HST)

 

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

0.09  Waialae , Kauai
0.07  Kaala, Oahu
0.03  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.14  Waikamoi Treeline, Maui
0.55  Kawainui Stream, Big Island

The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) as of Monday morning:

25  Lihue, Kauai – NE
39  Kuaokala, Oahu – NNE
24  Anapuka, Molokai – SW
32  Lanai 1,  Lanai – NE
36  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NE
47  Kealakomo, Big Island – NNW

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 far 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 Monday comments:  I’m here in Corte Madera, Marin County, California on a working vacation.

523am Hawaii time, I’m here at my friend Linda’s house. It’s cloudy here, with a 46 degree low. 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.



Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of 306am Monday: Moderate to locally breezy trades will prevail through Tuesday, decreasing slightly by mid-week, before easing to a more light and variable pattern by this coming weekend. Shower activity will be kept to a minimum as a cooler and drier airmass remains over the Hawaiian Islands. A cold, upper-level trough makes an appearance late in the week, and may slightly enhance trade wind showers, but any meaningful rainfall remains unlikely throughout the week.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of 306am Monday: As the weak trough responsible for the recent showers across the Big Island gradually shifts northeast, a broad area of high pressure slowly builds just northwest of the Hawaiian Islands. This transition will enforce moderate to locally breezy trades across the state over the next couple of days.

Current observations show winds ranging from 17 to 29 mph statewide, and guidance is suggesting this pattern will continue through at least Tuesday. While most areas will remain just below Wind Advisory thresholds (sustained speeds of 30 to 39 mph and gusts 50 to 57 mph), the usual wind-prone locations could occasionally flirt with those criteria.

Rainfall will take a noticeable step back in the days ahead, as drier air continues to filter in. Model guidance indicates precipitable water values dropping to around three standard deviations below normal — an impressively dry setup. Any showers that do manage to develop will be sparse and largely confined to windward and mountain areas, especially over Maui and the Big Island, where the last bit of residual moisture lingers. Even there, a strengthening low-level inversion and limited moisture will keep activity minimal.

Adding a bit of intrigue, some guidance hints at a slight increase in thunderstorm potential of around 10 percent over the Big Island, particularly along the southern slopes starting Tuesday afternoon. However, with moisture levels running exceptionally low, any storms that do form would likely be “dry” thunderstorms, producing lightning with little to no rainfall.

While this setup is common in parts of the mainland during the summer, it remains a relatively rare scenario for Hawaii. That said, the atmosphere may ultimately be too dry to support storm development at all, which is why thunderstorms are not currently in the official forecast, but it`s certainly something worth keeping an eye on over the next day or so.

Looking ahead, the aforementioned high pressure system will gradually drift northeast and weaken as the week progresses. This will allow trades to ease, becoming lighter and more variable by Friday into the weekend. At the same time, a weak upper-level trough may pass through late in the week. Even so, moisture remains limited, and any meaningful increase in rainfall still appears unlikely at this time.

 

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 306am Monday: Fresh to strong northeast trade winds will persist through Tuesday, driven by a strong high-pressure system north of the islands. Winds are expected to ease during the second half of the week, as a trough develops east of the state and the high far north of the state shifts further east. Another trough is expected to develop north of the state towards the end of the week, which could produce light winds across the state by the weekend.

A moderate to large, short-period NNE (020 degree) swell, generated by a gale low northeast of the state will hold. Several reinforcing pulses will likely maintain surf near the borderline High Surf Advisory threshold for north facing shores through around Tuesday. Select east facing shores and west facing shores will also see elevated surf due to the northerly swell. Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for all Hawaiian Waters, due to a combination of wave heights and strong trade winds.

Also, due to the NNE swell, a Marine Weather Statement for harbor surges remains in effect, particularly affecting Hilo and Kahului Harbors.

For other shorelines, surf along east facing shores will remain choppy and short-period due to the strong trade winds, with some areas also being exposed to the incoming NNE swell. South shores will continue to see small pulses from the southern hemisphere over the next few days. A storm-force low developing southeast of New Zealand over the next few days, could send a moderate south-southwest swell the following week.

 

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