The latest update to this website was at 9am Friday (HST)

 

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

3.59  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
2.01  Palisades, Oahu
0.80  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
2.39  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.47  Kawainui Stream, Big Island

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

29  Lihue, Kauai – NE
29  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – E
30  Makapulapai, Molokai – ESE
29  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
40  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NNE
27  Kawaihae, Big Island – NE

 

Hawaii’s MountainsHere’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

A trough and cold front west-northwest of Kauai 

 

https://www.weather.gov/images/hfo/satellite/Hawaii_IR_loop.gif

Low clouds moving in our direction in the trade wind flow…high clouds approaching from the west

 

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 any current Watches, Warnings and Advisories noted above

 

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Aloha Friday comments:  I’m here at home in upper Kula, Maui

It’s partly cloudy here in Maui County early this morning, with a low temperature of 50.5 degrees at my place, with the relative humidity 78 percent.

Weather Wit of the day: Weather Forecaster – A person who speaks with complete authority ab0ut the absolute uncertainty of the weather

>>> Highest Temperature Thursday, January 1, 2026 – 84 near Hidalgo, TX
>>> Lowest Temperature Friday, January 2, 2026 – minus 20 at Mount Washington, NH

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview:  Trade winds will become slightly stronger today, as a band of moisture brings an increase in rainfall to mainly windward areas. Trade winds and shower activity will diminish Saturday. An area of low pressure will develop northwest of the islands on Sunday then drift southward, causing surface winds to shift out of the southeast and bringing cloudy conditions with increasing chances of showers and thunderstorms. Strong and gusty easterly winds are expected to gradually reduce shower chances Monday. Drier locally breezy trade winds are possible by Tuesday.

Hawaii’s Weather Details: Radar shows isolated to scattered showers moving west across the state. The highest concentration of showers is moving over southern and central Kauai. Clouds cover most of the islands, with the Big Island likely to stay mostly cloudy pretty much all day today.

A band of enhanced moisture will finish crossing the islands today. This band marks the leading edge of increasing trade winds, supported by a strong surface high centered around 1400 miles to our north. The high will drift southeastward, pushing the band of showers to the Big Island today, where it will stall and slowly dissipate. Some showers may carry over to leeward areas, but a ridge aloft will maintain relatively stable conditions that will keep rainfall totals modest.

Model guidance has come into better agreement on the upper low moving close to the islands Saturday, then stalling just to our northwest Sunday, then drifting away to the southwest Sunday night and Monday. This progression will lead to easterly trade winds weakening and rainfall diminishing Saturday. Surface winds are likely to shift out of the southeast Sunday into Monday, helping to rapidly increase moisture (1 to 1.5 standard deviations above normal). At the same time, the proximity of the upper low will help to destabilize the atmosphere, increasing the chance for stronger showers and even thunderstorms. These effects are likely to be felt mostly over the western half of the island.

It now appears that the heavy rain and thunderstorm risk period may last past Monday, perhaps through Wednesday. With the way models have been bouncing around concerning the evolution of this pattern, there is limited confidence in the forecast past early next week.

Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – 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: High pressure building north of the state will keep moderate to locally strong easterly trade winds in the forecast through tonight. The Small Craft Advisory was extended in coverage to include most windward coastal waters due to the building northerly swell. Moderate to locally strong trade winds will briefly decrease this weekend and veer from the east to southeast direction, as a low pressure system develops north of Kauai and tracks southwestward. As this low passes just west of the state, strong to near gale force easterly trade winds are expected to impact the Hawaiian Waters by Sunday evening, and likely continue into the early part of next week. Rough conditions with large seas and heavy rain are expected across most coastal waters through Tuesday.

A moderate, medium-period north to north-northeast swell will fill in slowly, and surf heights along north facing shores will peak just below High Surf Advisory thresholds from tonight through Saturday morning.

Moderate to locally strong trade winds will keep rough and choppy surf along east facing shores. A much stronger fetch of strong to near gale force trade winds will bring a significant increase of easterly wind swell from late Sunday into early next week, which should exceed advisory thresholds for east facing shores. Surf along south facing shores will remain tiny through the forecast period.

Peak astronomical monthly tides with water levels running roughly 0.5 ft above normal should produce minor coastal flooding through this weekend, and may be enhanced along north facing shores due to the incoming north swell. A Coastal Flood Statement has been issued to highlight this flooding potential, which should persist through this weekend with peak high tides.

A building north to north-northeast swell will also produce moderate surges for north facing harbors, especially for Kahului and Hilo. A Marine Weather Statement remains in effect for maritime interests to watch for these impending harbor surges.

 

Kauai's Coastal Gems: Best Beaches to Explore



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

North Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

Southwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

North and South Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones 

South Indian Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 09S (Grant)…is located approximately 597 NM southwest of Diego Garcia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/sh0926.gif

Tropical Cyclone 11S (Iggy)…is located approximately 446 NM northwest of Learmonth, Australia

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:  2025 was so hot it pushed Earth past critical climate change mark, scientists say

Climate change worsened by human behavior made 2025 one of the three hottest years on record, scientists said.

It was also the first time that the three-year temperature average broke through the threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement of limiting warming to no more than 2.7 Fahrenheit since pre-industrial times. Experts say keeping the Earth below that limit could save lives and prevent catastrophic environmental destruction around the globe.

The analysis from World Weather Attribution researchers, released Tuesday in Europe, came after a year when people around the world were slammed by the dangerous extremes brought on by a warming planet.

Temperatures remained high despite the presence of a La Niña, the occasional natural cooling of Pacific Ocean waters that influences weather worldwide. Researchers cited the continued burning of fossil fuels — oil, gas and coal — that send planet-warming greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

“If we don’t stop burning fossil fuels very, very, quickly, very soon, it will be very hard to keep that goal” of warming, Friederike Otto, co-founder of World Weather Attribution and an Imperial College London climate scientist, told The Associated Press. “The science is increasingly clear.”

Read more at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-2025-critical-mark-eclipsed/