The last update to this website was at 404am (HST) Monday, May 16, 2022
Air Temperatures – The following high temperatures (F) were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday afternoon…along with these low temperatures Sunday morning:
81 – 70 Lihue AP, Kauai
83 – 72 Honolulu AP, Oahu
85 – 65 Molokai AP
90 – 65 Kahului AP, Maui
85 – 74 Kona AP, Hawaii
82 – 66 Hilo AP, Hawaii
Here are the latest 24-hour precipitation totals (inches) for each of the islands Monday morning:
4.34 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
1.76 Poamoho RG 1, Oahu
0.01 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.06 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.72 Lower Kahuku, Big Island
The following numbers represent the strongest wind gusts (mph) Monday morning:
14 Moloaa Dairy, Kauai
18 Kii, Oahu
16 Molokai
14 Lanai
23 Kahoolawe
14 Kahului AP, Maui
20 South Point, Big Island
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 (not currently working). 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.
Low with cold front northwest…thunderstorms south in the deeper tropics
Low clouds in the vicinity…high cirrus arriving from the west
Variable clouds…with some clear areas
Showers locally and offshore
Model showing precipitation through 8-days (you can slow this animation down)
Please open this link…to see current Watches, Warnings and Advisories noted above
~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~
Glenn’s Monday comments: I’m here in Bend, Oregon, the low temperature this morning was 44 degrees with cloudy skies.
Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview: Warm and humid conditions with increasing rainfall chances are expected, as an out-of-season upper disturbance and cold front move into the area Tuesday through Wednesday.
Winds will diminish and shift out of the south to southeast direction. This will result in afternoon showers forming over our dry leeward areas, where sea breezes form and along southeast facing slopes.
More widespread rainfall with embedded locally heavy showers and a few thunderstorms are possible over the western end of the state Tuesday night through mid-week. Conditions should begin to improve by the weekend.
Hawaii’s Weather Details: Look for a significant pattern change evolving across the area this week, as a strong pulse aloft dives southward, carving out an upper trough near or over the western end of the state.
Deep southerly flow associated with this feature and its attendant cold front, moving in from the northwest, will draw abundant deep tropical moisture northward into the area.
This combined with south to southeast low-level flow will bring warm and humid conditions, with rainfall chances incresing over southeast facing slopes, and our dry leeward areas where sea breezes form.
Peak heating due to the high sun angle for this time of year, may support a few heavy afternoon showers through Tuesday.
The southerly kona winds are expected to increase to moderate levels by mid-week, as the unusual cold front draws closer. This combined with the deep moisture near or over the western end of the state…will lead to showers becoming more widespread.
If this moisture axis shifts farther east, localized flooding can’t be ruled out Tuesday night through Wednesday night. Some showers will be heavy and a few thunderstorms could flare up.
Models show the upper support lifting northeastward and away from the area Thursday through Friday. This combined with the ridge lifting northward…should lead to improving conditions by the weekend.
>>> 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. Here’s the animated volcanic emissions graphic
Hawaii’s Marine Conditions: The winds are becoming weaker, and shifting out of the east-southeast to southeast. This means that most of the coastal waters near the smaller islands will be in the shadow of the Big Island through early Tuesday.
A cold front moving toward us from the northwest will cause the winds to become southerly and strengthen starting Tuesday, with the strongest winds expected around Kauai Wednesday.
The latest forecast indicates the south winds may be near the Small Craft Advisory threshold over the waters in the vicinity of Kauai Wednesday. A slight chance of thunderstorms is also expected over the waters in the vicinity of Kauai and Oahu Wednesday. Expect light to moderate southeast winds for most Hawaiian waters Thursday and Friday.
The current small south swell may provide a slight bump in surf along most south shores through early Tuesday. A larger south swell will arrive Tuesday, then peak Wednesday. This will produce a noticeable increase in surf heights along south facing shores by mid-week.
Note that this swell coincides with the strengthening southerly winds, so surf may become choppy, especially along south shores of the western islands late Tuesday through Wednesday. This south swell will gradually lower late Thursday through Saturday.
The current modest surf along east shores is expected to gradually lower through Tuesday, due to the local winds weakening, and becoming southeasterly. An upstream fetch of east winds will likely keep small surf along exposed east shores for most of this week.
Surf will remain nearly flat along most north and west shores into Wednesday, with only small northwest swell energy available. The wave model guidance still indicates a small northwest swell may arrive late Wednesday night, peaking Thursday. Assuming this swell does show up…it will gradually lower Thursday night through Friday.
World-wide Tropical Cyclone Activity
Atlantic Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Caribbean: There are no active tropical cyclones
Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones
Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s the link to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)
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
South Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones
North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones
Here’s a link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Interesting: An Isolated Population of Antarctic Fur Seals Could Save the Species, but They’re Disappearing
Losing fur seals from the South Shetland Islands means losing crucial genetic diversity the species may need to adapt to rapid climate change.
Research biologist Douglas Krause has studied fur seals in Antarctica for more than 20 years. As leader of pinniped studies in the Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division at NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center, he and many colleagues thought they knew how climate change would affect the photogenic fur seals that are a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem.
They figured that the fur seals would benefit from warmer temperatures and habitat that would emerge as sea ice melts along coastlines.
The species should flourish, they thought, a winner in the climate change lottery that affects different species in different ways. The reality turned out to be just the opposite.
Krause and his colleagues recently published a new study showing that the fur seal population in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica is declining sharply, especially at its largest colony on Cape Shirreff.
The population faces greater risk from climate change and predation than fur seals elsewhere in the Southern Ocean. The population is aging, with fewer females giving birth to fewer pups each year.
Continue reading at NOAA Fisheries
Email Glenn James: 
Helen Says:
Aloha Glenn,
Happy to report we are getting some rain up here in Olinda! We are very blessed.
~~~ Hi Helen, great news, this late season rain has been a true blessing for many areas in the state, thanks for letting us know that Olinda is getting into the action too!
Aloha, Glenn
Richard Says:
Hi Glenn,
Thanks for your faithful weather updates from wherever you are.
I’m wondering if you would include in one of your upcoming reports a preview discussion for the upcoming hurricane season in the East and Central Pacific? How will the El Nino status affect it? What other climate factors affect the prediction? etc. Mahalo, Richard in Kula
~~~ Hi Richard, first of all you’re very welcome, I greatly enjoy keeping my website up-to-date on a daily basis, and as you point out…no matter where I am.
As for the upcoming hurricane season in the eastern and central Pacific:
Here’s a very preliminary look at what might be the trend for our upcoming 2022 hurricane season.
First of all, this is the latest ENSO outlook from the Climate Prediction Center/NCEP/NWS: La Niña is favored to continue into the Northern Hemisphere summer (53% chance during June-August 2022), with a 40-50% chance of La Niña or ENSO-neutral thereafter.
Simply put, El Niño favors stronger hurricane activity in the central and eastern Pacific basins, and suppresses it in the Atlantic basin. Conversely, La Niña suppresses hurricane activity in the central and eastern Pacific basins, and enhances it in the Atlantic basin.
Thus, it appears that the Atlantic hurricane season could be more active than normal, while the eastern and central Pacific could be less active than normal.
That’s about as far as I’d like to go in this unofficial potential outlook Richard, I hope it will be sufficient to address your good question.
Aloha, Glenn
Bett Bidleman Says:
How ironic, Glenn, if a small number of Africans are the only humans to survive a nuclear bomb holocaust. Our species began there. It may well be reliant on our origins for people there to once again perpetuate Homo sapiens.
But of course this data is to urge all people to find a solution to the current threat. This is no time for complacency.
~~~ Hi Bett, thanks very much for your astute comment, and I totally agree with your assessment…this is not a time for complacency!
Aloha, Glenn
EricaRainhart Says:
Aloha Glen!
Your talent dear man of the weather,
includes posting excellent vision photographic
images of our shores & sky home!
Please can you repost the sunrise lit colors –
Black Sand beach waves of yesterday’s report?(3.22.22) Malama pono Mahalo Aloha
~~~ Hi Erica, thanks for your generous praise…I greatly appreciate that! As for your request to re-post the picture you saw on my website, I’m wondering if this picture is the one you’re referring to? I hope so…
Aloha, Glenn
Robert Says:
Aloha Glenn, I really enjoy your weather commentary. Maybe I missed a prior discussion, but what are the reasons for our especially dry conditions that past Winter and going forward?
~~~ Hi Robert, thanks for your positive comment about my weather commentaries. As for why we continue to have dry weather, the long and short of it is that we continue to have blocking high pressure systems between here and the west coast. This acts as a buffer for rainy weather, in terms of cold fronts that often penetrate into the islands from the mid-latitudes.
These blocking high’s to the northeast, have associated ridges, which extend down into the area north and northwest of Hawaii. The ridges shunt rain bearing cold fronts by to our north, or stall them before arriving here in the state. I hope this overly simplified explanation helps some. Let’s hope that we get some rain before we get into our dry summer season!
Aloha, Glenn