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

 

The latest update to this website was at 6pm Tuesday evening HST


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

0.72  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.13  Manoa Lyon Aboretum, Oahu
0.10  Honolimaloo, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.65  West Wailuaiki, Maui
4.35  Kealalekua, Big Island


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

28  Port Allen, Kauai – ENE
29  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – E 
24  Molokai AP, Molokai – NE
m   Lanai – missing
28  Kahului AP, Maui – NE
29  Kealakomo, 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

  Very strong Major Tropical cyclone 01C (Lala) well west

 

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/CP01/refresh/CP012026_5day_cone+png/150554_5day_cone.png

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/20262301930-20262310320-GOES18-ABI-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif
Counter-clockwise rotating circulation of clouds to our east

 

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…very few

 

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

1221am, after a 54 hour power outage, the power came back, and what a relief it is! Looking outside into the night, there’s thick fog with a temperature of 64.5 degrees, with the relative humidity 88 percent.

440am, it was very foggy and showery last night, AND the power finally came back on around midnight…what a relief after 54 hours without juice! It’s still cloudy with fog although the showers have stopped.

636am, clear here in upper Kula, although with middle level altocumulus clouds, and some low clouds around the edges

1214pm, I’ve had to throw away lots of food from my refrigerator, so I made a quick trip down to Mana Health Foods in Paia to replenish my supplies. Along the roads from here in Kula down to Paia, there were signs of lots of big trees that had been knocked down by the very strong winds, and had been cut up and pushed to the side of the roads…thank goodness! I thought Mana was going to be very crowded, although it turned out to be remarkably not crowded. It’s cloudy here, although looking down the mountain towards the coasts, I see at least partly sunny skies.

354pm, partly to mostly cloudy with muted sunshine this afternoon here in Maui County.

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Tuesday evening: Trade wind showers expected in the usual windward and mountain areas through tonight. Weaker trade winds expected Wednesday through Friday, increasing potential for showers on the leeward side of the islands. Trade winds strengthen and precipitation chances increase over the weekend and early next week.

Weather Narrative..as of Tuesday evening: The return of the trade winds will bring areas of showers over windward and mountain locations through tonight. Trades weaken Wednesday through Friday as a trough passes northeast of the islands. Lighter trades will increase precipitation chances for leeward areas with the development of a sea/land breeze pattern.

The winds are expected to strengthen and shift easterly late Friday into Saturday, which will pull additional moisture into the area. This will increase precipitation chances for early in the weekend. Highest chances will be on the windward and mountain parts of the islands.

For Sunday and Monday, tropical moisture is expected to be in the vicinity of the state due to the potential development of a tropical system. Most guidance keeps the track of the potential tropical system south of the islands. While there remains uncertainty in the forecast since the system has yet to develop, precipitation chances have been increased for early next week. Please continue to monitor the forecast as it is subject to change as we get closer to the weekend, and details surrounding the forecast become clearer.

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 Tuesday evening: High pressure far northeast of the local waters will remain nearly stationary, and slowly weaken for the next couple of days. Trade winds will continue a weakening trend, becoming light and variable for most waters by Thursday, as daytime sea breezes and overnight land breezes become established. By late Friday, moderate to locally fresh trades will begin to build back into the region, as the high drifts southward closer to the island chain.

The buoy Barber`s Point has slowly have dropped over the past 24 hours to around 13 seconds. Surf along south facing shores will continue declining through mid-week as south swell fades. Another long period south swell generated from gales just south and east of New Zealand, will begin arriving late this week. Surf along east facing shores will also continue to fade as background flow becomes weaker. North facing shores will remain tiny throughout the week.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Tuesday, August 18, 2026 – 119 degrees near Tecopa, CA


>>> Lowest Temperature Tuesday, August 18, 2026 – 32 degrees near Redfeather Lakes, CO

 

This Beautiful Hawaiian Nature Reserve Is An Iconic Must-Visit For Movie Lovers


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

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

>>> 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

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

 

Northeast Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

 

>>> South-southwest of Mexico:

An area of low pressure is forecast to form several hundred miles south-southwest of the coast of southern Mexico around the end of the week. Gradual development of this system is likely thereafter, and a tropical depression is expected to form this weekend while the system moves generally west-northwestward, remaining well offshore of Mexico.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…80 percent

 

>>> Western Portion of the East Pacific and the Central Pacific:

A tropical wave located well to the east-southeast of the Hawaiian Islands continues to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form towards the end of the week or over the weekend while the system moves generally westward across the western portion of the east Pacific and into the Central Pacific.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…30 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…70 percent

 

Central North Pacific: 

Tropical Cyclone 01C (Lala)…is located about 335 miles SSE OF Maro Reef

LALA NOW A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE WITH 125 MPH WINDS …HURRICANE WARNING ISSUED FOR THE NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

According to the NHC advisory number 27…

Lala is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph. A turn toward the northwest is forecast on Wednesday, followed by a turn toward the north on Thursday. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 125 mph with higher gusts. Lala is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some additional strengthening is forecast tonight, followed by slow weakening. Lala is expected to remain a hurricane for the next several days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 953 mb (28.15 inches).

 

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean: 

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/abpwsair.jpg

Tropical Cyclone 17W…is located approximately 140 NM east-northeast of Chuuk

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/wp1726.gif

 

>>> 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: Neptune’s Inner Moons May Be Shattered Remains of Ancient Icy Worlds

In 1989, the Voyager 2 mission discovered six new moons orbiting Neptune, including five tiny ones that orbit just outside the planet’s main rings. Because of their small sizes and locations, these satellites have been difficult to study from Earth. Now, using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of Caltech researchers has observed Neptune’s rings and three of those moons—Larissa, Galatea, and Proteus—and found that their composition is unique among outer solar system bodies.

These findings point to the existence of an original moon system that was demolished when Triton, Neptune’s biggest moon, was likely captured by the planet’s gravity after it formed elsewhere in the solar system. The researchers believe remnants left behind from this smashup then came together to form the inner moons seen today.

“If Neptune once had a system of moons that looked something like what we see at Uranus today, we expect it would’ve been completely destroyed by the process of Triton getting captured,” says former Caltech graduate student Ryleigh Davis (PhD ’26), lead author of a paper about the team’s findings publishing July 29 in Science Advances. “This is exciting new evidence that something catastrophic happened at Neptune that completely destroyed its original satellites, and we’re getting to see the fingerprints left behind by that process.”

Read More: Caltech