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

 

The latest update to this website was at 825pm Monday evening HST


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

0.55  Kilohana, Kauai
0.26  Schofield East, Oahu
0.75  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
2.22  Puu Kukui, Maui
2.88  Kawainui Stream Big Island


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

31  Lihue, Kauai – NE
32  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – ENE
28  Molokai AP, Molokai – NE 
33  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
55  Na Kula, Maui – ESE
43  Puuloa, Big Island – ESE


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. 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

Cold front far northwest…thunderstorms in the deeper tropics to our south 

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/20261451910-20261460300-GOES18-ABI-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Clear to variably cloudy…thin high cirrus clouds clipping the islands locally 

 

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 mostly windward 

 

https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/png/hfo.png

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 at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

It’s mostly clear here in Maui County, along with the usual low clouds along the windward sides, with calm winds at my place, and with a chilly low of 50.5 degrees and the relative humidity is 74%

Played pickleball in Haiku this morning, which was fun, and it was good seeing my friends who play there rather than in Makawao, where I normally play.

555pm, it’s partly cloudy here on Maui, with some clear and cloudy areas too. The high cirrus clouds are muting the late day sunshine, and which might give a little color around sunset this evening. In addition, there’s a bit of haze down in the central valley.


>>> Highest Temperature Monday, May 25, 2026 – 106 degrees at Death Valley, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Monday, May 25, 2026 – 24 degrees near Bynum, MT

 

NOAA predicts active Pacific hurricane season as El Niño returns

NOAA is predicting a 70 percent chance of above-normal activity in both the eastern and central Pacific basins this year. In the eastern Pacific, forecasters expect between 15 and 22 named storms, including up to 14 hurricanes, and as many as nine major hurricanes. In the central Pacific — the region that includes Hawaii — NOAA predicts between five and 13 tropical cyclones this season.

NOAA Administrator Dr. Neil Jacobs said El Niño is one of the biggest factors behind this year’s forecast.

“In the central and eastern Pacific, the El Niño reduces the vertical wind shear, essentially the opposite of the Atlantic, which is why we’re expecting an above-average season, in addition to the warmer sea surface temperatures,” Jacobs said.

Lower wind shear allows storms to organize and strengthen more easily over the Pacific Ocean.

Compared to last year’s outlook — when the central Pacific forecast called for just one to four storms and the eastern Pacific expected 12 to 18 named storms — this year’s projections point to a more active season overall.

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of Monday evening: A broad ridge north of the Hawaiian Islands will dominate our weather into the weekend, with moderate to locally strong easterly trade winds. An upper level trough near the islands will help to enhance some of the trade wind showers in the near term. A new upper level low west of the islands by mid-week, could move over the islands by the weekend to enhance the trade wind showers.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of Monday evening:  Satellite imagery shows some showery clouds riding in on the trade wind flow. A ridge far north of the islands will remain in place into the middle of the week, with the pressure gradient over the islands steady. Some of the high resolution models would suggest some areas could reach advisory level winds in the next couple of days, we’ll have to see about that.

The atmospheric sounding from Hilo showed a fairly strong temperature inversion around 7,500 feet, while the Lihue sounding had a weaker inversion around 6,000 feet.

High pressure at the surface will linger through the week, with some weakening of the pressure gradient over the islands during the second half of the week. An upper level low has formed about 900 miles to the northwest of Kauai, and is expected to move towards the islands this week. The global models suggest that this could help to enhance trade wind showers at the end of the week. At this time, the global model thunderstorm probabilities are not impressive.

The GFS model brings in higher precipitable water than the ECMWF near Maui County and the Big Island for the upcoming weekend. At this time it would seem the upper low/trough could enhance trade winds, but not expecting much beyond that based on the current model runs.


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 Environmental Conditions…as of Monday evening: Fresh to strong easterly trades will persist through the first half of the week as the ridge remains north of the state. This will allow the Small Craft Advisory to continue, particularly across exposed waters and channels. Expect a gradual downward trend through the second half of the week and next weekend, due to a weakness forming in the ridge as a front passes by far to the north.

Surf along south facing shores will gradually lower as a medium-period south swell lingers. A fresh long-period south swell will arrive Tuesday, then build to near the seasonal average through mid-week before slowly easing Thursday. A more significant long-period south-southwest swell is expected by next weekend, due to a storm-force low that passed southeast of New Zealand over the weekend.

Satellite data showed a large fetch of 40 to 50 knot winds generating seas of 35 to just over 40 feet, focused toward Hawaii. Expect surf to begin building locally Friday with 20+ second forerunners, then peak above/around the advisory level over the weekend. For the long range, expect a similar trend to persist through the first week of June, as the active pattern persists within our swell window down around New Zealand.

Surf along exposed north and west facing shores will lower  as a small north-northwest swell lingers, but will trend up once again on Tuesday, as the late season North Pacific activity continues. Although the bulk of the energy from this next swell will be focused northeast of the islands, expect long-period forerunners to arrive Tuesday, with this source gradually building down the island chain thereafter. Above-average surf is likely by daybreak Wednesday, near the peak before lowering Thursday.

Surf along east facing shores will remain rough through mid-week, then gradually lower later in the week as the trades ease.

 

Oahu. Hawaii. Beach. Trees. North shore. Mountains. Ocean. Sunrise. Sunset.


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.

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

 

>>> Eastern Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

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

 

>>> Central Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will begin on June 1, 2026.

Here’s the link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)

 

>>> Northwest Pacific Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclone

>>> 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:  Ocean Acidification is Ruining Reef Fishes’ Social Lives

A new study from Adelaide University has found that when ocean acidification makes reef habitat less complex, the fish living there gather in smaller shoals that offer less social protection.

“Watch a reef long enough and you realize that fish are almost never alone. They move in groups, feed in groups, and react to danger as a group,” said lead author Dr Angus Mitchell, from Adelaide University.

“For small reef fish, being part of a shoal is a survival strategy – more eyes spot predators sooner, more bodies mean any one fish is less likely to be the unlucky one.”

Mitchell’s study found that the size of a fish shoal affects their collective and individual behavior.

Read more at: Adelaide University