Glenn James
Hawaii Weather Today
Founder and maintainer for 30 years


The latest update to this website was at 501pm Tuesday


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

1.41  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
3.01  Waimea Tank, Kauai
0.28  Punaluu Pump, Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
5.77  Hana AP, Maui
0.43  Pahoa, Big Island


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

15  Mana, Kauai – NW
18  Kaneohe, Oahu – ENE
22  Makapulapai, Molokai – E
13  Lanai 1,  Lanai – SSW
23  Na Kula, Maui – SE
32  Mauna Loa Obs, 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. 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 cold front northwest 


https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/20260971810-20260980200-GOES18-ABI-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Developing cumulus and thunderstorms near and to the north of western islands

 

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…some heavy


Looping Surface Precipitation…through the next 8-days

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 Tuesday comments:  I’m here in Bend, Oregon on a working vacation.

332am Hawaii time, I’m here at my friend Bob’s house. It’s clear with high cirrus clouds and provided a very colorful sunrise, with a 45.5 degree low. BTW, when I say Hawaii time, it is 3-hours later here in Oregon.

123pm Hawaii time, It’s a bit cooler today, which is fine with me. Bob hung around his place all morning just rapping about weather and politics and everything else under the sun. Then we walked over our favorite coffee place, called the Commons and I had a dirty Chai. We then walked over to our favorite cafe, called Active Culture, where I had a great salad and a bowl of Potato Leek soup. We’re back at this place now, and as such, I updating this page on my website.

510pm Hawaii time, Bob is out for the evening, so this is the first time I’ve had a little alone time for many days. I’m kind of enjoying it, and yet on the other hand I’m looking forward to Bob being back. We have one more full day here in Bend, before we drive up to Vancouver, BC, Canada. We rented a place there for a week, and apparently it has a great view of the surrounding area…I’m sure it will be big fun to visit there!

 

>>> Highest Temperature Tuesday, April 7, 2026 – 99 degrees at Death Valley, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Tuesday, April 7, 2026 – minus 13 degrees at Big Bay, MI

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of 313pm Tuesday:  Low pressure will draw deep tropical moisture over the state today. Waves of heavy rain capable of producing flash flooding are expected Wednesday through the end of the week. Southeasterly winds may become strong as well.

Monthly Precipitation Summary / State of Hawaii / Month: February 2026

Headline: Very wet month for windward areas statewide with two main heavy rain/flooding events; leeward areas predominantly left out of the action.

February began under a weak subtropical ridge, producing light winds and stable conditions with limited cloud and shower development statewide. Strong and gusty southwest winds developed on the 2nd ahead of a fast-moving cold front, producing localized downslope wind gusts and scattered power outages in areas north and east of the mountains. The front moved quickly down the island chain overnight, bringing a brief period of locally heavy showers with totals generally one-half inch or less, locally up to one inch on Oahu. Cooler, drier air and decreasing winds followed as the front dissipated near the Big Island. Dry weather and light winds persisted through the 5th.

Another approaching front shifted winds out of the south on the 6th and brought enhanced pre-frontal showers to portions of the smaller islands. The front moved through the western islands on the 7th and stalled near Maui through the 10th. Abundant moisture pooled along the boundary and, combined with instability from an upper-level disturbance, produced a prolonged period of heavy rainfall. Persistent north to northeast winds focused rainfall along windward and upslope areas, where three-day totals (ending at midnight HST on the 10th) commonly exceeded 4 inches. Swaths of 8 to 12+ inches occurred across windward portions of the Big Island, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu, with localized totals near 25 to 30 inches. Most of the rain fell on the 8th and 9th. Despite the large totals, rainfall rates were generally modest—around 1 to 2 inches per hour—limiting flash flooding impacts. Saturated soils did contribute to landslides near Waipio Valley and Laupahoehoe. Strong northeast winds behind the front also produced scattered power outages and downed trees in wind-prone valleys and leeward mountain areas.

Breezy to locally windy trade winds prevailed from the 11th through the 19th with periodic windward and mountain showers. The wettest period occurred from the 14th through the 16th, when north and east slopes of Maui and the Big Island received roughly 0.75 to 1.5 inches of rain per day, with isolated higher amounts in favored terrain. Oahu and Kauai received lighter totals, mainly on the 15th.

A vigorous upper-level trough approached the island chain on the 20th, producing periods of heavy rain from Kauai to Maui that evening with rainfall rates generally between one-half and one inch per hour. Rising water levels along the Hanalei River briefly flooded portions of Kihei Highway near the bridge in Hanalei after midnight on the 21st, forcing a temporary closure.

As the trough moved closer to the state later on the 21st, increasing instability and very cold temperatures aloft combined with strong orographic lift along the Koolau Mountains of Oahu to produce an intense, nearly stationary band of heavy rain and thunderstorms along the upper windward slopes and ridgeline of the mountain range. The heaviest rainfall occurred between Maunawili and Hauula during the mid-morning and persisted for several hours. Rainfall rates commonly reached 2 to 4 inches per hour in that area, with brief peaks exceeding 6 inches per hour. Some notable rainfall rates across Oahu include: Luluku with 17.07 inches in 6 hours (13.01 inches in 3 hours), USGS Moanalua RG with 13.44 inches in 6 hours (12.49 inches in 3 hours), and USGS Poamoho RG1 with 13.09 inches in 6 hours (8.10 inches in 3 hours). For some perspective, these 6-hour rainfall rates have a less than 1% chance of occurring in any given year. Those three sites also had the top three 24-hour totals for the entire state on the 21st (Luluku – 25.10 inches, Moanalua RG – 17.51 inches, and Poamoho RG1 – 16.32 inches). These extreme rainfall rates produced rapid stream rises and overwhelmed drainage systems.

Significant flash flooding occurred along windward Oahu, particularly around Kaneohe, Waiahole, and Waikane, where overflowing streams flooded roads, homes, and vehicles. Several roads closed, including the Likelike Highway off-ramp from the Kaneohe-bound H-3 Freeway. Floodwaters also affected parts of the North Shore near Waialua and Haleiwa after runoff from the Koolau Mountains filled Wahiawa Reservoir and overflowed its spillway, flooding nearby agricultural areas and portions of the Otake Camp community. Most homes there avoided major damage due to elevated construction.

Windward Molokai and Maui also received heavy rainfall during the event, though totals were lower than on Oahu. These areas generally recorded 2 to 7 inches, with the highest totals near Hana on Maui and in the Halawa area of Molokai. Landslides were reported along the Hana Highway, temporarily closing the road while crews removed debris.

The upper trough lingered through the 23rd. Increasing trade winds interacting with lingering instability produced additional moderate to heavy showers over windward slopes of Maui County and the Big Island, where totals were in the neighborhood of 1 to 3 inches. Cooler, drier trade winds returned from the 24th through the 26th. Winds gradually weakened and shifted east-southeasterly during the final days of the month, allowing temperatures to warm slightly while shower activity decreased.


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

 

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of 313pm Tuesday: Tonight through Wednesday night. The initial mid-level shortwave is advancing ENE while remaining north of the islands. Forcing associated with this feature has maintained a line of moderate to heavy showers that reached Oahu during mid-day. The showers are maintained by a corridor of weak low-level convergence and are encountering an increasingly moisture-rich environment as they advance east. This has allowed the band to hold together for much of the day, but diminishing forcing through this evening should allow this activity to dissipate with time.

A much more potent shortwave is seen on imagery anchoring the southern extent of a trough that extends NE to Alaska. As troughing amplifies immediately upstream of the islands, downstream ridge amplification will suppress deep convection tonight through much of Wednesday, as rather strong mid-level subsidence takes shape through mid-day Wednesday. ESE-SSE winds gradually strengthen during this time in response to upstream pressure falls.

Meanwhile, southerly winds aloft carry deep moisture characterized by precipitable water values around 2″ into the forecast area during the day Wednesday. Showers will become increasingly widespread, mainly over the western end of the state for the time being. The instability axis will lie over and immediately west of Kauai. Forcing is maximized within this corridor as well making it the favored location for the heaviest rainfall Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday night.

Thursday. Little change during the day Thursday as the upper low deepens but remains about the same distance west of Kauai. As a result, the heavy rain axis will remain largely stationary this time either over Kauai or just west of the island. Otherwise, waves of warm air within the decreasingly stable environment will bring periods of locally heavy showers through Thursday.

Thursday night through Friday night. Intense upper-level forcing develops. A mature frontal system takes shape west of Kauai, as this forcing rapidly organizes and ramps-up and showers and thunderstorms along the frontal zone begin to intensify. At the same time, the strengthening surface low will cause prevailing ESE/SE winds at the surface to increase to 25-30 knots sustained. Southerlies will strengthen to around 40 knots by Thursday evening. This is not a traditional downsloping direction, making potential over typical downsloping areas like windward Oahu. The southerly direction may instead favor the northern coast of Kauai.

Convection, however, will be capable of mixing down these stronger winds making localized wind gusts around 50 mph a possibility Thursday evening into Friday afternoon. At this time, it appears that a Wind Advisory may be needed for select waters Thursday. The front and attendant heavy rain then surge eastward Thursday night, bringing the heaviest rainfall to Kauai late Thurs night into early Friday, Oahu during the first half of Friday, and Maui County and the Big Island during the second half of Friday.

High-end advisory winds are likely on the Big Island Summits and possibly Haleakala Summit on Maui Thursday night through Friday. Snow potential on the Big Island Summits will be limited by marginal temperatures.

Saturday onward. The resident band of tropical moisture lingers over the islands for the foreseeable future, even as trades potentially return during the middle of next week. Weakly cyclonic flow aloft, especially over the western end of the state, will favor the occasional upper-level disturbance tracking over the area and subsequent shower development. This may yield periods of localized heavy rain, but that remains to be seen.


Marine Environmental Conditions: Southerly winds are expected to increase tomorrow and Thursday, as a low develops across a stalled front. Showers, some locally heavy, will be possible through Friday as a result of the southerly winds bringing tropical moisture to the north over the islands. A few isolated thunderstorms are moving down the island chain are thunderstorms are possible over the offshore waters through at least Friday.

A moderate long-period northwest swell is filling in boosting north shore surf late today through Wednesday. A small, short- period north-northeast swell will fill in today before peaking tomorrow and subsiding Thursday. This overlap will make for some rough choppy conditions along north facing shores.

A slightly larger, long- period south swell, will gradually increase today into tomorrow. Surf could reach advisory levels tomorrow before slowly easing Thursday into the weekend. Strengthening southerly winds will make for rough and choppy surf by late next week.

East shore surf will remain small and below the seasonal averages due to a lack of strong trade winds, Some wrap from the northerly swells is possible.

 

Hilo Weather

 Weather is changing here in Hawaii


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

>>> Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> Gulf of Mexico: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

>>> 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

>>> Southwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 30P (Maila)…is located approximately 757 NM northeast of Cairns, Australia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/30P_080000sair.jpg

 

Tropical Cyclone 31P (Vaianu)…is located approximately 252 NM south-southwest of Suva, Fiji

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/31P_080000sair.jpg

 

>>> North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones



Interesting: Hawaiian Bobtail Squid Depend on Bacterial Partner for Healthy Development

Researchers have found there is a bacterial protein “key” that allows the Hawaiian bobtail squid to develop a healthy body and its bioluminescent “glow.” While researchers have long known the squid recruits Vibrio fischeri from the ocean to provide bioluminescent camouflage, a University of Hawaii at Manoa study revealed that the benefit of the partnership extends far beyond light-production: the bacteria were found to play a vital role in the healthy development of the squid.

“Our recent work revealed that in order to develop properly, the squid host requires a protein provided by its bacterial symbiont,” said Jill (Kuwabara) Smith, lead author of the study, who was a postdoctoral researcher at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) in the UH Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the time of this research. “This was very surprising, but given that the work we do with this symbiosis model is always pioneering, just about every new finding is a surprise!”

Read more at: University of Hawaii

Image: Hawaiian bobtail squid.