The latest update to this website was at 815am Thursday (HST)

 

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

0.31  N Wailua Ditch, Kauai
0.29  Punaluu Pump, Oahu
0.31  Honolimaloo, Molokai
0.04  Lanai City, Lanai
0.31  Hana AP, Maui
0.86  Kaiholena, Big Island 

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

20  Barking Sands, Kauai – SE
15  Palehua, Oahu – E
08  Honolimaloo, Molokai – SE 
09  Lanai 1,  Lanai – SE
14  Nene Nest, Maui – SW
18  Moana Loa Obs, Big Island

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’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

Variable clouds over the state 

 

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

Considerable cloudiness continues to arrive 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…some are heavy

 

Please open this link to see details on the current Watches, Warnings and Advisories noted above

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

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

518am Thursday morning, it’s still calm, variably cloudy skies here at my place, with the low temperature 55.5 degrees, along with the relative humidity 80%.

813am, cloudy with the first shower of the day here at my place…which fell from the middle level clouds…as the tops of both the West Maui Mountains, and the summit of the Haleakala Crater are below the cloud bases.

Here we go again, as yet another prolonged wet pattern is forecast to continue through the upcoming weekend across the state. Be prepared, but have heart…as there does appear to be some proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel” for Hawaii next week.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Wednesday, March 18, 2026 – 108 degrees near North Shore, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Thursday, March 19, 2026 – 1 degree at Mount Washington, NH

 

– Heavy rain is expected from Thursday through Sunday. Highest rain likely focused on Oahu, Maui County and Big Island (Kauai on fringes of main impacts)
– While this storm may not be as strong as last week’s kona low, individual areas may be impacted differently depending on where rain bands set up
– Ground is saturated and it will take less rain to get flooding

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of 341am Thursday: A kona low system will move in from the west today, expect increasing showers and thunderstorms with southerly winds affecting each island starting tonight, and lasting through the weekend. The threats for heavy rain and thunderstorms will become widespread, with each island affected by pulses of showers through the event, as multiple surface lows pass just north of the island chain.

A combination of low level forcing and passing upper level troughs will drive the smaller scale heavy rain band and thunderstorm formation. Improving weather trends will develop from west to east on Monday, as we transition to a wet trade wind weather pattern lasting through the end of next week.

Hawaii’s Weather Details…as of 341am Thursday:  Deep cloud cover continues to develop over the Hawaii region this morning, in response to a low pressure system moving in from the west, with upper level troughing and sub tropical jet stream support. Winds will veer more southerly tonight as shower activity slowly increases across the state, pulling up additional moisture from the deep tropics, ahead of the approaching kona low. Two weak surface lows, supported by upper level troughing, will drift through the islands from later tonight through Sunday. The large scale forcing will move the heaviest showers to different islands in pulses of activity throughout this event.

A Flood Watch remains in effect for most of the Hawaiian Islands for this event. This watch may be expanded statewide as run to run model guidance continues to show differences in where and when the heaviest showers may develop.

The first pulse of increasing moderate to heavy showers and thunderstorms will move in ahead of the first surface low passing just north of the island of Kauai tonight into Friday. The latest weather model consensus shows the best forcing for increasing moderate to heavy shower activity develops along a wind convergence band favoring the islands in Maui County and Oahu. The next pulse shifts into gear Friday night into Saturday, as the next surface low moves northeastward passing just north of Kauai.

The band over Maui County shifts northward to Kauai, Niihau and Oahu during this time period. Stronger upper level dynamics from a passing trough, instability suggests stronger rotating thunderstorms will likely develop near the western islands. Kauai County may see increasing chances for heavy showers and thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday.

By Sunday, the surface low rapidly moves away from the Hawaiian Islands towards the northeast direction. Cool northerly to northeasterly winds begin to filter into the western islands of Niihau, Kauai and Oahu with drying trends by Sunday night. Maui County and the Big Island will continue to see periods of moderate to heavy showers.

On Monday, the heavy shower and thunderstorm threat ends as we quickly transition back to northeasterly trades to last into Thursday. Cooler temperatures are expected to last into Thursday with enhanced showers, due to a weak upper level troughing pattern, showers will favor the typical windward and mountain areas into next weekend.

 

Here’s a near real-time Wind Profile of the Pacific Ocean – Zoom Earth – 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…as of 341am Thursday: Light to locally fresh east to southeast winds will slowly strengthen to moderate speeds and veer south by Friday, as a ridge strengthens northeast of the state, and a broad area of low pressure develops west of the state. The low will strengthen over or near the far northwest offshore waters on Friday, before lifting northeast on Saturday.

Winds will shift out of the south-southwest during this time at moderate speeds. On Sunday, winds will become light and variable for a brief time as the low exits to the northeast of the state, while a trailing trough remains draped over the state. A strong high then builds north of the state by Monday, allowing moderate to locally strong northeast winds to develop during the first half of next week.

A moderate, medium period north swell will continue to trend down, with moderate surf along north facing shores becoming small by this afternoon. The swell continues to gradually decline on Friday as it shifts out of the north-northeast, but experiences a small reinforcing pulse as a strengthening low passes to the north of the islands on Saturday. A new small to moderate long period west- northwest swell is expected to arrive late Saturday and hold through early next week, which will keep at least small surf along west facing shores.

South shores will see continued moderate surf just below advisory criteria, as a long period south swell holds on today before diminishing tonight. The next small, long period south swell will fill in Saturday and peak Sunday, providing a small boost in surf along south facing shores, before fading into early next week. Surf along east facing shores will remain well below average due to the lack of trades locally and upstream through the weekend. The exception will be for east facing shores exposed to north-northeast swells through the weekend. Choppy surf along east facing shores looks to trend up next week, with increasing east to northeasterly winds.

 

12 Things to Do in Oahu When It Rains - Real Hawaii Tours



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: 

Tropical Cyclone 27P (Narelle)…is located approximately 199 NM north of Cairns, Australia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/27P_191200sair.jpg

North Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

South Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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:  What are El Niño and La Niña, and how do they change the weather?

Getty Images A woman drinks water on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during a heatwave. She is wearing a black vest top and a light brown cap. Palm trees are visible in the background.

El Niño and La Niña are the two opposite states of a natural climate phenomenon called the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

El Niño and La Niña occur in the Pacific but can affect weather systems across the world.

The two states are often identified by sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern and central Pacific Ocean. During El Niño, these waters are warmer; during La Niña, they are cooler.

The phases can also be distinguished by differences in atmospheric pressure. During El Niño, pressure is above normal at Darwin, Australia (western Pacific) and below normal at Tahiti, French Polynesia (central Pacific). For La Niña, the opposite is true.

In “neutral” conditions – neither El Niño nor La Niña – surface water in the Pacific Ocean is cooler in the east and warmer in the west.

Trade winds tend to blow east-to-west, and heat from the Sun progressively warms the waters as they move in this direction.

During El Niño, these winds weaken or reverse, sending warm surface waters eastwards instead.

In La Niña periods, the normal east-to-west winds become stronger, pushing warmer waters further west.

This causes cold water to rise up – or “upwell” – from the depths of the ocean, meaning sea surface temperatures are cooler than usual in the east Pacific.

The phenomenon was first observed by Peruvian fisherman in the 1600’s, who noticed that warm waters seemed to peak near the Americas in December.

They nicknamed it “El Niño de Navidad” – Christ Child in Spanish.

Read more…BBC