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

 

The latest update to this website was at 521am Tuesday morning HST


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

0.80  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
1.24  Schofield East, Oahu
0.78  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
2.11  Puu Kukui, Maui
1.20  Kawainui Stream, Big Island


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

29  Lihue, Kauai – NE
29  Kaneohe, Oahu – ENE
30  Makapulapai, Molokai – E
30  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
39  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NE 
44  Puuloa, Big Island – NW


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.


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Big Blue…click twice for largest version

 

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 Cold front far northwest…thunderstorms in the deeper tropics

 

Clear to variable cloudy over the island chain…high clouds to the south

 

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Localized Showers 

 

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




~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

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

456am, it’s clear here at my place, the low temperature was 51.5 degrees, relative humidity is 81%…with calm winds

 

Hawaii’s Weather Highlights…as of Tuesday morning:  High pressure far north of the Hawaiian islands will maintain a moderate to locally windy trade wind pattern into the middle of the week. An area of showers moving in on the trades will maintain passing showers over the windward and mountains. Moderate trades and fewer showers are expected during the second half of the week, with an increase in showers this coming weekend.

Weather Narrative…as of Tuesday morning: Satellite imagery shows bands of clouds drifting towards the islands on the brisk easterly trade winds, while a large band of high cirrus clouds are developing aloft near the Big Island associated with the subtropical jet stream. Expect brief periods of showers this week, favoring the windward mountain areas in the overnight to early morning hours.

In the larger scale, a high pressure system north of the Hawaiian Islands will slowly drift eastward over the next few days, and a mid-latitude trough will drop in from the north and deepen just northeast of the islands. This large scale pressure pattern change will disrupt the trade winds this weekend, and draw up unstable tropical moisture from the south into the state.

Expect warm and humid conditions for all islands starting this weekend, with additional cloud cover and periods of shower activity as temperature inversion heights rise to above the 10,000 foot elevation level. There does not appear to be strong enough forcing to drive heavy rain during this time period. Instead, expect rainfall in the light to moderate range.

Long range European (ECMWF) and American (GFS) models are both suggesting an unusual set up around the middle of next week, as several tropical circulations may drift northward into the Hawaii region. If this scenario develops as these global models are suggesting, then we’re looking at the potential for very unstable conditions with heavy rain and thunderstorms at some point. Still too far out in time to have good confidence, yet the pattern is worth mentioning, and we will need to continue monitoring this developing situation for potential weather impacts to the Hawaiian Islands.

Fire Weather:  Fire weather will remain below critical levels for the next several days. The subsidence temperature inversion near Maui and the Big Island will remain in the 6,000 to 7,000 foot range.

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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 morning:  High pressure far north of Hawaii will maintain fresh to strong trade winds for the next few days, and a Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect for all waters except windward Big Island through Wednesday morning. Trades will steadily decrease early Wednesday, as the high weakens and is displaced eastward by an approaching low far northwest of the islands. The SCA will likely be trimmed back to the typically windy waters around Big Island and Maui at that time. Trade winds will lower to gentle strength, or may become disrupted entirely, as the low passes to the north Thursday and Friday. Trades could then turn more northeasterly by the weekend.

For north facing shores, expect tiny surf over the next few days before a small northwest swell arrives, giving a small rise on Thursday and Friday. This will then be followed by a slightly larger north-northwest swell this weekend, and a potentially larger long period west-northwest swell early next week from a forecast storm force low developing northeast of Japan in the next few days.

Small background south swells will keep relatively small surf for south facing shores through much of the week. A moderate south-southwest swell is expected this weekend, and could bring surf heights above seasonal averages.

Rough trade wind swell will produce east shore surf just above seasonal average through Tuesday, then decline later in the week as trade winds decrease.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Monday, October 19, 2026 – 93 degrees near Fortuna Foothills, CA


>>> Lowest Temperature Monday, October 19, 2026 – 17 degrees at New Meadows, ID

 

Hawaii Landscape Photography | Tropical Island Art | Max Foster Photography


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 

>>> Off the East Coast of the United States:

Invest 93L

A storm-force non-tropical low pressure area located a few hundred miles off the North Carolina coast is producing some shower and thunderstorm activity primarily west of its center. However, overnight satellite wind data indicated the low was still attached to an occluded front.

Over the next couple of days, the low could develop some organized deep convection and gradually lose its frontal features while it moves slowly north-northeastward over the Gulf Stream, allowing the system to briefly develop subtropical characteristics.

By the end of the week, the system is expected to accelerate northeastward away from the the eastern United States, where environmental conditions are expected to become unfavorable for additional subtropical or tropical development.

Regardless of the status of the system, high winds, coastal flooding, and dangerous surf are expected along portions of the U.S. East Coast during the next few days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…medium…40 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…medium…40 percent


Caribbean Sea: There are no active tropical cyclones


Gulf of America: There are no active tropical cyclones

 

Northeast Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

>>> South of Southern Mexico:

Invest 94E

A low-pressure system located a few hundred miles south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms that are gradually becoming better organized, and a tropical depression is forecast to form during the next day or so. This system is expected to move westward to west-northwestward at around 10 mph during the next few days, remaining well offshore of southern Mexico.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…90 percent
* Formation chance through 7 days…high…90 percent

 

Central North Pacific: There are no active tropical cyclones

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

 

Northwest Pacific Ocean:

Tropical Cyclone 29W (Champi)…is located approximately 639 NM south-southeast of Kadena AB                                                                                    

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/wp2926.gif

 

Southwest Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

North and South Indian Oceans / Arabian Sea: 

Tropical Cyclone 02S…is located approximately 877 NM east of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania 

 

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Here’s the link to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)



Interesting:  Australia’s Bushfire Crisis Linked to Colonial Land-Use Change

Forest expansion and thickening after British colonization has created landscapes more prone to burning, amplifying the influence of climate change and propelling Australia’s bushfire crisis, a new study has found.

Published today in Nature, University of Melbourne researchers, in collaboration with Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Corporation, reconstructed the past 1000 years of vegetation, fire and erosion in Croajingolong National Park in East Gippsland, one of southeastern Australia’s most fire-prone forests.

The researchers found that colonialization drove cascading changes: increased fire temperature, a four-fold increase in eucalypt cover, transformation from an open woodland to forest, and increased soil erosion.

Read More: The University of Melbourne

Aerial view of Purghagoolah (Lake Elusive) located within the Croajingolong National Park looking northwest.