Glenn James
Hawaii Weather Today
Founder and maintainer for 30 years


The latest update to this website was 553pm Friday HST


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

0.35  Waialae, Kauai 
0.00  Oahu
0.00  Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.02  Keokea, Maui
0.32  Mauna Loa Ob Stn, Big Island


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

17  Port Allen, Kauai – E
31  Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu – ENE
25  Makapulapai, Molokai – ENE
24  Lanai 1,  Lanai – NE
33  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NE
28  Kawaihae Rd, 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. 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

Thunderstorms far south 

 

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Multi-level clouds moving over the state…from the southwest

 

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

 

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 Aloha Friday comments:  I’m here in Bend, Oregon with my friend Bob, continuing on in my working vacation.

404am Hawaii time, it’s mostly clear here in Bend, with a frigid low temperature of 24 degrees!

909am Hawaii time, it was a crispy morning, and besides it being early afternoon, it’s still chilly out, as I’m just back from having a dirty Chai with oat milk at our favorite coffee place called The Commons…wearing my down jacket for sure!

202pm Hawaii time, after we went for coffee and sitting around outside in the chilly air, we came back to Bob’s place and talked. It got to be lunch time and we made our way to our favorite lunch place, called Active Culture, we we had a very large salad, with tons of different vegetables. We then drove over to Shevlin Park for a long walk along the Tumulo Creek.

 

 

>>> Highest Temperature Friday, April 17, 2026 – 102 degrees at Rio Grande Village, TX
>>> Lowest Temperature Friday, April 17, 2026 –  minus 4 degrees near Manila, Utah

 

Interesting weather Web Blog: Mauka Showers…Mother Nature Reminds Us that April is Still in the Wet Season

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of Friday afternoon: Moderate trade winds will hold through Saturday, bringing modest showers to windward slopes. An upper level trough will move overhead, producing some high clouds and triggering a few heavy showers and thunderstorms over interior Big Island and around Kauai.

Trades will weaken and veer out of the southeast across the western half of the island chain late Saturday and Sunday, as low pressure deepens several hundred miles northwest of Kauai. Another passing upper level trough will bring renewed chances for isolated heavy showers Sunday and Monday. Light winds favor chances for mainly afternoon showers Tuesday into Thursday.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of Friday afternoon: A slightly unstable trade wind flow is in place. Surface high pressure passing well north of the area has boosted trades to moderate strength, something we have not seen for some time. Little organized moisture within the trade wind flow has led to scant rainfall across most areas. An upper level trough approaching from the west is producing increased high clouds and a decrease in stability aloft. Combined with afternoon heating, this instability was sufficient to trigger a couple of thunderstorms across the high interior terrain of the Big Island, though deep convection elsewhere has remained confined, along a weak surface trough 150 to 200 miles northwest of Kauai.

Thunderstorms will diminish on the Big Island, but a few could flare up west of, and possibly over, Kauai overnight, as the upper level trough inches closer to the islands. Elsewhere, continued moderate trades will focus modest rainfall across windward slopes. Only subtle changes are expected on Saturday. The upper level trough will weaken as it swings over the islands, likely maintaining enough instability to trigger another round of showers and thunderstorms over the Big Island interior. Developing surface low pressure centered several hundred miles northwest of our area should keep the threat of widespread heavy showers and thunderstorms northwest of Kauai.

However, the developing low may cause the trades to weaken and shift south of due east, which could allow for isolated showers, some potentially heavy, to form over leeward terrain of all islands. The upper level trough should move off to the northeast overnight, diminishing the threat for localized heavy showers, and focusing modest rainfall over windward areas. On Sunday and Monday, trade winds will weaken everywhere and will shift southeasterly across the western half of the island chain, while another upper level trough brings instability, mainly Sunday night into Monday morning.

For now, it appears that the deepest moisture and highest chances for widespread rainfall will remain along a surface trough northwest of Kauai, and while there will be some potential for heavy rainfall around Kauai, a Flood Watch does not seem warranted. Elsewhere, expect additional rounds of afternoon interior showers and possibly a thunderstorm on Big Island, and another item to monitor will be a chance for localized anchored heavy showers along the Koolau Mountains of Oahu Sunday night.

Even though moisture does not appear to be significant on Oahu, the expected veering flow with height has a tendency to produce heavy rain events on the Koolau’s. Chances for heavy rainfall look to diminish Tuesday into Thursday. The upper level trough should move off to the east late Monday, allowing a weak ridge aloft to settle over the state. The GFS and ECMWF models are hinting that the surface trough, that had been lingering northwest of Kauai will be pushed over the western end of the island chain. This would favor light and variable winds with higher rainfall chances over island interiors during the late morning and afternoon hours.


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

 

Marine Environmental Conditions: A weak trough N of the state will continue to move NE and away from the area. High pressure then builds N of the area into the weekend, which will allow trade winds to gradually strengthen into tonight. Moderate to fresh trade winds are expected across area waters with locally strong trades expected over the windier waters around Maui County and the Big Island. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) has been issued for the windier waters through Saturday. A trough developing to our W and NW on Sunday will cause trades to weaken slightly and veer to ESE.

Gentle to moderate ESE winds are expected Sunday into early next week. Small background energy from the W will be possible this weekend into next week from Typhoon Sinlaku, but confidence remains low. A moderate NW to WNW swell is possible towards the second half of next week as Typhoon Sinlaku transitions to extratropical.

Low pressure advancing S along the W coast of the US next week should produce a moderate, medium period NE swell toward the islands by mid-week. A small to moderate, medium-period, SSE swell boosts surf along S shores then lowers over the weekend. Surf is expected to return to background levels along south facing shores by early next week. Surf along E shores remains below the seasonal average as trades remain light. However, increasing trades by week`s end should bring a slight bump to surf over the weekend.

 

the best beach oahu hawaii kawaaa beach


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:

Tropical Cyclone 04W (Sinlaku)…is located approximately 318 NM east-southeast of Iwo To

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/04W_180000sair.jpg

 

>>> Southwest Pacific Ocean: There are no active tropical cyclones

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



Interesting:  High Levels of Forever Chemicals in Svalbard Reindeer

Researchers have long known that heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants such as DDT concentrate in the Arctic, in top predator animals like polar bears.

But what happens with animals like Svalbard’s reindeer, which graze on arctic plants?

How contaminated are these animals? How do they compare to other reindeer species, such as caribou, across the Arctic? What kinds of effects might those contaminants have? And lastly, people eat Svalbard reindeer. Do they need to cut back?

Read more at: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

A bull Svalbard reindeer. Female reindeer also grow antlers but they are typically smaller than the male’s.