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

 

The latest update to this website was at 529pm Thursday HST


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

1.05  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.45  Schofield East, Oahu
0.79  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
1.98  Puu Kukui, Maui
1.86  Piihonua, Big Island


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

42  Lawai, Kauai – E
42  Kuaokala, Oahu – ENE
38  Makapulapai, Molokai – ENE 
42  Lanai 1, Lanai – NE
66  Na Kula, Maui – ESE
51  Puulua, 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

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

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/20261411840-20261420230-GOES18-ABI-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Variably cloudy, mostly low clouds along the windward sides

 

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 

 

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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 at home here in upper Kula, Maui, Hawaii

It’s mostly clear, although with considerable low clouds along the windward sides with some showers here in Maui County, with calm winds at my place, and with a low of 53.5 degrees and the relative humidity is 81%

130pm, just back from playing Pickleball in Makawao, where it was off and on lightly showering. Here in upper Kula its partly to mostly cloudy, with no rain and the winds are very light. The winds are gusting up over 60 mph at least in one windy spot here on Maui!

515pm, it’s sunny here in upper Kula, and off and on breezy, although far from windy. However, those areas in exposed areas are seeing gusts up over 50 to 60+ mph!


>>> Highest Temperature Thursday, May 21, 2026 – 104 degrees at Stovepipe Wells, CA
>>> Lowest Temperature Thursday, May 21, 2026 – 17 degrees at Foxpark, WY

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of Thursday evening:  Breezy to locally windy trades will weaken slightly Friday into Monday, and will then hold at moderate strengthen through the remainder of next week. Showers will favor windward and mountain areas, with little rainfall over most leeward sections.

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of Thursday evening:  Locally windy trades are in place and should persist tonight. A robust 1034 millibar high centered about 1,000 miles north of the islands. is driving the strong trade wind flow, and little change is expected overnight. Meanwhile, mid-level ridging will continue to produce stable conditions and cause the trades to become accelerated over and downwind of prominent terrain. As a result, a Wind Advisory remains in place for portions of Maui County and Big Island through tonight.

Even though the atmosphere is stable and precipitable water is near to below seasonal average, showers have been somewhat active over some windward areas, especially on Big Island. Expect the trades to continue to focus rainfall over windward and mountain areas, as well as over the Kona slopes of the Big Island each afternoon. Other leeward sections should see little rainfall. Modest changes are expected on Friday.

The high will start to slowly weaken, leading to borderline Wind Advisory conditions. Little change in the the rainfall pattern is expected, with showers generally light to moderate and focused windward. Trades will drop a notch during the weekend, but will still remain breezy through the Memorial Day holiday. The high generating the winds will weaken slightly, but remain at around 1029 millibars, strong enough to produce breezy trades. Stable conditions will continue, and modest windward rainfall and a few afternoon showers over the Kona slopes are expected. Moderate trade winds will prevail Tuesday through the middle of next week.


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 Thursday evening: The strong high pressure ridge north of the Hawaiian Islands will maintain easterly trade winds in the strong to gale range through Friday morning. A Gale Warning remains in effect for the Alenuihaha and Pailolo Channels, and Maalaea Bay. The Gale Warning may need to be extended through the day Friday, as there does not seem to be much change in the strength of the high pressure. The Small Craft Advisory (SCA) for all remaining island waters has been extended through the day Saturday.

Expect SCA to continue into the first half of next week for all or portions of the state. A high surf advisory (HSA) remains in effect for all east facing shores through Friday afternoon, due to strong trade wind swell holding into the weekend. Winds may ease a touch tonight allowing surf to drop below advisory levels Friday afternoon through the weekend, but conditions will remain borderline.

Surf along north facing shores will remain small into Friday. The next small north-northwest (330 degree) swell will move into the Hawaii waters Friday afternoon, gradually increasing surf heights along north and west-facing shores through the weekend. A series of small, long-period south swells will support near-average surf along south-facing shores over the next several days.

 

Hawaii Wind Patterns Explained: Trade Winds & Kona Winds - Hawaii Real Estate Market & Trends | Hawaii Life


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:  A Sticky Solution to a Pesky Agricultural Problem

A water-based formulation developed at the University of Waterloo using nanotechnology is both greener and more effective than conventional methods for delivering agricultural pesticides.

The new solution dramatically improves how pesticides stick to plant leaves – even in wind and rain – minimizing splash and runoff that contribute to costly waste and environmental contamination.

In early field trials in cabbage plots with an industrial partner in Singapore, the formulation outperformed conventional delivery systems, which use chemicals and solvents to help droplets stick to leaves, by providing better pest control with less pesticide.

Read More: University of Waterloo