Glenn James
Hawaii Weather Today
Founder and maintainer for 30 years 

 

The latest update to this website was at 437am Saturday (HST)

 

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

0.46  Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.01  Waihee Pump, Oahu
0.29  Puu Alii, Molokai
0.00  Lanai
0.44  West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.29  Kawainui Stream, Big Island

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

16  Puu Lua, Kauai – NE
29  Kuaokala, Oahu – NE
24  Makapulapai, Molokai – ENE
29  Lanai 1,  Lanai – NE
27  Kealaloloa Rg, Maui – NNE
31  Kawaihae Rd, Big Island – NE

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

The high clouds clipping the Big Island

 

https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES18/ABI/SECTOR/hi/GEOCOLOR/20260940540-20260941330-GOES18-ABI-HI-GEOCOLOR-600x600.gif

Low clouds arriving along the windward sides / higher level clouds arriving 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…very few 

 

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

~~~ Hawaii Weather Narrative ~~~

 

Glenn’s Saturday comments:  I’m here in Corte Madera, Marin County, California on a working vacation.

418am Hawaii time, I’m here at my friend Linda’s house. It’s clear, with a 43.5 degree low. BTW, when I say Hawaii time, it is 3-hours later here in California.

 

>>> Highest Temperature Friday, April 3, 2026 – 99 degrees at Rio Grande Village, TX
>>> Lowest Temperature Saturday, April 4, 2026 – minus 6 degrees at Peter Sinks, UT

 

Hawaii’s Broad Brush Weather Overview…as of 325am Saturday: Mostly dry and pleasant trade wind weather will continue through the weekend into Monday, with brief passing showers favoring windward and mountain areas. A significant pattern change is then expected by late Tuesday into mid-week, as an upper disturbance and surface low pressure evolve northwest of the islands.

This setup is expected to draw deep tropical moisture northward over the state, leading to breezy southerly kons winds, increasing chances for widespread rainfall, and renewed flooding concerns from mid-week through next weekend. Given recent flood events and soils that remain only partially recovered, the potential for runoff and flash flooding impacts may increase rapidly.

 

>>> Please note:the latest models continue to show the potential for a heavy rain event beginning in the middle of next week extending into the weekend. A new round of flooding may occur if these models are accurate. Details (which island(s) may be hit hardest, exact timing, etc) are not available this far out, due to the reality of model accuracy in the tropics. Please stay aware of the evolving forecast because this system may become a serious problem.

Confidence is beginning to increase that an upper level trough will approach from the northwest, with an associated surface low and cold front developing and moving into the region beginning around the middle of next week. This is expected to bring unsettled conditions from mid- to late next week. Gusty southerly (kona) winds are possible with this system, bringing tropical moisture northward across the Hawaiian Islands. Should this scenario materialize, it would increase our chances for moderate to heavy rain, with flooding once again becoming a concern across the state.

The extent of any potential flooding threat will depend upon how the system evolves, and how quickly it moves through the region. Also note that this weather system, and its southerly winds, also coincide with the window for the next potential episode of the Kilauea eruption (April 6-14) provided by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

 

>>> Interesting Web blog: Mauka Showers…Is El Niño on Our Summer Bingo Card?

 

Weather Details for the Hawaiian Islands…as of 325am Saturday: A relatively benign trade wind pattern remains in place across the Hawaiian Islands, and is expected to persist through the weekend into Monday. Moderate easterly trades will continue to focus brief showers along windward and mountain slopes, while leeward areas remain mostly dry.

Global guidance remains in decent agreement and depicts a notable amplification of the large-scale pattern across the central Pacific early next week. A series of troughs will dig southeastward toward the state . The surface ridge to the north will gradually erode as an attendant surface low evolves to the northwest. This will disrupt the typical trade wind flow by Tuesday, allowing low-level winds to veer southeast to south by Wednesday.

This transition to a southerly wind flow will draw deep tropical moisture northward into the islands beginning Tuesday night, and especially Wednesday into Thursday. Precipitable water values are forecast to climb toward 2 inches or higher, signaling a marked increase in moisture.

Confidence is increasing that Wednesday through the second half of the week may present the highest potential for widespread rainfall and flooding impacts. During this time, upper-level forcing is expected to strengthen as a strong trough approaches, potentially enhancing lift over the region, while low pressure organizes northwest of the islands.

The combination of deep moisture, increasing large-scale forcing for ascent, and breezy southerly winds favors a transition toward a more widespread and organized rainfall event. In addition to the rainfall concerns during this period, a few thunderstorms along with gusty downsloping winds for north and windward sides of the islands can`t be ruled out.

Although forecast confidence begins to lower by next weekend due to model differences, the general large-scale pattern could linger. This scenario suggests the potential for rain may persist through next weekend for at least parts of the state, or where the deep moisture axis anchors.

Regardless of the precise evolution, antecedent conditions remain a significant concern. The islands have experienced significant flash flood events in recent weeks, and despite several days of drier trade wind weather, soils remain vulnerable in many areas. As a result, any period of heavy rainfall next week may quickly lead to enhanced runoff, renewed rises in streams and reservoirs, and localized flash flooding concerns.

This system will continue to be monitored closely over the coming days, as additional adjustments to timing, duration, and impact messaging are likely as this change in the pattern evolves.

 

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 325am Saturday: Moderate to locally fresh east-northeasterly trade winds will gradually decrease through Sunday, as high pressure to the north moves east. The winds will begin to veer out of the southeast to south Monday night into mid-week, as broad low pressure evolves to the northwest. The southerly winds will then strengthen to locally strong levels towards the latter half of the week. These features will be driven by an upper level trough, which could allow for isolated thunderstorms over the coastal waters by the middle to latter half of next week.

Surf along north facing shores will remain small as small, medium-period west-northwest (310 degree) energy fills in. Tonight into Sunday, small, medium-period northwest (330-340 degree) energy will also fill in. Both of these small swells will bump up surf slightly for north and west facing shores. Then by Monday night through Wednesday, a moderate, medium-period west-northwest (310 degree) swell will fill in and increase surf to just below advisory levels. This swell will linger and gradually decline through the later half of the week.

Along south facing shores, expect minor pulses from the South Pacific to provide periods of small surf through this weekend, until a larger long-period south swell fills in Monday and lasts through the week. In addition, strengthening southerly winds may lead to increasingly choppy conditions by mid-week.

East facing shores will decrease as trade winds ease and remain small as winds veer southerly. By the middle of next week, a small, medium period swell could arrive and bump up surf heights.

 



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

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

 

Northeastern Pacific:  There are no active tropical cyclones

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

North 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…is located approximately 717 NM northeast of Cairns, Australia

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/30P_040000sair.jpg

 

North Indian Ocean:  There are no active tropical cyclones

 

South Indian Ocean: 

Tropical Cyclone 29S (Indusa)…is located approximately 726 NM east of Port Louis, Mauritius

https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/29S_040600sair.jpg

 

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: The 2026 Southwest U.S. heat wave was one of the six most astonishing weather events of the century

The mind-blowing heat wave that gripped the southwest half of the United States in late March 2026 joins our semi-subjective top-six list of the meteorologically stunning extreme events this century that have most astonished us. Below is our list, including how the March 2026 mega-event compares to an earlier round of March climate madness.

The role of climate change

We know that climate change is injecting more heat into the atmosphere and ocean system. Heat is energy, which means there is more energy to power extreme weather events — particularly heat waves, droughts, and storms — that would have been virtually impossible in the 20th century.

Since climate change is also fundamentally disrupting atmospheric circulation patterns, we now have mega-unprecedented extreme events occurring with regularity. These circulation changes allow the biggest regional and local heat extremes to intensify by a much larger margin than the roughly 1.4°C increase in average global temperature since pre-industrial times.

Read more at: Yale Climate Connections