Photo Credit: Laila Reiss

West Side

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 96. Light and variable wind.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 76. Light south southeast wind.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 96. Light and variable wind becoming east northeast 9 to 14 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.

South Side

Today: Isolated showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Light and variable wind.

Wednesday: Isolated showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Light and variable wind becoming east northeast 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

North Shore

Today: Isolated showers before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Breezy, with an east wind 17 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight: Isolated showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Breezy, with an east wind 16 to 21 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday: Isolated showers before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Windy, with an east wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 18 to 23 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Central Maui

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Breezy, with a northeast wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 73. Breezy, with a north wind 11 to 16 mph decreasing to 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Breezy, with a north wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.

Upcountry

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Calm wind.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon.

East Maui

Today: Showers likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming east 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South southeast wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday: Showers likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. East wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Lanai City

Today: Isolated showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Breezy, with a northeast wind 11 to 16 mph becoming light after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.

Wednesday: Isolated showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Light northeast wind increasing to 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Kaunakakai

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Heat index values as high as 96. East northeast wind 9 to 11 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 75. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light east after midnight.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 96. Light east wind increasing to 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.

Detailed Forecast

Synopsis

Moderate to breezy easterly trade winds will continue through midweek, then strengthen Thursday through the weekend. Clouds and showers will favor windward and mauka locations, especially overnight through the morning periods. Areas of tropical moisture moving through from east to west combined with an upper trough nearby to the northwest may enhance shower coverage and intensity periodically. As the trades increase later in the week, some of these showers may carry over into our dry leeward areas. A return of drier trade wind conditions is anticipated this weekend.

Discussion

Guidance remains persistent and continues to advertise plenty of tropical moisture moving through the islands from east to west through the second half of the week. This moisture combined with an upper trough lurking nearby to the northwest will keep the rainfall chances up, especially for the typical windward and mauka locations each day. Some of the showers may become locally heavy at times, and could spill over into our dry leeward areas later in the week when the trades become locally windy.
For the upcoming weekend, rising upper heights and drier trade wind conditions will limit rainfall chances and accumulations, even for windward areas.

Aviation

Moderate to occasionally breezy east northeasterly trades will push showers across windward coasts and slopes through the forecast period, especially along northeast portions of the Big Island. Periods of MVFR ceilings and visibility will likely accompany this activity. Isolated showers are expected elsewhere. Expect VFR to dominate at most terminals.
AIRMET TANGO remains in effect for areas below 8000 feet over and immediately south thru west of mountains for tempo moderate turbulence.
AIRMET SIERRA remains in effect for north thru east sections of the Big Island and Maui above 2000 feet for mountain obscuration from clouds and showers and is likely to continue through today.

Marine

A high pressure system passing by north of the region will keep fresh to locally strong trade winds in the forecast through Wednesday, then wind speeds increase from Thursday into the weekend. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) will remain in effect for the typically windier waters and channels near Maui County and the Big Island through Wednesday. This SCA may expand in coverage on Thursday and Friday.
Moderate choppy surf along east facing shores will slowly trend a bit lower through Wednesday due to a surface ridge decreasing the fetch length of the trade winds upstream of the Hawaiian Islands. A slight increase in the trade wind swell and surf along east facing shores will develop on Thursday and Friday as a high pressure system builds in north to northeast of the region.
A mix of minor south and southeast swells will keep small surf along exposed south shores into the weekend.
A small west-northwest swell, from tropical cyclone activity in the NW Pacific, may arrive along some exposed west and north facing shores starting on Thursday or Friday. A slight increase in surf heights along north and west facing shores into the 1 to 3 foot range is possible.

HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories

Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST Wednesday for Maalaea Bay, Pailolo Channel, Alenuihaha Channel, Big Island Leeward Waters, Big Island Southeast Waters.

Maui Now Weather is brought to you by Blue Hawaiian Helicopters.

Check out their Maui Helicopter Tours today!

Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov