Photo Credit: Tyler Rooke

West Side

Today: Sunny. Highs 77 to 83. Light winds.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 58 to 64. Light winds.

Friday: Sunny. Highs 79 to 85. Light winds becoming southwest around 10 mph in the afternoon.

South Side

Today: Sunny. Highs around 82. Light winds becoming southwest up to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 59. Light winds.

Friday: Sunny. Highs around 84. South winds up to 10 mph.

North Shore

Today: Mostly sunny. Highs 75 to 80 near the shore to around 66 near 5000 feet. Light winds.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 56 to 62 near the shore to around 51 near 5000 feet. Light winds.

Friday: Sunny. Highs 77 to 82 near the shore to around 68 near 5000 feet. Light winds.

Central Maui

Today: Sunny. Highs around 81. Light winds.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 57 to 62. Light winds.

Friday: Sunny. Highs around 83. Light winds becoming southwest up to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Upcountry

Today: Sunny and breezy. Highs around 63 at the visitor center to around 60 at the summit. Southwest winds up to 20 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 49 at the visitor center to around 47 at the summit. Southwest winds up to 10 mph.

Friday: Sunny. Highs around 65 at the visitor center to around 62 at the summit. West winds up to 10 mph shifting to the north in the afternoon.

East Maui

Today: Mostly sunny. Highs 75 to 80 near the shore to around 66 near 5000 feet. Light winds.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 56 to 62 near the shore to around 51 near 5000 feet. Light winds.

Friday: Sunny. Highs 77 to 82 near the shore to around 68 near 5000 feet. Light winds.

Lanai City

Today: Sunny. Highs 68 to 75. Light winds.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 61. Light winds.

Friday: Sunny. Highs 70 to 77. Light winds.

Kaunakakai

Today: Sunny. Highs 71 to 81. Light winds.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 51 to 63. Light winds.

Friday: Sunny. Highs 73 to 83. South winds up to 10 mph.

Detailed Forecast

Synopsis

Weak high pressure over the island chain will bring mostly dry conditions with sea breezes today and land breezes tonight. Little change is expected Friday through early next week, with rather dry weather continuing and winds shifting southerly at light to moderate speeds ahead of a couple slowly approaching cold fronts. A stronger front could bring some more unsettled weather and windy conditions back to the island chain around the middle of next week.

Discussion

Currently at the surface, a surface ridge axis is located over the state early this morning, with land breezes dominant across the entire island chain. Infrared satellite imagery shows mostly clear to partly cloudy conditions across the state. Radar imagery shows dry conditions over the smaller islands, with a couple showers over windward and southeast sections of the Big Island.
The high pressure ridge with gradually shift eastward today through Friday as a front approaches from the northwest. Light and variable winds will lead to land and sea breezes today, with winds shifting southerly and increasing to light to moderate speeds for Friday. The front will stall out and gradually dissipate over the weekend, with moderate southerlies on Saturday dropping ever so slightly for Sunday. Winds will pick back up to moderate and locally breezy levels again early next week in advance of the next cold front, potentially getting very windy again as the front moves through the state around the middle of next week.
As for the remaining weather details, rather dry conditions are expected statewide through early next week, with rain chances remaining very low. As the southerly flow picks up Monday night and Tuesday in advance of the next cold front, we should see showers increase, particularly over the western islands. Another round of locally heavy showers and potentially a few thunderstorms then appear to move through the islands from west to east around the middle of next week.

Aviation

Light and variable flow will prevail today. Thus, expect sea breezes to develop along the coastal regions by the afternoon. Aside from some isolated showers near the Big Island, conditions will be VFR and dry.
No AIRMETs are currently in effect.

Marine

Light and variable winds will persist over the state today as a weak high has developed over the island chain. This high will migrate eastward with a trailing ridge of high pressure to remain over the state for the next several days. A new front move just north of the state Friday and stall through the weekend, generating gentle to moderate south to southwest winds.
Offshore and near shore buoys show the large north-northwest (300-310 degree) swell has peaked and will steadily subside today. A High Surf Warning remains for most north and west facing shores through today but may dip down to advisory levels later this morning depending on how fast this swell declines. The next large, long period west-northwest (300 deg) swell will build Saturday and produce surf around warning levels Saturday night into Sunday.
Surf along east facing shores will remain small into next week due to a lack of easterly trade winds locally and upstream of the islands. Surf along south facing shores will trend down the next couple of days as southwesterly wind waves and a small, long period south swell fades.

HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories

High Surf Warning until 6 PM HST this evening for Niihau, Kauai Leeward, Waianae Coast, Oahu North Shore, Maui Windward West, Kona, Kohala, Kauai North, Molokai Windward, Molokai North, Molokai West, Maui Central Valley North, Windward Haleakala.
High Wind Warning until 6 PM HST this evening for Big Island Summits.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST this evening for Kauai Northwest Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kauai Leeward Waters, Kauai Channel, Oahu Windward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County Windward Waters, Alenuihaha Channel, Big Island Windward Waters.

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Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov