Photo Credit: Tyler Rooke

West Side

Today: Breezy. Mostly sunny with isolated showers. Highs 74 to 83. East winds up to 25 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows 63 to 70. East winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tuesday: Breezy. Mostly sunny with isolated showers. Highs 74 to 83. East winds up to 20 mph shifting to the northeast 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

South Side

Today: Sunny. Highs 79 to 85. North winds up to 15 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows 63 to 70. Northwest winds up to 15 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Breezy. Highs 79 to 85. North winds up to 15 mph shifting to the northeast in the afternoon.

North Shore

Today: Breezy. Partly sunny with isolated showers in the morning, then mostly sunny with scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 75 to 81 near the shore to around 69 near 5000 feet. East winds up to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Isolated showers in the evening, then scattered showers after midnight. Lows around 68 near the shore to 53 to 60 near 5000 feet. Southeast winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Tuesday: Breezy. Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs 74 to 80 near the shore to around 71 near 5000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Central Maui

Today: Mostly sunny. Breezy. Highs 80 to 85. East winds 10 to 25 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Breezy. Isolated showers after midnight. Lows 64 to 69. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Breezy. Highs 79 to 84. East winds 10 to 25 mph.

Upcountry

Today: Mostly sunny with scattered showers in the morning, then partly sunny with isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs around 59 at the visitor center to around 56 at the summit. Southeast winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Scattered showers in the evening, then isolated showers after midnight. Lows around 51 at the visitor center to around 44 at the summit. Southeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Tuesday: Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs around 59 at the visitor center to around 56 at the summit. East winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

East Maui

Today: Breezy. Partly sunny with isolated showers in the morning, then mostly sunny with scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 75 to 81 near the shore to around 69 near 5000 feet. East winds up to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Isolated showers in the evening, then scattered showers after midnight. Lows around 68 near the shore to 53 to 60 near 5000 feet. Southeast winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Tuesday: Breezy. Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs 74 to 80 near the shore to around 71 near 5000 feet. East winds up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Lanai City

Today: Mostly sunny in the morning, then partly sunny with isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs 70 to 77. Northeast winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy with isolated showers in the evening, then partly cloudy after midnight. Lows around 59. Northeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tuesday: Breezy. Mostly sunny in the morning, then partly sunny with isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs 69 to 77. Northeast winds up to 15 mph increasing to 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Kaunakakai

Today: Mostly sunny. Breezy. Isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs 66 to 85. East winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Isolated showers in the evening. Lows 54 to 71. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Breezy. Isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs 66 to 85. Northeast winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Detailed Forecast

Synopsis

Breezy easterly trade winds will gradually ease today. Modest rainfall will favor typical windward slopes, though leeward areas may experience an isolated shower. Breezy and gusty trade winds will return Wednesday along with a wetter tradewind pattern through at least Friday.

Discussion

A weakening high sitting roughly 900 miles northeast of the state is driving breezy easterly trades that will gradually ease today. A mid- to low- level ridge continues to produce stable conditions with an inversion based around 5,000 to 6,000 ft based on the latest soundings. The soundings also shows precipitable water vapor values are on the rise along with an increase in saturation in the mid to upper levels, in line with the presence of stable stratocumulus and upper level cirrus clouds. The increase in moisture in these levels is due to an upper level low several hundred miles south of the state that is also providing breezy southerly winds over the high summits. Overnight windward rainfall remains modest with rather dry conditions leeward.
Guidance still suggests that the weak low- level ridge will inhibit a significant increase in rainfall into Tuesday. However, low clouds and a few spotty showers cannot be ruled out over leeward terrain each afternoon and evening through Tuesday due to lingering instability from the upper level low and possible hybrid land seabreeze pattern.
A return to breezy and gusty trade winds will occur Wednesday into at least Friday as another strong surface high sets up north of the state. The forecast shows upper level temperatures cooling again due to an incoming shortwave trough enhancing instability over the state. This along with lingering moisture in the mid to low levels could provide a wetter pattern tradewind pattern through Friday. In addition, the GFS and ECMWF show a band of moisture from a remnant boundary embedded in the tradewinds further boosting windward rainfall Friday or Saturday but continue to vary on timing.

Aviation

Light to locally moderate trade winds expected through twenty-four hours and beyond. Bands of scattered light showers off the Pacific will favor east and northeast facing slopes and coasts. Brief periods of MVFR in showers are possible, especially over East Maui and Windward Big Island.
AIRMET TANGO remains in effect for moderate low-level mechanical turbulence over and downslope of the mountains from Molokai through Big Island. The general trend is for decreasing winds aloft, so conditions are not expected to extend beyond early evening.

Marine

A large area of high pressure approximately 850 nautical miles northeast of Oahu is driving these recently fresh to locally strong trade winds. This high will slowly drift to the east and weaken the pressure gradient back toward the islands enough to gradually weaken trades to more moderate magnitudes by this evening. Relatively weaker short term winds has the ongoing Small Craft Advisory (SCA) geographically-structured to include all waters except the smaller island leeward waters and Maalaea Bay through the afternoon hours. An incoming moderate size northwest swell, in addition to fresh trade flow, will peak significant coastal sea heights to around SCA thresholds (10 feet) through this afternoon. The next surface high center to build in north of the islands during the middle of the week will again re-tighten the gradient back across the region. This will result in re- strengthening trades back to fresh to locally strong levels by Wednesday morning. Trades may reach gale force speeds within the Alenuihaha Channel and south of Big Island by Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
A moderate size, long-transitioning-to-medium period west-northwest (300-320 degree) swell will build in this morning and peak this afternoon. This swell will lift surf along better exposed north and west-facing shores to near High Surf Advisory (HSA) levels today. The more westerly component of this swell may bump surf up along the west-facing shores of Big Island today. Island shadowing with the more north (than west) directional component to this swell should keep Kona coast surf under HSA levels. Today's fresh trades will continue to produce short period easterly elevated wind wave swell that has resulted in persistent choppy conditions along most eastern exposures. South-facing shore surf will remain at background levels the next several days. South surf may see a minor bump Tuesday as a very small, medium period south-southwest (200 degree) swell passes around the islands.

HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories

High Surf Advisory until 6 PM HST this evening for north and west facing shores of Niihau Kauai Oahu Molokai and north facing shores of Maui.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST this evening for Kauai Northwest Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kauai Channel, Oahu Windward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County Windward Waters, Pailolo Channel, Alenuihaha Channel, Big Island Windward Waters, 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