Maui Weather Forecast for April 18, 2026
West Side
Today: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs 78 to 83. Northeast winds up to 15 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows 67 to 73. East winds up to 15 mph.
Sunday: Partly sunny. Highs 77 to 82. Northeast winds up to 10 mph.
South Side
Today: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs around 85. Northwest winds up to 15 mph becoming around 10 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows 67 to 74. North winds up to 10 mph.
Sunday: Partly sunny. Highs around 84. Northwest winds up to 15 mph.
North Shore
Today: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs around 79 near the shore to around 68 near 5000 feet. Southeast winds up to 15 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Lows around 71 near the shore to around 54 near 5000 feet. Southeast winds up to 15 mph.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs around 80 near the shore to around 67 near 5000 feet. East winds up to 15 mph.
Central Maui
Today: Partly sunny in the morning then becoming mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers. Highs 81 to 86. Northeast winds up to 15 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 69. East winds up to 15 mph in the evening becoming light.
Sunday: Partly sunny. Highs 80 to 85. Northeast winds up to 15 mph.
Upcountry
Today: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs around 63 at the visitor center to around 66 at the summit. East winds up to 10 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers in the evening. Lows around 49 at the visitor center to around 45 at the summit. Light winds becoming east up to 10 mph after midnight.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs around 62 at the visitor center to around 66 at the summit. East winds up to 10 mph in the morning becoming light.
East Maui
Today: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs around 79 near the shore to around 68 near 5000 feet. Southeast winds up to 15 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Lows around 71 near the shore to around 54 near 5000 feet. Southeast winds up to 15 mph.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs around 80 near the shore to around 67 near 5000 feet. East winds up to 15 mph.
Lanai City
Today: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs 73 to 79. Northeast winds up to 15 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers in the evening. Lows around 66. North winds up to 15 mph in the evening becoming light.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs 72 to 78. Light winds.
Kaunakakai
Today: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs 70 to 85. East winds 10 to 15 mph decreasing to up to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows 59 to 72. East winds up to 10 mph.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs 69 to 85. East winds up to 10 mph.
Detailed Forecast
Synopsis
Moderate trades will persist through today, leading to some showers along windward and mauka areas. An upper-level trough just west of the state will move produce high clouds and trigger a few heavy showers and thunderstorms across interior Big Island and around Kauai. Trades will weaken and veer southeasterly by the latter half of the weekend as low pressure deepens northwest of Kauai. Another, more potent upper-level trough will bring renewed chances for isolated heavy showers early next week. By Tuesday, light winds and increased afternoon shower activity is anticipated across island interiors.
Discussion
Moderate trades will persist for one additional day as a slow- moving surface high pressure system north of the Hawaiian Islands tracks eastward. Simultaneously, a weakening upper-level trough positioned just west of the state continues to generate high-level cloud coverage and diminish overall atmospheric stability. Increasing diurnal heating throughout the morning and afternoon is expected to heighten instability, potentially triggering another round of thunderstorms across the interior of the Big Island.
Satellite imagery indicates persistent thunderstorm activity northwest of Kauai, associated with a developing low pressure system. Although this system remains relatively weak and is situated several hundred miles to the west, it may cause trades to veer southeasterly and weaken. This shift could result in isolated, potentially heavy showers over leeward sections of all islands. However, as the upper-level trough moves further away tonight, the threat of localized heavy rainfall will diminish, shifting shower activity predominately toward windward and mauka regions.
A more potent upper-level trough is forecast to approach the state during the latter half of the weekend, introducing increased instability from tomorrow night into Monday. Global models suggest that the majority of moisture and shower activity will remain concentrated along a quasi-stationary surface trough linked to the low pressure system northwest of Kauai. Elsewhere, rainfall will be focused over island interiors, with continued potential for thunderstorms on the Big Island.
Forecasters are monitoring the possibility of localized heavy showers anchoring along the Koolau Mountains on Oahu Sunday night. While current moisture levels do not appear significant, veering flow with height often facilitates heavy rainfall in this specific terrain; therefore, close monitoring of this trend is warranted.
By Tuesday, the upper-level trough is expected to drift east of the islands, followed by the rapid arrival of weak ridging. This transition should lead to a general decrease of shower activity statewide. However, model guidance indicates that the surface trough previously northwest of Kauai will migrate over the western portion of the state. This movement will likely promote light and variable winds along with the increased possibility of afternoon rainfall over island interiors.
Aviation
An upper level trough and surface trough to the west can be seen on satellite imagery and radar this morning bringing in some mid and upper level clouds over the state. Some light to moderate showers can be seen from these clouds. The mid and upper level clouds should linger through much of the morning and possibly the afternoon. A mix of moderate to locally breezy easterly trade winds with some sea and land breezes will be in place through the weekend as the trough to the west lingers.
VFR conditions are expected to generally prevail across most airports. Brief light showers will move into windward and mountain areas on the trades, and afternoon showers and thunderstorms will remain possible over interior Big Island. Clouds and showers may also develop over the interior portions of the smaller islands during the day as sea breezes develop. Any afternoon showers could become briefly intense due to the upper level trough providing some instability. These showers would then decrease after sunset as local land breezes occur.
AIRMET Tango is in place between FL230 and FL320 due to the potential for some moderate mid level turbulence. This AIRMET will likely be needed through the morning.
Marine
A high pressure system far north of the state will slowly drift eastward this weekend. Easterly trade winds continue today with Small Craft Advisory conditions in effect for the windier waters and channels near the Big Island and Maui. A series of low pressure systems developing northwest of the islands will weaken the ridge over the state, causing weak southeasterly winds to develop over the western Hawaii region from Sunday into early next week.
A small pulse of medium period swell energy from the northwest should produce a slight bump in north facing surf heights today. A small to moderate, medium period northwest swell will move into the region by Monday night and continue through Wednesday. A moderate, medium period northeast swell will arrive by Monday night, peaking from Tuesday to early Wednesday, and then slowly declining through Thursday.
A series of overlapping small south swells will move into the region into next week. Surf heights along east facing shores remains on the smaller side due to weaker trade winds.
HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories
Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST this evening for Maalaea Bay, Pailolo Channel, Alenuihaha Channel, Big Island Leeward Waters, Big Island Southeast Waters.
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Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov









