Breezy trades will continue through at least the middle of the week with showers generally favoring windward and mauka areas, particularly during the overnight through early morning hours each day. Tropical Storm Lowell remains over 800 miles ESE of the Big Island. Latest forecast track has Lowell passing south of the Big Island late Wednesday into Thursday. How close it passes south of the Big Island is yet to be determined. At the very least, we should see strong and gusty trade winds Thursday into Friday.
A strong high pressure system north of the Hawaiian Islands will keep moderate to breezy trade winds in the forecast over the next several days. A unsettled band of clouds and showers will move into the islands over the next few hours, bringing periods of MVFR conditions mainly along the windward mountain areas through early Monday morning. These MVFR conditions will ease a few hours after sunrise.
AIRMET Sierra was issued this evening for tempo mountain obscurations for north through east sections of all islands due to increasing low cloud and shower trends.
AIRMET Tango remains in effect for mod low level turbulence south through west of island mountains. This turbulence AIRMET will likely continue for the foreseeable future.
Issued at 311 PM HST Sun Aug 30 2026
A strong surface high will remain nearly stationary far north of the Hawaiian Islands this week. Moderate to locally strong trade winds will prevail through the week. Tropical Cyclone Lowell may move into the Hawaiian Offshore Waters from Wednesday into Thursday. Wind and weather impacts and timing for the coastal waters, including wind waves and combined seas will be driven by the speed and track of Lowell as it moves towards the region.
The current south swell will slowly decrease over the next several days. Overlapping small, long- and medium-period south swell energy will keep small surf along south facing shores through the week. The next boost in south swell energy will arrive and fill in from Tuesday to Wednesday at around 2 to 3 feet with an 18 second period. This swell will peak on Wednesday, just below south shore advisory thresholds, and then slowly decline through the end of the week. Trade wind swell energy will continue to keep elevated surf heights along all east facing shores through the coming week. Surf along east and southeast facing shores could become especially rough and choppy Thursday into Friday as Lowell passes by to the south.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST Tuesday for Alenuihaha Channel-Big Island Leeward Waters-Big Island Southeast Waters- Maalaea Bay-Pailolo Channel.
