Moderate to locally breezy trades will prevail for the next several days. Showers are expected across windward and mauka areas with limited spillover into leeward locations. A nearly stationary upper- level low northeast of the islands will enhance clouds showers through Friday. By the weekend, the disturbance aloft is forecast to finally meander farther northeast away from the state. However, periods of windward and mauka showers will continue.
A stationary upper low is situated northeast of Hawaii that will enhance some of the incoming low clouds and showers that will focus windward by fresh trade winds.
Currently, no AIRMETs in effect. Will be monitoring for mountain obscurations due to showers over windward slopes, but coverage is brief/isolated for now. While breezy winds are present, inversions still remain weak and elevated, so mountain wave turbulence will be limited today, but increase Friday.
Issued at 320 AM HST Thu Apr 30 2026
A area of high pressure, centered to our north, will slowly move east through Friday and generate widespread fresh to locally strong trade winds across the local waters. A Small Craft Advisory is currently in effect for the typical windy channels around Maui County and the Big Island. By this weekend, a front passing far north of the state will nudge the aforementioned high further east and allow trade winds to decrease to moderate to locally fresh.
The current small, northwest to north-northwest (320-330 degree), swell will slowly decline into Friday and produce small surf along north facing beaches. A North Pacific gale- force low will send a moderate, longer- period northwest swell toward the islands late Friday into Saturday and generate above average surf along north and west facing shores. Average H1/10 heights for north facing shores is 6 feet for the month of May (Goddard- Caldwell Database). However, surf heights should remain below advisory levels.
Surf along south-facing shores will remain small through the rest of this work week, with mainly background south to southwest swell expected. A small, long period, south-southwest pulse should arrive late Friday and give a bump up to south facing shores through this weekend.
Surf along east-facing shores will remain slightly elevated through Friday as trades remain fresh to locally strong. Trades will slowly weaken this weekend and allow surf along east-facing shores to lower.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST Friday for Kahoolawe.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST Friday for Alenuihaha Channel-Big Island Leeward Waters-Big Island Southeast Waters- Maalaea Bay-Pailolo Channel.
