Photo Credit: Sebastien Gabriel

West Kaua’i

Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 81 near the shore to around 69 above 3000 feet. Light winds.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 64 near the shore to around 53 above 3000 feet. Light winds.

Sunday: Sunny. Highs around 81 near the shore to around 69 above 3000 feet. Light winds becoming northeast up to 10 mph in the afternoon.

South Kaua’i

Today: Sunny in the morning then becoming partly sunny. Highs around 80. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows 60 to 65. North winds up to 10 mph in the evening becoming light. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Sunday: Sunny. Highs around 80. Light winds becoming east up to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Kaua’i Mountains

Today: Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming mostly cloudy. Isolated showers. Highs 68 to 76 in the valleys to around 63 above 4000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows 53 to 58 in the valleys to around 47 above 4000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Sunday: Mostly sunny with isolated showers. Highs 68 to 76 in the valleys to around 63 above 4000 feet. Light winds becoming northeast up to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

North Kaua’i

Today: Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly sunny. Isolated showers. Highs 73 to 80. Southeast winds up to 10 mph shifting to the east in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows 56 to 65. Light winds. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Sunday: Mostly sunny with isolated showers. Highs 73 to 80. Light winds becoming northeast around 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

East Kaua’i

Today: Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly sunny. Isolated showers. Highs 73 to 80. Northeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows 54 to 66. Light winds. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Sunday: Mostly sunny with isolated showers. Highs 73 to 80. Light winds becoming east around 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Detailed Forecast

Synopsis

Expect limited shower activity over the next several days. Light to moderate trade winds will persist through today before becoming light and variable on Sunday as a front passes north of the islands. Mostly dry conditions will continue into early next week. A weak front will approach Kauai and Oahu by the middle of next week, which could increase shower activity for the western and central islands.

Discussion

A ridge just north of Kauai continues to dominate weather across the island chain this morning. Radar shows almost no shower activity across the area. Overnight soundings continue to show a noticeably dry airmass over the state, with PW values less than an inch and inversion heights between 3,000 and 4,000 feet. Trade winds remain in the light to moderate range. Big Island summit winds increased yesterday and were above wind advisory criteria for much of the night. However, winds are now trending down and the wind advisory for the Big Island summits has been cancelled.
Webcams and other internet-based tools show an extensive area of haze has formed across southeast and leeward portions of the Big Island within the past day or so, likely caused by the recent resurgence of volcanic activity within Kilauea. This haze has been added to the gridded database and into the forecast. The combination of low inversion heights, at or just above the Kilauea summit, and weak background wind flow will keep haze in the forecast for southeast and leeward portions of the Big Island through much of the forecast period.
The ridge will remain nearby through today, keeping the forecast mostly dry with light to moderate trades. A front will pass north of the state on Sunday, weakening winds into the light and variable range. Models show a weak front will approach Kauai and Oahu by the middle of next week, potentially increasing showers for the western and central islands. Winds will shift to southeasterlies on Monday and become light and variable on Tuesday in advance of this front before gradually increasing again by the middle of next week.

Aviation

Dry and fair weather conditions will continue over the next few days. No AIRMETs in effect and none are expected.

Marine

An east-to-west orientated surface ridge will remain near the islands through tonight. This will result in gentle to occasionally moderate easterly trade winds that will be strongest around Big Island. The ridge will move north Sunday as a weak high passes north of the area and this will lead to more moderate to fresh trades. The ridge axis will be pushed a bit more south Monday and Tuesday as a front approaches from the northwest. This will support weakened east to southeast winds that will likely become more variable Monday night into Tuesday. High pressure building in north of the area Tuesday night and Wednesday will likely assist in pushing a weakening front to the islands while introducing more areawide moderate to locally fresh trades. The front will also increase shower chances. Winds and seas will remain below Small Craft Advisory (SCA) criteria through Tuesday, except south of Big Island late Sunday or early Monday where trades may occasionally reach SCA criteria. Areawide strengthened winds and higher combined seas will likely require an SCA for many windward nearshore zones, eastern island bays and channels, along with those waters south of Big Island, on Wednesday.
Surf will be relatively small along all shores through the day as a NNW (330 degree) swell continues to slowly diminish, along with an eastern fading small size, medium to long period NE swell. A new NW (320 degree) swell is anticipated to begin arriving later today into tonight that will gradual build in through Monday. Surf along exposed north and west-facing shores may reach High Surf Advisory levels by Tuesday. A much larger NNW (330 degree) swell is scheduled to arrive Wednesday with resultant surf heights potentially achieving High Surf Warning heights through Thursday. A series of very small, medium to long period S (190 degree) swells may provide small bumps in south-facing shore surf through the day.

HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories

None.

Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov