West Kaua’i

Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening, then mostly cloudy with isolated showers after midnight. Lows around 66 near the shore to around 56 above 3000 feet. East winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Friday: Partly sunny. Highs around 80 near the shore to around 69 above 3000 feet. Southeast winds up to 15 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows around 67 near the shore to around 58 above 3000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph in the evening becoming light.

South Kaua’i

Tonight: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows around 66. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Friday: Mostly cloudy. Isolated showers in the morning. Highs 75 to 82. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows around 67. East winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Kaua’i Mountains

Tonight: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 58 to 65 in the valleys to around 55 above 4000 feet. Southeast winds up to 10 mph in the evening becoming light. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Friday: Partly sunny. Scattered showers in the morning, then isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs 71 to 77 in the valleys to around 62 above 4000 feet. South winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 59 to 66 in the valleys to around 56 above 4000 feet. Light winds. Chance of rain 50 percent.

North Kaua’i

Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows 60 to 68. Southeast winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Friday: Partly sunny with isolated showers. Highs 73 to 81. Southeast winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Lows 61 to 69. Southeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

East Kaua’i

Tonight: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows 60 to 70. East winds up to 10 mph shifting to the south after midnight. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs 69 to 80. Southeast winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy. Scattered showers in the evening, then isolated showers after midnight. Lows 61 to 72. Southeast winds up to 10 mph in the evening becoming light. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Detailed Forecast

Update

Currently at the surface, a front is located a few hundred miles west of state while a weakening ridge of high pressure is positioned just to the north of the islands. The gradient has responded to the relaxing gradient, with light to moderate trades in place across the state. Infrared satellite imagery shows clear to partly cloudy conditions in most areas, with a bit more cloud cover in some windward locales. Meanwhile, radar imagery shows very little if any shower activity across the state. Little change is expected through the night, with nothing more than isolated showers affecting windward slopes and coasts, with dry conditions in leeward areas.

Synopsis

Trade winds will weaken and veer southeasterly tonight and Friday as a front approaches from the west. Fairly dry conditions will prevail during the next couple days, with light showers limited primarily to windward and mauka areas. Increasing rain chances Sunday and Monday as the system weakens near Hawaii with a return to trades by midweek.

Aviation

Moderate to breezy trade winds will continue to prevail across the island chain through tonight, with only a few light showers favoring windward and mountain locations. VFR flight conditions will prevail for most locations.
A weakening front will approach the islands from the west Friday into Saturday, and this will ease trade winds and veer them to become more southeasterly. Relatively dry conditions will continue, as the deeper moisture associated with the front remains west of the state for the next couple of days.
There are currently no AIRMETs, and none are anticipated through tonight.

Marine

The current north-northeast swell has continued to decrease today, leading to a diminished threat of harbor surge in north- facing harbors and the associated Marine Weather Statement has been allowed to expire. Trade winds also continue to diminish, which in combination with the decreasing swell, have allowed surf along east-facing shores to fall below advisory criteria this afternoon. Therefore, the High Surf Advisory has been allowed to expire as well.
Though winds are trending down, favored channels and windy areas around Hawaii and Maui Counties will linger at Small Craft Advisory criteria tonight. Trade winds veer out of the southeast on Friday as a cold front approaches and moves into the area through the weekend. This will allow localized land and sea breeze conditions to develop near the coasts over the weekend.
A fresh, short- to medium-period north-northeast swell from a gale centered around 1200 nautical miles northeast of the state is forecast to arrive over the weekend. This new swell will support small surf along exposed coasts through the weekend and into Monday. Short-period, choppy conditions are expected to return by midweek as fresh trade winds redevelop and expand upstream of the state.
Surf along north- and west-facing shores will trend upward beginning Saturday as a fresh west-northwest swell arrives from a gale located around 1500 nautical miles northwest of the state, south of the Aleutians near the Date Line. This swell will peak early next week before gradually lowering into midweek.
Surf along south-facing shores will remain near the seasonal average into March but could trend up in the long range, possibly by the second week of March, due to a potential gale passing within our swell window south to southeast of New Zealand over the weekend.

Prev discussion

/ISSUED 417 PM HST Thu Feb 26 2026/
High pressure far north of the area driving moderate trades across the state this afternoon. Visible satellite shows mostly cloudy skies windward and partly cloudy skies leeward, with little precipitation picked up on radar.
A weakening front will approach the islands from the west through Saturday, easing the trades and shifting boundary layer winds around to the east-southeast. A period of rather dry weather is expected to persist across the islands through Saturday, as the deeper moisture associated with the front will remain to the west and northwest of the state.
The operational GFS and ECMWF, there ensembles, and AI versions are remain split on the handling of the pattern evolution Sunday into early next week. Roughly half support keeping the deeper moisture west and south of the state, while the other half indicate the deeper moisture moving into at least the western islands. Overall, will take a blended forecast approach, showing an increase in rain chances mainly over the western islands Sunday and Monday, with a transition back to a breezy trade wind pattern Tuesday through the middle of next week.
AVIATION… Moderate to breezy trade winds will continue to prevail across the island chain through tonight, with only a few light showers favoring windward and mountain locations. VFR flight conditions will prevail for most locations.
A weakening front will approach the islands from the west Friday into Saturday, and this will ease trade winds and veer them to become more southeasterly. Relatively dry conditions will continue, as the deeper moisture associated with the front remains west of the state for the next couple of days.
There are currently no AIRMETs, and none are anticipated through tonight.
MARINE… The current north-northeast swell has continued to decrease today, leading to a diminished threat of harbor surge in north- facing harbors and the associated Marine Weather Statement has been allowed to expire. Trade winds also continue to diminish, which in combination with the decreasing swell, have allowed surf along east-facing shores to fall below advisory criteria this afternoon. Therefore, the High Surf Advisory has been allowed to expire as well.
Though winds are trending down, favored channels and windy areas around Hawaii and Maui Counties will linger at Small Craft Advisory criteria tonight. Trade winds veer out of the southeast on Friday as a cold front approaches and moves into the area through the weekend. This will allow localized land and sea breeze conditions to develop near the coasts over the weekend.
A fresh, short- to medium-period north-northeast swell from a gale centered around 1200 nautical miles northeast of the state is forecast to arrive over the weekend. This new swell will support small surf along exposed coasts through the weekend and into Monday. Short-period, choppy conditions are expected to return by midweek as fresh trade winds redevelop and expand upstream of the state.
Surf along north- and west-facing shores will trend upward beginning Saturday as a fresh west-northwest swell arrives from a gale located around 1500 nautical miles northwest of the state, south of the Aleutians near the Date Line. This swell will peak early next week before gradually lowering into midweek.
Surf along south-facing shores will remain near the seasonal average into March but could trend up in the long range, possibly by the second week of March, due to a potential gale passing within our swell window south to southeast of New Zealand over the weekend.

HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories

Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM HST Friday for Maalaea Bay, Pailolo Channel, Alenuihaha Channel, Big Island Leeward Waters, Big Island Southeast Waters.

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Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov