West Kaua’i

Rest Of Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 67 near the shore to around 56 above 3000 feet. Northwest winds up to 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny with isolated showers in the morning, then partly sunny with scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 78 to 83 near the shore to around 69 above 3000 feet. West winds up to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Friday Night: Cloudy with scattered showers. Lows around 64 near the shore to around 55 above 3000 feet. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

South Kaua’i

Rest Of Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 65. Northwest winds around 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny with isolated showers in the morning, then partly sunny with scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 77 to 83. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Friday Night: Cloudy with numerous showers. Lows around 64. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Kaua’i Mountains

Rest Of Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 56 to 64 in the valleys to around 54 above 4000 feet. Southwest winds up to 15 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly sunny. Scattered showers. Highs 72 to 79 in the valleys to around 63 above 4000 feet. Southwest winds up to 15 mph shifting to the northwest in the afternoon. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Friday Night: Cloudy with numerous showers. Lows 56 to 63 in the valleys to around 53 above 4000 feet. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

North Kaua’i

Rest Of Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 60 to 67. South winds up to 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny with isolated showers in the morning, then partly sunny with scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 72 to 80. Southeast winds up to 10 mph shifting to the northwest in the afternoon. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Friday Night: Cloudy. Numerous showers in the evening, then scattered showers after midnight. Lows 57 to 65. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.

East Kaua’i

Rest Of Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 58 to 69. West winds up to 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny with isolated showers in the morning, then partly sunny with scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 73 to 82. West winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Friday Night: Cloudy with numerous showers. Lows 58 to 67. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Detailed Forecast

Update

Currently at the surface, a 1020 mb high is centered several hundred miles east-northeast of the state, with a ridge axis extending west-southwestward and over the Big Island. Meanwhile, a cold front is located a couple hundred miles northwest of Kauai. Light to moderate south to southwest winds prevail over the smaller islands this evening, while light to moderate southeasterly flow persists over the Big Island. Infrared satellite imagery shows a band of scattered to broken low clouds over Oahu and south of Oahu and Maui County. Some daytime heating driven cloud cover continues to linger over the Big Island, while mainly clear skies prevail over Kauai. Radar imagery shows a few showers over the southeast slopes of the Big Island, as well as off the coast of Oahu, with dry conditions elsewhere. Main short term focus revolves around rain chances overnight.
The front will continue to steadily approach from the northwest tonight, keeping a prevailing south to southwest flow in place over the smaller islands while south to southeast winds persist over the Big Island. This will result in a low level convergent flow over Oahu and Maui County through the night, with showers favoring south and west facing slopes and coasts. We could also see a few showers affecting southeast slopes of the Big Island overnight as well, while a pocket of drier air in the boundary layer should keep conditions dry on Kauai. An evening forecast update will be sent out shortly.

Synopsis

Mostly quiet weather will continue through Friday, with increasing clouds and a few light showers as moisture is drawn northward on light to moderate southwesterly flow. A cold front and upper level disturbance late Friday into the weekend will bring a wetter, more unsettled pattern with heavy rain and a few thunderstorms possible, followed by strengthening trade winds early next week and then gradually improving conditions.

Aviation

– Updated 740 PM HST Thu Feb 5 2026
Light southerly winds will continue through tonight. A few SHRA and some isol pockets of MVFR conds are possible. A strong cold front is on approach and sits northwest of Kauai. By late tomorrow morning the front with accompanying SHRA and breezy northerlies will be on Kauai's doorstep. A few tstms are also possible as the front moves through. This front is expected to slowly move down the island chain through Monday. SHRA/TSTMS with IFR/MVFR conds will be possible with areas behind FROPA returning to VFR.
No AIRMETs in effect. AIRMET Sierra may be needed at various times as the front moves through the island chain through this weekend.

Marine

A surface ridge over the islands will maintain gentle to moderate south to southwest winds into Friday as a front approaches. The front will move across Kauai waters Friday afternoon and evening and advance southeastward into the central islands Friday night and Saturday. The front will stall and gradually dissipate near Maui County over the weekend, leading to heavy showers and thunderstorms statewide. Strong high pressure building north of the state will drive fresh to possibly strong trade winds north of the front late Friday and Saturday. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) may be needed for winds around Kauai and Oahu, while a building northwest swell produces seas above the 10 foot SCA threshold over most waters. Surface high pressure will expand significantly on Sunday and Monday as surface troughing develops southwest of the islands. As a result, trade winds will strengthen to near gale to gale force over many areas, with at least SCA conditions developing over all waters for winds and seas late Sunday. A slow decrease in trade winds is expected Tuesday and Wednesday, but large seas will persist.
The current northwest swell is declining, but the last in a series of large swells will arrive on Friday. Surf along exposed north and west shores will be just below High Surf Advisory thresholds into Friday morning as the current swell slowly drops and shifts out of the north-northwest. The new northwest swell (310-320 degrees) will build down the island chain on Friday. Surf along north and west shores of Kauai and Oahu will likely rise above High Surf Advisory levels during the day, and surf along exposed north and west facing shores of most islands may exceed High Surf Warning levels as the new swell peaks Friday night and early Saturday. The swell will decline sharply Saturday night, with surf expected to fall below advisory levels by Sunday morning. Small to moderate northwest swell will prevail through the remainder of the week.
Surf along east facing shores will remain very small through Friday night. Surf is expected to rapidly build and become more rough this weekend, likely exceeding the advisory level Sunday night or Monday and potentially reaching warning level Tuesday or Wednesday. Surf along south facing shores will remain small throughout the week.

Prev discussion

/ISSUED 323 PM HST Thu Feb 5 2026/
Overall, the weather remains fairly benign in the near term. Visible satellite imagery this afternoon shows a persistent stream of cumulus clouds feeding into Oahu as the light to moderate south-southwesterly flow pulls moisture northeastward across the area. This pattern is expected to continue into Friday, with model guidance suggesting that the moisture plume will slowly broaden across the central islands as weak surface convergence develops within the southwesterly flow. The result will be increasing cloud cover and a few passing light showers, especially where convergence is able to focus.
Attention then turns to the next cold front, which is expected to reach Kauai Friday afternoon or evening before slowing as it attempts to move down the island chain over the weekend. This front, combined with the moisture already in place, additional convergence ahead of it, and increasing instability associated with an upper-level trough and much cooler temperatures aloft, sets the stage for a wetter and more unsettled period from this weekend into early next week. Periods of heavier showers and a few thunderstorms will be possible, with a localized flooding threat developing where showers persist the longest. Behind the front, winds are expected to veer from northeasterly to easterly fairly quickly, shifting the focus for showersand any thunderstorm activitytoward windward and mauka areas. These locations currently appear most susceptible to heavier rainfall and potential flooding, though there remains enough model spread to keep some uncertainty regarding which islands will be most impacted. That picture should sharpen as we get closer and higher- resolution guidance comes into play. In addition, cooler air aloft and ample moisture will also bring the potential for wintery precipitation to the summits of the Big Island Saturday night through Monday night.
As high pressure builds in from the north behind the front, the pressure gradient will tighten and trade winds are expected to strengthen late Sunday into Monday. Wind Advisory conditions appear likely, with the possibility of High Wind Warning-level gusts possible, particularly over and downslope of terrain, through valleys, and other local acceleration areas. While wet trade wind weather will continue during this time, the overall flooding risk should gradually decrease Tuesday onward as the bulk of the moisture advects west of the island chain on the strong trades. Trade winds are then expected to ease back to breezy levels by midweek and persist through the latter part of next week.
AVIATION… – Updated 740 PM HST Thu Feb 5 2026
Light southerly winds will continue through tonight. A few SHRA and some isol pockets of MVFR conds are possible. A strong cold front is on approach and sits northwest of Kauai. By late tomorrow morning the front with accompanying SHRA and breezy northerlies will be on Kauai's doorstep. A few tstms are also possible as the front moves through. This front is expected to slowly move down the island chain through Monday. SHRA/TSTMS with IFR/MVFR conds will be possible with areas behind FROPA returning to VFR.
No AIRMETs in effect. AIRMET Sierra may be needed at various times as the front moves through the island chain through this weekend.
MARINE… A surface ridge over the islands will maintain gentle to moderate south to southwest winds into Friday as a front approaches. The front will move across Kauai waters Friday afternoon and evening and advance southeastward into the central islands Friday night and Saturday. The front will stall and gradually dissipate near Maui County over the weekend, leading to heavy showers and thunderstorms statewide. Strong high pressure building north of the state will drive fresh to possibly strong trade winds north of the front late Friday and Saturday. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) may be needed for winds around Kauai and Oahu, while a building northwest swell produces seas above the 10 foot SCA threshold over most waters. Surface high pressure will expand significantly on Sunday and Monday as surface troughing develops southwest of the islands. As a result, trade winds will strengthen to near gale to gale force over many areas, with at least SCA conditions developing over all waters for winds and seas late Sunday. A slow decrease in trade winds is expected Tuesday and Wednesday, but large seas will persist.
The current northwest swell is declining, but the last in a series of large swells will arrive on Friday. Surf along exposed north and west shores will be just below High Surf Advisory thresholds into Friday morning as the current swell slowly drops and shifts out of the north-northwest. The new northwest swell (310-320 degrees) will build down the island chain on Friday. Surf along north and west shores of Kauai and Oahu will likely rise above High Surf Advisory levels during the day, and surf along exposed north and west facing shores of most islands may exceed High Surf Warning levels as the new swell peaks Friday night and early Saturday. The swell will decline sharply Saturday night, with surf expected to fall below advisory levels by Sunday morning. Small to moderate northwest swell will prevail through the remainder of the week.
Surf along east facing shores will remain very small through Friday night. Surf is expected to rapidly build and become more rough this weekend, likely exceeding the advisory level Sunday night or Monday and potentially reaching warning level Tuesday or Wednesday. Surf along south facing shores will remain small throughout the week.

HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories

None.

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Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov