A powerful Kona storm will produce periods of hazardous weather impacts across the Hawaiian Islands through the weekend. Expect a combination of threats ranging from significant flash flooding, damaging winds, strong to severe thunderstorms, and snow and ice over the highest Big Island summits. Southwesterly winds will be strongest from Friday to Saturday and will produce damaging wind gusts along north and east of the island mountains. Unsettled wet weather conditions with southwesterly winds will continue into early next week. The Kona storm begins to lift northward on Monday, and unsettled weather will start to ease across the Hawaii region. High pressure will build back in north of the state allowing trade winds to return from next Wednesday onward.
Issued at 904 AM HST Thu Mar 12 2026
A band of showers with embedded thunderstorms will move across the islands east of Kauai this morning, before shower activity becomes more scattered this afternoon. Expect MVFR to IFR conditions under showers, to locally as low as LIFR. Winds will remain primarily out of the south and southeast. Showers are then expected to become more widespread this evening, starting at Kauai and moving eastward.
AIRMET Sierra remains in effect for Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, and Maui due to mountain obscuration from showers. Some relief is expected this afternoon as showers decrease in coverage, but current thinking is that this AIRMET will remain in effect so long as shower activity persists across the islands.
AIRMET Tango remains in effect for moderate upper-level turbulence between FL240 and 360. This ongoing Kona low should keep turbulence prevailing over the next few days.
AIRMET Zulu is also in effect, as high clouds from these showers present icing concerns between FL130 and 260. Once again, some relief is expected this afternoon, before high clouds envelop the islands once again later this evening.
Issued at 402 AM HST Thu Mar 12 2026
A powerful Kona storm will continue to bring heavy rain, thunderstorms, and rough seas to the Hawaiian islands and adjacent coastal waters through the rest of the week. Southerly winds will strengthen tonight into the weekend, possibly reaching gale-force for portions of the area by Friday. A Gale Watch has been issued for the coastal waters around Kauai and Oahu starting Friday morning. These strong to gale- force winds will last into the weekend in association with a band of heavy showers and thunderstorms pushing eastward across the forecast area.
A series of small, short to medium period west-northwest swells will bring small surf to north and west facing shores through the rest of the week. Kauai will block some of this swell energy from reaching Oahu and Maui, but it will make it into the west facing shores of the Big Island. The current swell will gradually diminish later today before the next west-northwest swell builds Friday into the weekend. Additionally, a small, medium period north swell originating from Alaska Peninsula gap winds is expected to arrive tonight and continue into the weekend.
The southerly wind direction will contribute to rough and choppy surf along south-facing shores. These south winds will intensify tonight into Friday, causing south shore surf to build Friday into the weekend, likely reaching advisory levels. Once southerly winds diminish early next week, a small to moderate, long-period south swell generated by a gale force low east-southeast of New Zealand will arrive along south-facing shores and build into midweek.
Choppy surf along east-facing shores will continue to trend downward and remain below seasonal levels as south to southeast winds prevail.
Flood Watch through Saturday afternoon for Big Island East-Big Island Interior-Big Island North-Big Island South-Big Island Southeast-Central Oahu-East Honolulu-Ewa Plain-Haleakala Summit- Honolulu Metro-Kahoolawe-Kauai East-Kauai Mountains-Kauai North- Kauai South-Kauai Southwest-Kipahulu-Kohala-Kona-Koolau Leeward- Koolau Windward-Lanai Leeward-Lanai Mauka-Lanai South-Lanai Windward-Maui Central Valley North-Maui Central Valley South- Maui Leeward West-Maui Windward West-Molokai Leeward South- Molokai North-Molokai Southeast-Molokai West-Molokai Windward- Niihau-Oahu North Shore-Olomana-South Haleakala-South Maui/Upcountry-Waianae Coast-Waianae Mountains-Windward Haleakala.
High Wind Watch from 6 PM HST this evening through late Saturday night for Central Oahu-East Honolulu-Ewa Plain-Honolulu Metro- Kahoolawe-Kauai East-Kauai Mountains-Kauai North-Kauai South- Kauai Southwest-Kipahulu-Koolau Leeward-Koolau Windward-Lanai Leeward-Lanai Mauka-Lanai South-Lanai Windward-Maui Central Valley North-Maui Central Valley South-Maui Leeward West-Maui Windward West-Molokai Leeward South-Molokai North-Molokai Southeast-Molokai West-Molokai Windward-Niihau-Oahu North Shore- Olomana-South Haleakala-South Maui/Upcountry-Waianae Coast- Waianae Mountains-Windward Haleakala.
High Wind Watch from 6 PM HST this evening through Sunday afternoon for Big Island Summits-Haleakala Summit.
High Wind Watch from Friday morning through late Saturday night for Big Island East-Big Island Interior-Big Island North-Big Island South-Big Island Southeast-Kohala-Kona.
Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM HST this evening for Big Island Summits.
Winter Storm Watch from 6 PM HST this evening through Saturday afternoon for Big Island Summits.
Gale Watch from 6 PM HST this evening through late Friday night for Kauai Channel-Kauai Leeward Waters-Kauai Northwest Waters- Kauai Windward Waters-Oahu Leeward Waters-Oahu Windward Waters.
