Our Kona storm will remain with us through Sunday for most islands, but the threat of flooding has become low enough for Kauai and Niihau that the flood watch has been cancelled there. For the remainder of the state, expect periods of showers, some heavy, to continue tonight and Sunday. As the system moves off to the east Sunday night and Monday, trades will return from west to east Monday into Monday night and then continue through the end of the week. Windward showers will be scattered to numerous Monday into Monday night, then decrease for the remainder of the week.
Issued at 812 PM HST Sat Mar 21 2026
Bands of showers and embedded thunderstorms continue to move over Maui County and potentially may move east over the Big Island. The ongoing Kona low will support further rain bands, mainly across Oahu and Maui County, through the forecast period. Rainfall may spread to Kauai, though confidence is lower for the western end of the state. Winds will remain primarily out of the south to southwest. Expect widespread MVFR conditions over Maui County through the forecast period, with locally LIFR conditions under showers.
AIRMET Sierra is in effect for Molokai, Maui, and Lanai due to widespread low ceilings and showers and is expected to continue overnight. AIRMET Sierra is also in effect for Oahu due to mountain obscuration and will continue to monitor this through the night.
AIRMET Tango remains in effect for moderate turbulence downwind of terrain for Oahu and Maui County below 070 from gusty south to southwest winds associated with the Kona low. However, winds are showing some signs of weakening, so we may be able to cancel this AIRMET later tonight or Sunday.
Light icing in layer 140-FL260 will also persist, mainly over the central portion of the state where the thick high clouds continue to stream over from the southwest.
Issued at 335 PM HST Sat Mar 21 2026
Bands of heavy showers and a few thunderstorms will continue to move over portions of the coastal waters, especially the central and eastern waters, as a Kona low continues to impact the state. Prevailing southerly moderate to locally breezy winds continue across portions of the area as well. The low will lift farther north on Sunday, allowing light to moderate northerly winds to develop around Kauai, which will then veer to northeast and spread southward. Additionally, due to wave heights around Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu near 10 feet, a Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for those waters until 6AM Sunday.
A northerly swell is peaking today, and is producing borderline advisory-level surf for north facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu as of this afternoon. This will continue into the evening hours before slowly declining overnight. As such, a High Surf Advisory (HSA) remains in effect for north facing shores for Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu until 6AM Sunday. Additionally, a slight bump is expected from a small, building west-northwest swell that will peak Sunday.
A small south swell is slowly declining and will continue to trend down through the rest of the weekend into early next week. Smaller surf is expected along south facing shores through the remainder of the week. Surf along east-facing shores remains elevated due to wrap from the north swell, and will be near HSA thresholds. This swell will slowly diminish through the rest of the weekend as well.
High Surf Advisory until 6 AM HST Sunday for Kauai East-Kauai North-Koolau Windward-Niihau-Oahu North Shore-Olomana.
Flood Watch through Sunday 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-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- Oahu North Shore-Olomana-South Haleakala-South Maui/Upcountry- Waianae Coast-Waianae Mountains-Windward Haleakala.
Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM HST Sunday for Big Island Summits.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM HST Sunday for Kaiwi Channel- Kauai Channel-Kauai Leeward Waters-Kauai Northwest Waters-Kauai Windward Waters-Oahu Windward Waters.
