A large winter storm spinning in the Pacific north of Hawaii will be affecting our weather in many ways into the weekend:
- HIGH SURF — The storm has sent us a pair of large west-northwest swells. The first swell resulted in sets as high as 35 feet in face on selected outer reefs along the north shore of Kauai and Oahu when it peaked Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. This swell should drop slowly into Friday… that’s when a second swell should start building. It should peak Friday night into Saturday morning at heights 5 to 10 feet lower than the first swell.
- STRONG WINDS — Gusty southwest are expected ahead of an approaching cold front. Winds should be strongest on Kaua`i and O`ahu from Thursday night into much of Friday. The strongest gusts will come in higher terrain and areas downslope of mountains, such as the north and east shore of Kaua`i and Windward O`ahu. High winds will also batter the high summits on Maui and the Big Island. Winds should ease and shift to the northwest as the cold front passes.
- HEAVY RAIN — The cold front passage is also expected to bring some rain, possibly heavy at times. Spotty, brief showers are expected Thursday ahead of the front… and although some showers may be heavy, downpours won’t sit over one neighborhood for more than a few minutes. That changes Friday when the cold front itself moves through. Expect a few hours of steady rain, heavy at times, but with this front on the move and conditions not extremely unstable… don’t expect any excessive rainfall totals or major flooding. However, be prepared for minor flood problems.
With this triple threat, you can imagine… there are many warnings, watches and advisories in effect. Here they are:
- HIGH SURF WARNING until 6 am Friday for north and west shores of Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i and Maui, along with the west shore of the Big Island
- HIGH SURF ADVISORY until 6 am Friday for the west shore of Lana`i and the north shore of the Big Island
- SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY until 6 pm Sunday for all Hawaiian waters because of the large west-northwest swells and anticipated strong southwest winds
- HIGH WIND WATCH from 6 pm Thursday through 4 pm Friday for Kaua`i and O`ahu
- HIGH WIND WARNING until 6 pm Thursday for the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa
- WIND ADVISORY until 6 pm Thursday for Haleakala summit
Be safe out there!
Justin
