Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Honolulu, HI
Issued by NWS Honolulu, HI
245 FXHW60 PHFO 201748 CCA AFDHFO Area Forecast Discussion...CORRECTED National Weather Service Honolulu HI 748 AM HST Thu Nov 20 2025 .UPDATE... The Winter Weather Advisory for the Big Island Summits has been canceled, as temperatures have risen and layered clouds have thinned above the summit level. && .SYNOPSIS... Breezy to locally windy trades will persist through today before weakening to light to locally breezy over the weekend. Expect showers to focus mainly over windward and mauka areas with some showers spilling over to leeward locations today. Mid level drying will limit clouds and showers Friday into early next week. Easing trade winds over the weekend could allow for more of a hybrid land/sea breeze pattern. Drier moderate trades should return Sunday. && .PREV DISCUSSION... Satellite imagery shows mid and high clouds streaming over the state from southwest to northeast early this morning and a band of low level clouds moving from east to west just east of the state. Radar imagery also shows scattered light to moderate showers embedded within this band of clouds that will push west this morning. CIMSS PWAT imagery shows drier air behind this band clouds. In addition, the soundings this morning also show drier air infiltrating in the low to mid levels that will limit showers to more light to moderate intensities today. Overnight ASCAT pass also showed that this band is on the leading edge of slightly stronger winds. Thus can expect breezy to locally windy trades to continue through today with clouds and showers mainly focused along windward and mauka areas, some showers may still spill over to leeward areas at times. A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect through this morning as temperatures and elevated moisture will bring period of light snow to the summits. Conditions are expected to improve shortly after sunrise and with the drying trend this advisory maybe cancelled later this morning. A surface high far northeast of the state that is generating the breezy trade winds will begin track east and weaken tonight through the weekend as a front passes north of the state. Friday trade winds will taper to more typical trade wind speeds and the drier airmass will continue to fill in limiting clouds and showers mainly to windward and mauka locations. Mid to upper level clouds will still create partly to mostly cloudy conditions. By Saturday a hybrid trade wind and sea breeze pattern could develop. Mid to upper level clouds will still linger across the state as an upper level disturbances moves over the state. In addition low low level clouds and showers from the remnant front may move over the state increasing shower potential across the state. However, cloud heights and showers will continue to be limited due to dry mid levels. The greatest chance of showers will be around Big Island where lingering moisture will be the deepest. Drier and more stable conditions will fill in Sunday into Monday as mid to upper level ridging builds over the state. Winds may veer east southeast during the first half of next week as another front approaches the state from the northwest. Not expecting any significant weather as low to mid levels will remain dry during this time. && .AVIATION... Mostly VFR conditions prevail across the state this morning. However expect periods of MVFR due to CLD and SHRA as a band of low level clouds and showers push onshore over windward and mauka areas this morning. Mid to high clouds will continue to move from the southwest to northeast across the state. AIRMET Tango in effect due to low level turb. AIRMET Sierra maybe need later this morning as band of low clouds fills in along windward and mauka slopes. AIRMET Zulu not in effect, though there could be TEMPO light icing associated with the mid level CLD. && .MARINE... A 1033 mb surface high far north northeast of the state will help maintain fresh to strong easterly trade winds today. As the high drifts eastward Friday through this weekend, trades will begin to slowly trend down. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) remains in effect through this evening, for contributions from both winds and seas, but may need to be paired back tonight as the winds begin to slowly ease and seas lower. If current guidance holds, the SCA could be dropped all together by Saturday. The current moderate, medium period, northwest swell (320) peaked earlier this morning, as noted on the Waimea Bay buoy observations. This swell will slowly lose energy through remainder of today, but should continue to keep surf elevated for north and west facing shores. A High Surf Advisory (HSA) remains for north and west facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai through noon today. However, if the swell lingers longer than expected, the HSA will need to be extended through at least the rest of the afternoon. Another moderate, medium period, northwest swell (310-330) is progged to arrive Saturday into Sunday and should once again produce surf at or near advisory levels along north and west facing shores. Looking ahead towards mid next week, a large, long period, northwest (310-330) swell is forecast to arrive and could bring advisory or even warning level surf along north and west facing shores. East shore surf will remain elevated and rough today, but expected to decline Friday into this weekend as trades weaken over and upstream of the islands. && .FIRE WEATHER... Critical fire weather conditions are not expected through the forecast period. A wet, breezy trade wind patter will hold through today with winds tapering off Friday into early next week. Breezy to locally windy trades continue into Thursday, then ease below critical thresholds heading into the weekend. Lingering moisture will keep relative humidity above critical thresholds. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Surf Advisory until noon HST today for Niihau-Kauai Leeward- Waianae Coast-Oahu North Shore-Kauai North-Molokai Windward- Molokai North-Molokai West. Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST this evening for all Hawaiian waters. && $$ UPDATE...Wroe PREV DISCUSSION...Almanza AVIATION...Almanza MARINE...Thomas