Trades expected to bring showers to Hawaii’s parched leeward areas

Some relief to the dryer than average weather is on the way, according to forecasters, as a modest increase in moisture moves into the Hawaiian islands from the east.

The National Weather Service expects more windward showers through early Tuesday, with some showers potentially reaching parched leeward areas overnight.

A “red flag” brush fire warning issued over the weekend for the leeward sides of all isles expired on Sunday evening due to higher humidity and weaker trades.

Moderate to locally breezy trades, however, are expected to continue through Thursday, then ease on Friday.

Today’s forecast is partly cloudy in some areas, with highs from 88 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit, and trades from 10 to 20 mph. Lows tonight range from 72 to 77 degrees.

Surf remains low for all shores — at 3 to 5 feet along east and south shores, and at 2 to 4 feet along west shores, through Tuesday. Surf along north shores remains at 2 feet or less today but increases to 1 to 3 feet Tuesday afternoon.

In its monthly summary, NWS said August was a particularly dry month, with below-average rainfall for many parts of Hawaii, particularly Maui County, which had the driest conditions in the state.

The slopes of the Waianae range were especially dry with several totals at less than 10% of the August average, the NWS said. Waimanalo reported its lowest August rainfall total since 1993, and Aloha Tower its lowest total since 2005.

Several record high temperatures, meanwhile, were set over the weekend. A record high of 94 degrees was set at Kahului on Saturday, beating the previous record of 92 set in 2019. A high of 89 at Hilo on Saturday tied the old record set in 2015.

Heading into next weekend, forecasters said a high-pressure system to the north is expected to weaken, causing a slight decrease in trade wind speeds.