First Alert Forecast: Dangerous Life-threatening waves on the south shorelines

News admin June 14, 2026 0 Comments

First Alert Forecast: Dangerous Life-threatening waves on the south shorelines

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Big Waves continue to arrive south shores; they will get near warning level tonight with more rough conditions as more swells arrive thru mid next week. PLUS afternoons will have a King Tide arriving, which means more conditions like minor coastal flooding in vulnerable areas during chelate afternoon/early evening hours.

Weather: A strong area of high pressure is moving in from the northeast, which will push stronger trade winds across the islands today. At the same time, moisture is coming in from the east, so expect more clouds and showers over the windward sides of Maui, Molokai, and Oahu through early Monday. Think of it like a wet blanket rolling in from the ocean.

View the latest weather conditions here.

As the morning goes on, high pressure will build up to the northeast, which will strengthen the trade winds. By this afternoon, these stronger winds will push that band of clouds and showers westward toward Oahu. The moisture is deep enough that some showers might spill over the mountains onto the leeward sides of the islands. On the Big Island, expect afternoon showers to develop over the South Kona slopes as the sun heats things up. By tonight, most showers will be confined to the windward sides as the system moves out.

Monday through Wednesday afternoon:

The high pressure weakens and moves north, so winds will lighten up again. You’ll see scattered afternoon clouds and a few isolated showers mainly over mountains and interior areas. Nights might have some showers on windward sides, but nothing major.

Late Wednesday through Friday:

Weather models are predicting a deeper layer of moisture moving up from the southeast toward the Big Island. This could bring more rain to the Big Island first, then potentially to Maui County if it sticks around.

Big waves are coming to south-facing beaches:

A large swell (ocean waves traveling from far away) is moving in from the south-southwest and will peak tonight into Monday. Right now, buoys in the ocean are measuring around 4-foot waves, with some reaching over 5 feet. This means surf heights on south-facing beaches will be near advisory levels today while west-facing beaches will have moderate surf. Tonight when the swell peaks, south-facing beaches could see warning-level surf—basically, really big waves that are dangerous. Even after it peaks, south-facing beaches will stay rough through most of next week because more swells keep arriving.

Watch out for coastal flooding:

This big swell is happening at the same time as King Tides (the highest tides of the month), which creates a double threat. Expect minor coastal flooding on vulnerable areas like low-lying coastal roads, docks, and boat ramps, especially during late afternoon and early evening when tides peak. This flooding potential will last through at least Tuesday. South and west-facing shores are most at risk for widespread flooding through the first half of next week because of the combination of big waves, King Tides, and high tides all happening together.

North and east-facing beaches:

North-facing beaches will stay pretty flat with tiny waves. A small bump in surf might show up Tuesday with a small northwest swell, but nothing major. East-facing beaches will stay below normal because of gentle to moderate winds.

Download the HNN Weather app from the Apple App Store or Google Play for the latest updates from your First Alert Weather Team: chief meteorologist Jennifer Robbins, meteorologist Drew Davis, and weather anchors Guy Hagi, Ben Gutierrez, and Billy V.