First Alert Forecast: Gusty trade winds will be with us through the weekend

News admin May 21, 2026 0 Comments

First Alert Forecast: Gusty trade winds will be with us through the weekend

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Rough seas and very gusty trade winds are bringing a number of wind-related alerts up including a wind advisory and ocean alerts. Trade winds are ramping up across the islands and will continue strengthening through Thursday, bringing windy to locally damaging gusts, especially for Maui County and the Big Island where a Wind Advisory is now in effect through early Friday morning.

Winds are already running 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph in some spots, and even stronger gusts near 50 mph are possible tonight into Thursday in the windiest areas. Oahu will also turn noticeably gusty, especially in areas downwind of the mountains, where gusts over 40 mph are possible Thursday.

A drier and more stable air mass moving in will keep showers mainly focused over windward and mauka communities, particularly overnight and during the early morning hours. Leeward areas should stay relatively dry aside from a few passing showers.

For mariners, conditions are becoming hazardous. Strong to gale-force trades are expected in the typically windy channels, including the Alenuihaha and Pailolo Channels and Maalaea Bay, where a Gale Warning is now in effect through early Friday. A Small Craft Advisory covers all Hawaiian waters.

Surf along east-facing shores will remain rough and elevated due to the strengthening trades, while small north-northwest swells will provide modest surf for north and west shores heading into the weekend. South shores will continue seeing near-average surf from a series of small long-period south swells.

Looking ahead, windy trade weather is expected to continue through Saturday before easing slightly Sunday into early next week, though breezy conditions and passing windward showers will remain in the forecast.

View the latest weather conditions here.

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.