251  
FXHW60 PHFO 010648  
AFDHFO  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI  
848 PM HST SAT NOV 30 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
TRADE WINDS WILL WEAKEN BY SUNDAY ALLOWING LAND AND SEA BREEZES  
TO DEVELOP OVER ALL ISLANDS. CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN FAIRLY  
STABLE AND DRY, WITH LOW CLOUDS AND A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS EACH DAY  
FAVORING INTERIOR AND MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS. RAINFALL TRENDS WILL  
INCREASE FROM THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AS A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES INTO  
AND STALLS OUT OVER THE ISLANDS. PERIODS OF PASSING SHOWERS WILL  
LINGER INTO NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
THIS EVENINGS SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS A SUBTROPICAL JET STREAM  
NEAR THE BIG ISLAND. HIGH LEVEL CIRRUS CLOUDS HAVE DRIFTED SOUTH  
OF THE ISLAND CHAIN. BANDS OF STABLE CLOUDS REMAIN JUST EAST OF  
THE ISLANDS MOVING INTO WINDWARD SLOPES ON THE WEAKENING TRADE  
WINDS TONIGHT. THIS TRADE WIND WEATHER PATTERN WILL CHANGE ON  
SUNDAY INTO VARIABLE WINDS IN A LAND AND SEA BREEZE REGIME OVER  
ALL ISLANDS.  
 
THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE AXIS CURRENTLY OVER THE ISLANDS KEEPING  
FAIRLY STABLE CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST WILL DRIFT SOUTH OF THE  
STATE FROM SUNDAY ONWARD. EXPECT A SLIGHT INCREASE IN SHOWER  
TRENDS DURING THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK IN A LIGHT WIND  
AFTERNOON ONSHORE SEA BREEZE WEATHER REGIME. CLOUDS AND A FEW  
SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP BY LATE MORNING TO AFTERNOON OVER ISLAND  
MOUNTAIN AND INTERIOR SECTIONS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS  
WILL REMAIN ON THE LIGHTER SIDE DUE TO THE LARGE SCALE ATMOSPHERIC  
STABILITY.  
 
BY THURSDAY, LONG RANGE MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW A SHALLOW  
COLD FRONT CREEPING INTO THE WESTERN ISLANDS FROM THE NORTHWEST  
DIRECTION. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND BREEZY TRADE WINDS WILL DEVELOP  
ALONG THE WEAKENING FRONTAL BAND AS IT PASSES THROUGH EACH  
ISLAND. THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW THIS FRONTAL  
CLOUD AND SHOWER BAND STALLING OUT NEAR MAUI BY FRIDAY MORNING.  
ALL ISLANDS WILL BENEFIT FROM A PERIOD OF ENHANCED SHOWERS ALONG  
THE FRONTAL BAND, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN  
SLOPES OF EACH ISLAND. THE FRONTAL BAND WILL THEN BREAK APART BY  
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, WITH REMNANT UNSTABLE CLOUD BANDS DRIFTING INTO  
EACH ISLAND ON THE STRENGTHENING EASTERLY TRADE WINDS, PRODUCING A  
WET TRADE WIND PATTERN LASTING THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
LIGHT TO LOCALLY MODERATE TRADES WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN THROUGH  
THE REST OF THE WEEKEND, ALLOWING FOR LAND/SEA BREEZES DEVELOPMENT.  
ISOL SHRA SHOULD FAVOR MAUKA AND INTERIOR AREAS OF EACH ISLAND  
DUE TO SEA BREEZE DEVELOPMENT EACH AFTERNOON, THEN CLEAR OUT  
OVERNIGHT WITH THE LAND BREEZES. BRIEF MVFR CONDS WILL BE POSSIBLE  
IN SHRA, OTHERWISE VFR SHOULD PREVAIL.  
 
AIRMET TANGO IS IN EFFECT FOR MOD TURB BETWEEN FL250 AND FL450  
ACROSS THE STATE.  
 
SIGMET PAPA FOR SEVERE UPPER LEVEL TURB IS ALSO IN EFFECT ACROSS  
THE EASTERN HALF OF THE STATE. THIS WILL LIKELY TAPER OFF FROM  
WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE NIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING AS THE  
SUBTROPICAL JET PUSHES EAST OF THE AREA.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
A FRONT STALLED NORTH OF THE COASTAL WATERS KEEPS OUR LOCAL  
PRESSURE GRADIENT SLACK AND BACKGROUND WINDS LIGHT ACROSS THE  
AREA THIS EVENING. LIGHT BACKGROUND FLOW WILL SHIFT TO  
SOUTHEASTERLIES ON SUNDAY. ANOTHER FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE  
NORTHWEST EARLY NEXT WEEK AND KEEP GENTLE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST  
WINDS IN PLACE.  
 
THE EXTRA-LARGE NORTHWEST (310-320) SWELL THAT PEAKED LAST NIGHT  
CONTINUES TO SLOWLY DECLINE THIS EVENING. HOWEVER, BASED ON BUOY  
DATA AND SHORE OBSERVATIONS, THE HIGH SURF WARNING FOR MOST NORTH  
AND WEST FACING SHORES OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS REMAINS IN EFFECT  
THROUGH MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY (HSA) REMAINS IN  
EFFECT FOR WEST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH TONIGHT.  
SURF SHOULD DROP BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON.  
ADDITIONALLY, A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY (SCA) REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR  
WINDWARD WATERS AND ALL WATERS SURROUNDING KAUAI COUNTY FOR SEAS  
GREATER THAN 10 FT THROUGH TONIGHT.  
 
A STRETCH OF ELEVATED NORTH AND WEST SHORE SWELL IS EXPECTED,  
PRODUCED BY OVERLAPPING NORTHWEST PULSES RANGING FROM LARGE TO  
POTENTIALLY EXTRA-LARGE, WITH THE FIRST ARRIVING TUESDAY AND A  
LARGER ONE PEAKING WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. SURF ALONG EAST FACING  
SHORES WILL REMAIN SLIGHTLY ELEVATED THROUGH THE REST OF THE  
WEEKEND DUE TO THE LINGERING SHORT-PERIOD NORTH-NORTHEAST SWELL.  
EARLY NEXT WEEK, SURF ALONG EAST FACING SHORES WILL REMAIN SMALL.  
SURF ALONG SOUTH FACING SHORES WILL SEE AN UPTICK HEADING INTO  
NEXT WEEK FROM A SERIES OF CONSECUTIVE SOUTHWEST PULSES. THIS WILL  
RESULT IN SMALL TO MODERATE SURF, PEAKING MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY  
NEXT WEEK AS WINDS REMAIN BELOW WARNING THRESHOLDS. DAYTIME  
RELATIVE HUMIDITY MAY BRIEFLY TOUCH CRITICAL LEVELS OVER DRIER  
LEEWARD ZONES INTO NEXT WEEK. INCREASING MOISTURE AND RAINFALL TRENDS  
WILL DEVELOP FROM THURSDAY INTO NEXT WEEKEND AS A WEAKENING COLD  
FRONT MOVES DOWN THE ISLAND CHAIN AND STALLS OUT NEAR MAUI.  
 

 
   
HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT HST TONIGHT FOR NIIHAU-KAUAI  
LEEWARD-WAIANAE COAST-OAHU NORTH SHORE-MAUI WINDWARD WEST-KAUAI  
NORTH-KOOLAU WINDWARD-MOLOKAI WINDWARD-MOLOKAI NORTH-MOLOKAI  
WEST-WINDWARD HALEAKALA.  
 
HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST SUNDAY FOR KONA-KOHALA.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST SUNDAY FOR KAUAI NORTHWEST  
WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS-KAUAI LEEWARD WATERS-KAUAI CHANNEL-  
OAHU WINDWARD WATERS-KAIWI CHANNEL-MAUI COUNTY WINDWARD WATERS-  
BIG ISLAND WINDWARD WATERS.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION/FIRE WEATHER...BOHLIN  
AVIATION...WALSH  
MARINE...POWELL  
 
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