392  
FXHW60 PHFO 161425  
AFDHFO  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI  
425 AM HST SUN NOV 16 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
LIGHT TO LOCALLY BREEZY TRADES WITH GENERALLY DRIER WEATHER  
THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON. SHOWERS WILL FOCUS ALONG WINDWARD  
EXPOSED UPSLOPE TERRAIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THERE ARE  
INCREASING CHANCES FOR MORE ACTIVE WEATHER FROM LATE MONDAY  
THROUGH THURSDAY WITH HIGHER PROBABILITIES FOR LOCALLY HEAVY  
RAIN WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
BROAD UPPER RIDGING ACROSS THE WEST CENTRAL PACIFIC HAS EXPANDED  
JUST FAR ENOUGH EAST, ALONG WITH A SWATH OF DRIER AIR PASSING BY  
FROM THE EAST, TO INFLUENCE AND STABILIZE OUR WEEKEND WEATHER  
HERE IN PARADISE. MORNING SHORTWAVE IR SATELLITE IS DEPICTING A  
LOWER LEVEL MOIST AIR MASS ADVANCING IN ON LIGHT TO MODERATE  
TRADES. THIS WILL INCREASE OVERALL PRECIPITATION COVERAGE TODAY  
BUT MOST OF THE LIGHT SHOWERS WILL BRIEFLY PASS OVER WINDWARD  
COMMUNITIES WITH THE HIGHEST PRECIPITATION BEING CONFINED TO THE  
UPPER ELEVATIONS. A WEAKENED 1022 MB SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE LOCATED  
APPROXIMATELY 1,000 MILES NORTHEAST OF HILO IS SLOWLY SETTLING  
SOUTHEASTWARD. THIS HAS SUSTAINED A TIGHT ENOUGH DOWNSTREAM  
PRESSURE GRADIENT TO SUPPORT LIGHT TRADES THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.  
LOCAL 12Z SOUNDINGS ARE STILL SHOWING A 6-7K FT BOUNDARY LAYER  
UNDERNEATH VERY DRY MID TO UPPER LEVEL AIR. THESE FACTORS EQUATE  
TO ANOTHER COUPLE OF DAYS OF PRIMARILY DRY, STABLE WEATHER UNDER  
PARTIALLY SUNNY SKIES AND LIGHT TRADES, LOCALLY BREEZY WITHIN  
HIGHER TERRAIN. LIGHT PRECIPITATION WILL AGAIN FOCUS ALONG  
WINDWARD UPSLOPE MAUKA. HIGHER NOCTURNAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS WILL  
OCCUR WITHIN A RELATIVELY THICKER 8K TO 9K FT MOISTENED LAYER  
UNDERNEATH A THICK SLAB OF DRY AIR ALOFT.  
 
A WEAKNESS WILL DEVELOP WITHIN THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE ISLANDS  
MONDAY. AN UPPER TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH  
THE ISLAND CHAIN FROM THE NORTHWEST AND MERGE WITH THE WEAKNESS  
CHANNEL OVER THE STATE GOING INTO TUESDAY. IT IS A BIT EARLY TO  
DETERMINE THE EVOLUTION OF THIS TROUGH BUT IT WILL MORE THAN  
LIKELY PULL UP MOIST EQUATORIAL AIR NORTHWARD OVER THE ISLANDS  
WHILE DESTABILIZING THE REGIONAL ATMOSPHERE. NUMERICAL WEATHER  
PREDICTION GUIDANCE HAS PRECIPITABLE WATER (PWAT) VALUES NEARING  
THE UPPER 90 PERCENTILE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR BEING PULLED UP AND  
OVER THE ISLANDS FROM MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. 500 MB TEMPERATURES  
WITHIN THE TROUGH OR UPPER LOW SHOULD BE COLD ENOUGH (-10 TO -12  
C) DESTABILIZE THE REGIONAL ATMOSPHERE ENOUGH TO RESULT IN  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY ROUGHLY CENTERED BETWEEN THE KAUAI  
AND ALENUIHAHA CHANNELS. THE BULK OF THE HIGHER PWAT AIR IS  
CURRENTLY BEING MODELED TO BE IN THE VICINITY OF BIG ISLAND AND  
POINTS EAST WHILE THE GREATEST INSTABILITY EXISTS WEST OVER THE  
CENTRAL AND WESTERN ISLANDS. WHILE THE GREATEST MOISTURE AND  
HIGHEST INSTABILITY MAY BE SLIGHTLY OUT OF PHASE, CONFIDENCE IS  
MOUNTING THAT THE HIGHEST THREAT FROM THUNDER WILL ANCHOR IN THE  
PROXIMITY OF OAHU AND MAUI COUNTY WHILE THE HIGHEST RAINFALL THAT  
COULD LEAD TO FLOODING WILL FOCUS ON BIG ISLAND. ANOTHER ELEMENT  
THAT INCREASES CONFIDENCE OF THIS POTENTIALLY IMPACTFUL, ACTIVE  
MID WEEK PATTERN IS THE UPPER DIVERGENCE FORMING ALONG THE EASTERN  
FLANK OF THE UPPER TROUGH...OPENING UP ACROSS THE ISLAND CHAIN.  
THIS UPPER FORCING WITHIN A VERY MOIST AIR MASS AND DESTABILIZING  
COOLER MID TO UPPER LEVELS SHOULD PROVIDE THE NECESSARY INGREDIENTS  
TO PROLONG A VERY WET PATTERN THROUGH THURSDAY. A DRIER LATE WEEK  
AS UPPER RIDGING BEGINS TO TAKE HOLD. RE-ESTABLISHED SURFACE HIGH  
PRESSURE TO THE NORTHEAST WILL REINTRODUCE STRENGTHENED TRADE  
WINDS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. AN UPPER TROUGH AND ASSOICATED SURFACE  
FRONT WILL APPROACH THE STATE NEXT WEEKEND. THIS TROUGH MAY PACK  
ENOUGH OF A PUNCH TO ACTUALLY PUSH OUR FIRST COLD FRONT ACROSS THE  
ISLAND CHAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
FREEZING LEVELS FALLING TO AROUND 12K FEET, ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL  
OF A SATURATED COLUMN BETWEEN THE -10 AND -20 C LEVELS GOING INTO  
TUESDAY, IMPLIES THAT A FROZEN MIX OR SNOW SHOWERS WILL OCCUR  
WITHIN FREEZING SURFACE TEMPERATURES ATOP BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. MID  
LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL ALSO STRENGTHEN EAST OF THE UPPER  
TROUGH AXIS AND THIS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE HALEAKALA AND BIG  
ISLAND SUMMIT WINDS. THUS, THERE IS INCREASING CHANCES FOR BOTH A  
WIND ADVISORY AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MAUNA KEA AND MAUNA  
LOA'S SUMMITS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
PRIMARILY VFR ACROSS ALL LOCAL TERMINALS. POSSIBLE BRIEF MVFR CATS  
IN BOTH CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES MAY OCCUR DURING TIMES OF MORE  
MODERATE INTENSITY SHOWERS OVER SUCH WINDWARD-EXPOSED AIR FIELDS AS  
HTO AND LIH. WEAKER TRADES SUGGEST THAT LOCAL BREEZES WILL BECOME  
MORE DOMINANT ACROSS WIND-SHELTERED AIR FIELDS. BRIEF -SHRA WILL  
CONTINUE TO MAINLY FOCUS ALONG WINDWARD EXPOSURES.  
 
NO AIRMETS ARE IN EFFECT.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
TRADE WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE TODAY AND VEER FROM A MORE E TO  
SE DIRECTION FROM MONDAY TO TUESDAY AS THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE  
NORTH OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WEAKENS AND DRIFTS E IN RESPONSE TO  
A SURFACE TROUGH OVER THE ISLANDS AND AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT  
FAR NW OF THE STATE. ADDITIONALLY, THE COLD FRONT MAY ADVANCE  
INTO THE OFFSHORE WATERS BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON, BRINGING LOCALLY  
STRONG ENE WINDS BEHIND IT BEFORE THE FRONT DIMINISHES OVER THE NW  
COASTAL WATERS WEDNESDAY. EXPECT SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES TO BE ISSUED  
FOR MOST OF THE HAWAIIAN COASTAL WATERS FROM WEDNESDAY INTO  
FRIDAY DUE TO A COMBINATION OF STRENGTHENING WINDS AND RISING  
SEAS. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE HAWAIIAN  
WATERS THROUGH MUCH OF THIS WEEK.  
 
EXPECT MULTIPLE OVERLAPPING NW SWELLS THIS WEEK. THIS WILL KEEP  
SURF HEIGHTS BOOSTED ALONG EXPOSED N AND W FACING SHORES. THE  
CHALLENGE WITH THIS PATTERN WILL BE IN TRACKING THE MULTIPLE SWELL  
ENERGIES FROM SIMILAR DIRECTIONS AND SIMILAR PERIODS. WAVE HEIGHT  
MODEL GUIDANCE HAS TRENDED TOWARDS COMBINING THESE DIFFERENT  
SWELLS FOR THE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY TIME PERIOD. DECREASED THE NW  
SWELL HEIGHTS FROM MODEL OUTPUT BY A FEW FEET TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS  
DISCREPANCY.  
 
SURF ALONG N FACING SHORES REMAINS SMALL TODAY AS A SMALL MEDIUM  
PERIOD NW (310-320 DEGREE) SWELL SLOWLY DECLINES INTO MONDAY. THE  
NEXT MODERATE, MEDIUM TO LONG PERIOD NNW (320-340 DEGREE) SWELL  
WILL THEN ARRIVE LATE TUESDAY, PEAKING WEDNESDAY NEAR HIGH SURF  
ADVISORY THRESHOLDS ALONG EXPOSED N AND W FACING SHORES, THEN  
DECLINING THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. ANOTHER OVERLAPPING SMALL,  
MEDIUM PERIOD NNE (010-020 DEGREE) SWELL ARRIVES FROM THURSDAY  
INTO FRIDAY. THEN ANOTHER SMALL, LONG PERIOD NW (320-330 DEGREE)  
SWELL ARRIVES IN HAWAIIAN WATERS BY THURSDAY NIGHT, PEAKING LATE  
FRIDAY, THEN SLOWLY DIMINISHING INTO NEXT WEEKEND.  
 
SURF ALONG E FACING SHORES WILL DECLINE INTO MONDAY DUE TO THE  
WEAKENING OF THE LOCAL AND UPSTREAM TRADE WINDS. AS THE HIGH  
PRESSURE RIDGE MOVES EAST LATER THIS WEEK, THE COMBINATION OF A  
LONG EASTERLY FETCH OF 15 TO 20 KT WINDS UPSTREAM OF THE ISLANDS  
FROM TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, ALONG WITH STRENGTHENING LOCAL WINDS  
ALONG THE COLD FRONT, WILL PRODUCE MODERATE AND CHOPPY SURF ALONG  
E SHORES. FOR S SHORES, PERIODS OF TINY BACKGROUND SOUTH SWELL  
ENERGY WILL LINGER.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
RECENT ISLAND WIDE RAIN AND MORE OVERCAST SKIES, ALONG WITH RELATIVELY  
HIGHER MINIMUM AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES UNDER LIGHT WINDS, WILL ASSIST  
IN MAINTAINING A LOWER FIRE WEATHER THREAT. THERE IS A MODERATELY  
HIGH CHANCE FOR A RETURN TO A WET WEATHER PATTERN FROM MONDAY NIGHT  
ONWARD. THIS MORNING'S INVERSION HEIGHTS RANGE FROM 6 TO 8K FEET.  
 

 
   
HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...BLOOD  
AVIATION...BLOOD  
MARINE...BOHLIN  
FIRE WEATHER...BLOOD  
 
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