More clouds and rain on the way

By EDWIN TANJI, City Editor
KIHEI – A low-pressure system moving rapidly eastward is expected to drag a cold front and a band of showers across the islands today and Sunday, with the potential for a cloud mass to stall over Maui or the Big Island.
“If the cloud band stalls, although it’s not sure that it will, but it would keep showers falling on Sunday, especially Sunday morning,” said Maui weather specialist Glenn James.
The system is one in a series of low-pressure systems moving eastward across the North Pacific, but the developing storm is unusually close to the islands, located about 500 miles northwest of Kauai.
James, senior weather analyst with the Pacific Disaster Center, said the low-pressure system will remain north of the islands, but it is trailing a cold front that will be dragged across the island chain today, arriving over Maui tonight.
“It looks like it will bring some moderate to heavy showers. There may be some localized street flooding,” he said.
The low-pressure system also will generate a swell that should be hitting north and east shores over the weekend, he said. But because the system is so close to the islands, the surf it will generate will be rough and likely will be poorly formed.
“Because it’s so close, the waves will be closely spaced and that makes for rough surf,” he said.
“It’s the kind of conditions in which people will need to be careful about getting near the ocean where the waves can hit them. Caution will be in order.”
The light winds, mostly clear skies and warm conditions experienced Friday should continue this morning, before the front moves in, he said.
Ahead of the front, there will be light to Kona wind conditions, possibly blowing in volcanic haze from the Big Island, with Maui County remaining mostly clear and dry through midday and early afternoon.
On Friday, most areas reported dry and clear to partly cloudy conditions. The Lanai and Molokai airports both were reporting a southerly to easterly wind Friday afternoon, blowing 7 to 12 mph, while the Kahului Airport was reporting fair skies with variable winds up to 7 mph.
Today, James said, the winds should be southerly with increasing cloudiness in the afternoon and early evening.
“The showers will be more of an islandwide thing. It’s not going to be just on the leeward sides. The front should pass all the way over Maui, so there will be some pretty good shower activity, and behind it, the trades will be coming back,” he said.
James produces the hawaiiweathertoday.com Web site, on which he will provide updated information over the weekend.