Latest / Aloha Today — Your Daily Hawaii Briefing / Aloha Today — Your Daily Hawaii Briefing — Monday 2026-07-27
Transcript
- 0:00Aloha. Monday morning. Tropical Storm Fausto is spinning toward us from the east — it'll pass north of the islands tomorrow and Wednesday, but we're already bracing for dangerous surf and strong winds.
- 1:41Today is breezy with scattered showers on windward slopes and mountains, mostly early this morning. Windward shores take the rougher end of it. Leeward and south-facing areas stay drier and calmer. If you're heading to Maui or the Big Island today, windward channels are choppy — save ferry trips or open-water activities for later in the week.
- 1:59The ocean is already ramped up from distant swells, and Fausto will make it worse. Oʻahu's south shore sits at 4.6 feet with moderate surf and rough shore break. The north shore is at 4.7 feet — same deal, moderate and choppy. Kauaʻi is already at 6.2 feet, large and powerful — a watch-from-shore day for most people. Maui and the Big Island are calmer right now, but those east-facing beaches deteriorate quickly over the next 24 hours.
- 2:21Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island has the Lava Tube Bridge, Kīpukapuaulu Trail, and Kahuku Unit roads closed. Everything else on the islands is open and operating normally.
- 2:30With the ocean this rough through Wednesday, it's a good time to read up on what to look for in a snorkel tour — our piece on marine naturalist guides breaks down what makes a tour operator worth your money and what a solid reef briefing sounds like. Once Thursday arrives and the water calms, you'll have a clearer window to book something good.
- 2:47Fausto moves away starting Thursday. Winds drop back to normal, skies dry out, and rough surf eases by late Wednesday into Thursday. The pattern resets Friday with a fresh swell.
- 2:56Grab that snorkel guide before you book. Talk to you tomorrow.