Latest / Aloha Today — Your Daily Hawaii Briefing / Aloha Today — Your Daily Hawaii Briefing — Thursday 2026-09-24
Transcript
- 0:00Aloha. Thursday afternoon — Tropical Storm Nolo is strengthening into a hurricane, and it's heading toward the Big Island. I'm Mele with what's happening in Hawaiʻi today.
- 1:38Heavy rain is already soaking the windward Big Island — some areas got 1.5 to 2 inches overnight. Friday and Saturday, expect damaging winds across the Big Island and intensifying rainfall, particularly on the windward and southeast sides where flash flooding is a serious risk. All islands will see increasingly strong gusty winds through the weekend. Normal trade winds should return early next week.
- 1:58Surf is moderate on Oʻahu's north and south shores — 4.3 to 4.5 feet. Kauaʻi is seeing 5.1 feet. That's watch-from-shore territory with strong rip currents. Maui and the Big Island are calmer right now, but south-facing shores will see higher surf as the weekend progresses.
- 2:12Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is closed ahead of Tropical Storm Nolo — the entire park, Crater Rim Drive, and Mauna Loa Road. Contact the park or check the site before heading out to see when it reopens.
- 2:22Our guide on winter snorkeling covers where to find the calmest water across all the islands once this system clears. It walks through the sheltered bays island by island — Oʻahu, Maui, the Big Island, Kauaʻi — so you'll know exactly which beaches to hit when conditions settle down. If you're island-hopping or staying put, it's a solid reference for what's safe through the season.
- 2:42Wednesday the system is expected to turn westward, but the exact track is still uncertain — impacts could linger through the weekend.
- 2:48If you're on the Big Island, stock up before you go and give yourself extra time. Talk to you tomorrow.