Latest / Aloha Today — Your Daily Hawaii Briefing / Aloha Today — Your Daily Hawaii Briefing — Thursday 2026-08-13
Transcript
- 0:00Aloha. Thursday morning. A tropical cyclone is arriving Friday night, and today's the last dry day before serious impacts hit.
- 2:13Today and Friday stay dry with strong trade winds. Fire danger is high, especially Friday—be careful with any open flames. Windward areas might see scattered showers, but most of the state will be dry. Come Friday night, Potential Tropical Cyclone One-C moves in with damaging winds Saturday, strongest around Maui and the Big Island, spreading to other islands Saturday night into Sunday. Heavy rain of 5 to 10 inches is possible on east and southeast-facing slopes—flash flooding and rapidly rising streams are a real risk.
- 2:39Oʻahu's south shore is 5.6 feet with moderate surf—watch the shore break and rip currents. North shore is 4.8 feet, also moderate. Maui is 3.9 feet, and the Big Island sits at 1.7 feet with small conditions. Kauaʻi is 4.5 feet. But come Saturday, dangerous surf over 15 feet will hit east-facing shores through Sunday—definitely a watch-from-shore day.
- 2:57Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has several trails closed: Hilina Pali Road is shut for fire risk, Sulfur Banks and Kīpukapuaulu are closed, and Kahuku Unit roads are down. Kīlauea erupted Wednesday afternoon with volcanic ash reaching 18,000 feet and moving west-northwest across the Big Island—check air quality if you have respiratory concerns.
- 3:14Kīlauea's eruption is the story right now. Episode 53 started Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. with fountaining active inside Halemaʻumaʻu. Our piece on the eruption breaks down what the fountaining means and where the ash is moving. If you're planning a Big Island visit this weekend, the volcano alert and incoming storm mean some trailheads will be off limits—roads may close, and visibility will be poor. Plan indoor activities or delay that hike.
- 3:36Head over to hawaii-guide dot com slash this-week for what we're tracking.
- 3:40Use today to prepare—fuel up, stock supplies, secure loose items. If you're heading out this afternoon, go early and get back before Friday night. Talk to you tomorrow.