Puna Weather
Saturday 30th May 2026
Today light to moderate easterly trade winds with widely scattered showers mostly during the night and early morning hours.
Sunday light northeast winds with increasing humidity. Widely scattered showers with VOG possible.
Monday and Tuesday light southeast winds and humid with scattered showers and VOG possible.
Tropical moisture is being pulled northeast as a mid-level trough passes by (500mb animation). The background trade flow nearer the surface is pushing this moisture towards our shores, and is due to arrive late today/early Sunday. The trough weakens our trade winds, and without wind we won't see as much rain. Still, dew points rise into the lower 70s so some showers are likely. The light winds may allow for deeper cloud growth over our mountains Sunday and Monday afternoons.
More typical trade winds and lower humidity begins around Wednesday as the trough exits to the northeast, and surface high pressure strengthens to our north.
Both the GFS and Euro models show an upper level trough diving south near our island beginning next week. The an upper level high to the east of this trough provides a low shear environment near 130W-140W (shear animation). A confluence of factors: a passing tropical wave in the ITCZ (currently located near 125W), a positive pulse in the MJO transiting the Pacific basin, and warm sea surface temperatures are making it possible for a weak tropical low to form near 130W.
If a low forms it would pose no threat to us as it will encounter a hostile high shear environment as it travels northwest.
