Puna Weather
Saturday 14th March 2026
Today and tonight strong south winds with gusts capable of downing branches. Very humid with periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms. Some of the thunderstorms could produce torrential rainfall, strong damaging wind bursts, and frequent lightning.
Sunday strong southwest winds, mainly affecting areas from Hilo south, and the northern Hamakua coast. Winds slowly decreasing through the day. Very humid with periods of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms.
Monday through Friday mostly light winds and very humid with periods of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms.
A powerful Kona storm to our northwest is currently pumping deep tropical moisture over us. A tight pressure gradient between this low and a northeast Pacific high is creating strong south winds over our island today and tonight, possibly into Sunday morning. Cold air aloft is slightly lacking with the freezing level remaining near 12,000', but there is environmental lifting from a couplet of low level convergence and upper level divergence. This pattern, deep moisture, and short wave impulses rotating through the base of the Kona storm will combine to bring periods of heavy rain and possibly strong to severe thunderstorms into early Sunday.
The low moves off to the northeast through the day on Sunday leading to weaker winds over our island. Monday through Friday the deep moisture from this departing system stalls over our island continuing the risk for periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms.
