HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The HNN First Alert Weather team has been monitoring the strong winds and chance for elevated fire danger all week long.
Due to gusty winds, low relative humidity, and dry brush fuels present in leeward regions, Wednesday and Thursday are now FIRST ALERT WEATHER DAYS for Hawaii Island and Maui County.
Wednesday and Thursday are now First Alert Weather Days amid strong winds and leeward fire danger.(HNN Weather)
Winds
The National Weather Service has issued several alerts across the state as winds continue to build in strength. Those alerts currently include:
A WIND ADVISORY for portions of Hawaii Island and Maui County. This advisory will end at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Sustained easterly winds could reach as strong as 25-35 miles per hour, gusting up to 50 mph.
Hawaii Island and portions of Maui County are under a wind advisory until 6 PM Wednesday.(HNN Weather)
A HIGH WIND WARNING for Hawaii Island’s summits. This warning will end at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Sustained easterly winds could reach as strong as 50-60 miles per hour, gusting up to 70 mph.
A High Wind Warning is in effect for Hawaii Island summits until 6 PM on Wednesday.(HNN Weather)
Cooler-than-average high temperatures for this time of year may keep relative humidity levels from reaching the 45% humidity criteria for a Red Flag Warning, but the ingredients for fire danger are still present.
Drought is still present in many leeward areas across the state. Please remain vigilant and avoid burning throughout the rest of this week.
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Small Craft Advisory
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY for all offshore waters. This advisory will last until 6 p.m. Thursday. Easterly winds up to 30 knots and seas up to 12 feet are expected.
A small craft advisory is in effect for all offshore waters until 6 PM Thursday.(HNN Weather)
Surf
Among the strong winds, high surf is also in the forecast across the island chain.
A HIGH SURF ADVISORY is also in effect for the north and west-facing shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and the north-facing shores of Maui. This advisory will last until 6 AM on Wednesday.
A High Surf Advisory is in effect for north and west facing shores until 6 AM on Wednesday.(HNN Weather)
Surf on north-facing shores could peak as high as 18-24 feet today. Wave heights are forecasted to drop to around 12-16 feet tonight.
Surf on east-facing shores is also on the rise this week due to the strong trade winds.
Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Robbins has Hawaii’s most accurate First Alert Forecast every weeknight at 5, 5:30, 6, 9 and 10. Get weather updates every ten minutes on HNN Sunrise, weekdays with Guy Hagi and weekends with Billy V. Meteorologist Drew Davis has your forecasts on This is Now at noon, First at Four and Hawaii News Now at 6:30. And join Ben Gutierrez weekends.
Download HNN’s weather app for everything you need to plan your day.(Hawaii News Now)
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Comet C/2025 A6, better known as Comet Lemmon, was one of the latest icy visitors to swing through our neighborhood of the solar system, leaving astronomers and casual skywatchers equally delighted. For observers in Hawaii, the glow of the Milky Way didn’t dim the streak of light made by this comet passing through.
What is it?
Comet Lemmon was discovered in January 2025 and made its closest approach to Earth in late October 2025. But by November 2025, when this image was taken, it had brightened to about the same apparent brightness as the planet Uranus, making it visible to the naked eye even from suburban skies.
Where is it?
This image was taken atop the volcanic peak Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Comet Lemmon could be seen with the naked eye as it streaked across the sky. (Image credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURAImage processing: M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab) & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab))
Why is it amazing?
Comets are notoriously unpredictable, so Comet Lemmon’s surprising visibility has felt like a bit of a cosmic bonus for Hawaiian stargazers. And this was a rare treat, as the comet won’t return to Earth’s skies for another 1,350 years, around the year 3375.
Framing this comet is the glow of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, which is easier to spot at higher elevations like Mauna Kea’s peak, where there is less light pollution. The image gives us a souvenir from a celestial visitor that won’t be back for more than a millennium.
Want to learn more?
You can learn more about comets and skywatching.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (HawaiiNewsNow) – U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) reintroduced a piece of legislation on Thursday to strengthen protections for immigrant families and address long-standing problems in the family immigration system.
The Reuniting Families Act aims to reduce visa backlogs, boost efficiency across the immigration process, and ensure a fairer, more humane process for immigrant families.
“Immigrant families currently experience unnecessary obstacles and delays due to our country’s broken immigration system, keeping families separated for potentially long periods of time,” Hirono said. “By reducing family-based immigration backlogs and making common sense updates to how we treat families, the Reuniting Families Act will help take the first step in the right direction to keeping families together as they navigate our immigration system.”
According to the senators behind this bill, nearly four million people with approved visa applications are currently trapped in a massive immigration backlog, with many waiting more than a decade to reunite with their loved ones.
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“As Donald Trump’s inhumane mass deportation campaign rips apart families and communities across the country, it’s paramount we address the unnecessary barriers in our immigration system that have created backlogs and kept families apart for years,” Duckworth said. “Our legislation would implement commonsense reforms to help end family-based backlogs, which keep too many with approved green card applications stuck in bureaucratic limbo, and help get more families where they belong—together.”
The Reuniting Families Act would shorten delays by recapturing unused visas, rolling them into future years, expanding who qualifies as a family member to include permanent partners, and increasing both the total number of available family preference visas and per-country limits.
The bill would also put a time limit on visa processing, so no applicant has to wait more than 10 years for a visa if they have an approved application.
Click here to read the full bill.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
HONOLULU (AP) — Henry Rouhliadeff scored 16 points to lead six Hawaii players in double figures and the Rainbow Warriors beat Division-II Hawaii Hilo 98-46 on Wednesday night.
Rouhliadeff made 6 of 9 from the field and finished with nine rebounds and five assists. Dre Bullock scored 12 points for Hawaii (9-2) and Hunter Erickson, Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, Gytis Nemeiksa and Isaac Finlinson added 11 points apiece.
Jamal Entezami led Hawaii Hilo with 11 points and Jessiya Villa scored 10.
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Hawaii shot 51% overall and made 13 3-pointers. The Rainbow Warriors, who went into the game averaging 13.4 assists per game, had a season-high 25 assists on 35 made field goals.
The 52-point margin of victory was Hawaii’s largest since a 106-49 win over Redlands on Jan. 28, 1972, and the third largest in program history. The Rainbow Warriors beat BYU Hawaii by 67 (106-49) in the 1962-63 season.
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