Rain, High Winds, Big Surf Forecasted For State

HONOLULU -- Winter weather rolled in Tuesday night and should continue through Wednesday as a cold front marches across the state, according to the National Weather Service.

The front itself should bring a brief bout of clouds and showers to each island, beginning with Kauai early Wednesday and ending with the Big Island Wednesday night. No flood problems are expected as showers should remain light to moderate and are not expected to sit over any one area for more than 6 hours.

Behind the front, strong and gusty north winds should spread over the islands on Wednesday. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for the island of Kauai and Oahu beginning at 2 a.m. Wednesday and continuing through 8 p.m.

A wind advisory means that strong winds of 30 mph with frequent gusts above 50 mph are expected and that area residents should secure loose objects or move them indoors.

The north winds, moving in from the Polar Regions, should also bring a return of the bone-chilling conditions we saw over the weekend. The breeze and chill are set to hang on through Thursday, before the state sees a gradual warming on Friday as winds shift to a more easterly trade wind direction.

At the beach, a high surf advisory is in effect through 6 p.m. Thursday for the north- and west-facing shores of most islands. Surf heights of 10- to 18-foot faces for north facing shores and 6- to 12-foot faces for west-facing shores are expected by sunset. This swell should peak Wednesday night and slowly diminish on Thursday. However, another large northwest swell is set for the weekend.