UPDATE – (11 a.m. on January 9, 2024) – Hawaiʻi Island Weather Update for Tuesday, January 9

(BIVN) – A slow moving front is bringing heavy showers and thunderstorms over the island of Hawaiʻi, creating the potential for flash flooding.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu has posted a Wind Advisory for Hawaiʻi island summits and leeward areas, as the front moves over the Big Island after battering the other Hawaiian islands on Monday. Southwest winds of 40 to 50 mph, with localized gusts over 60 mph, are expected at higher elevations. In Kona, where gusts could reach 50 mph, the strongest winds are forecast to be near the Kona Airport.

A Winter Weather Advisory has also been issued for the summits. The deep moisture forecast to spread over the island Tuesday will result in snow on the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, with additional snow accumulations of up to 5 inches. The Mauna Kea access road is already closed to the public at the Visitor Information Station.

A Flood Watch remains in effect. Forecasters reported a heavy shower band will move into West Hawaiʻi later Tuesday afternoon. They noted that “strong wind gusts and showers are already developing along the Kona coast on the Big Island this morning ahead of the main heavy shower band.” The National Weather Service stated early Tuesday morning that “the period from roughly the 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. HST is forecast to mark the peak threat for flooding over the Big Island today.”