LIHUE More hot weather is on the way, but trade winds should help cool things off a bit.
LIHUE — More hot weather is on the way, but trade winds should help cool things off a bit.
Temperatures around Kauai are expected to rise starting today, particularly on the leeward side of the island, where Westside residents can expect afternoon temperatures in the high 80s. Some of that heat should be mitigated by increasing trade winds, which are expected to pick up today. For the last couple days, a front to the northwest has been blocking trade winds, according to Vanessa Almanza, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service forecast office in Honolulu.
The relative lack of air movement has lasted for much of the past week, leaving Kauai under a blanket of stifling humidity, which combined with unprecedented heat — four days in the past week have either set or tied all-time record highs in Lihue — to make conditions sweaty and miserable for people wearing anything more than shorts and slippas.
But change is in the wind. Almanza said the northwest front is weakening, and moderate winds should break through starting today and lasting through the weekend. Leeward winds are expected to hover around 10 miles per hour and hold fairly steady at around 15 mph on the windward side.
Some rain will likely accompany the winds, especially on the windward side, Almanza said.
