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High surf, strong winds forecast to buffet Hawaiian islands over weekend

Surf remains below advisory levels for all Hawaii shores today, but new swells are expected to arrive Friday, and trades will ramp up over the next few days, becoming gusty over the weekend.

The National Weather Service says trades will shift out of the east to east-southeast, becoming strong and gusty over the weekend into early next week.

Larger, northwest swells, meanwhile, are being generated in the distant northwest and are expected to bring advisory level surf for north and west shores of Kauai and possibly Oahu by late Friday.

Surf on north shores today remains at 4 to 6 feet, but jumps to 14 to 18 feet by Friday afternoon, while surf on west shores at 2 to 4 feet today increase to 9 to 12 feet Friday afternoon.

On south and east shores, surf remains at 1 to 3 feet and 3 to 5 feet, respectively, today through Friday morning. Surf on east shores, choppy due to trades, are expected to get a bump up to 4 to 6 feet by Friday afternoon.

Surf heights peak on Saturday, and may prompt a high surf warning for north and west shores.

Today’s skies are partly sunny, with highs from 76 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, and scattered afternoon showers. Lows tonight dip to 65 to 70 degrees.

Haze is expected through the night for Hawaii island, where an eruption at Halemaumau Crater at Kilauea continues. The west vent continues erupting lava into the lava lake, and gas emissions at the summit remain elevated.

East winds remain at 15 to 20 mph today, and increase to 15 to 25 mph Friday, bringing showers to the windward sides. Wind speeds gain even more momentum, up to 30 mph, later in the weekend.

A small craft advisory remains in effect for Maalaea Bay through 6 p.m. Sunday.

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