Special Marine Warning Issued for Kauai Channel and Oahu Waters

Source: NOAA · Kauai Channel and Oahu Windward Waters

This alert is no longer in effect.

NOAA issued it on May 23, 2026, 3 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).

Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.

NWS Honolulu has issued a Special Marine Warning for Kauai Windward Waters, Kauai Channel, and Oahu Windward Waters until 12:30 PM HST.

Read this weather record in 30 seconds

Record type
Special Marine Warning
Affected area
Kauai Channel and Oahu Windward Waters
Issued
May 23, 2026
Issuing authority
NWS Honolulu HI

Marine notices apply to named waters or shoreline zones. They may not describe conditions on land, even when the nearest place name is the same.

Record status: historical. It was issued 3 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Kauai Channel and Oahu Windward Waters.

Alert Details

A Special Marine Warning (event code MAW) has been issued by NWS Honolulu HI. The alert is effective from May 15, 2026 at 10:34 AM HST until May 15, 2026 at 12:30 PM HST.

Affected Areas

The warning covers Kauai Windward Waters, Kauai Channel, and Oahu Windward Waters. Impacted locations include Kahuku Point, FAD Buoy LL, FAD Buoy II, FAD Buoy X, and FAD Buoy J.

What You Should Do

Prepare for gusty winds, steep and fast-building seas, and blinding downpours. Stay low or go below, and make sure all on board are wearing life jackets. If caught on the open water, stay below deck if possible.

Expected Conditions

A strong thunderstorm was located 22 nm north of FAD Buoy X (31 nm north of Turtle Bay) moving north at 35 knots. Hazards include wind gusts 34 knots or greater and small hail. Small craft could be damaged in briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves. Frequent lightning is occurring with this storm.

Timeline

The alert is in effect from 10:34 AM HST to 12:30 PM HST on May 15, 2026.

Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗

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Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this NWS weather alert: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this NWS weather alert.

What is this NWS weather alert about?
NWS Honolulu has issued a Special Marine Warning for Kauai Windward Waters, Kauai Channel, and Oahu Windward Waters until 12:30 PM HST.
Which agency issued this alert?
This alert was issued by NOAA. The original notice is available at the source link at the bottom of this article.
How severe is this alert?
This alert is classified as "high" severity. Take precautions and monitor for updates.
What area is affected?
This alert affects Kauai Channel and Oahu Windward Waters. Check with NOAA for the most current geographic scope.
Where can I find more Weather Alerts updates?
Browse the full Weather Alerts feed on Areazine at areazine.com/weather/ for the latest updates from NOAA and other agencies.