Special Marine Warning Issued for Maui County Waters and Channels Through 5:15 AM HST
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 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.
The National Weather Service has issued a Special Marine Warning for Maui County waters and surrounding channels due to severe thunderstorms capable of producing waterspouts.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Maui County Waters
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Honolulu
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 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Maui County Waters.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Honolulu HI has issued a Special Marine Warning (SMW) for several marine zones around Maui County. The alert was issued at 3:20 AM HST following radar detection of severe thunderstorms in the area.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following maritime regions:
- Channels: Kaiwi Channel, Pailolo Channel, and Alenuihaha Channel.
- Coastal Waters: Maui County Windward Waters, Maui County Leeward Waters, and Maalaea Bay.
- Specific Locations: Impacted areas include Kahului Harbor, Kaumalapau Harbor, Hale O Lono Harbor, Cape Halawa, Ilio Point, and FAD Buoys K, MC, and CC.
What You Should Do
Mariners and residents in the affected areas should take immediate precautions:
- Prepare for gusty winds, steep and fast-building seas, and blinding downpours.
- Stay low or go below deck to avoid hazards.
- Ensure all persons on board are wearing life jackets.
- Avoid the warning area until conditions improve.
Expected Conditions
At 3:20 AM HST, a line of severe thunderstorms was located from 6 nautical miles southeast of Kahala to near Halaula, moving northeast at 20 knots.
Primary Hazards:
- Waterspouts: These can easily overturn boats and create locally hazardous seas.
- Wind: Gusts of 34 knots or greater are expected.
- Seas: Small craft could be damaged by suddenly higher waves and briefly higher winds.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately as of 3:20 AM HST on March 11, 2026. The alert is currently scheduled to expire at 5:15 AM HST.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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