What's new
Changes to HawaiiStorm, newest first.
A new storm symbol, and a page for every island
- NewStorms on the map have a new, simpler symbol: a hurricane shows its category inside it, and nothing hangs underneath to cover the track. It is our new logo too.
- NewA page for each island: Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui and Big Island open straight to that island.
- FixedAfter an update your browser could keep running the old version for up to four hours, so new features did not show up. Updates now reach you on the next page load.
- ChangedHawaiiStorm now also measures visits with Google Analytics, which sets cookies, to learn which pages and islands people use. Your location is never sent, and neither is anything you type unless you send us feedback.
- NewEvery storm has its own address, like hawaiistorm.com/storm/nolo-2026, and islands too: /maui, or /maui/storm/nolo-2026 for both. Pick another storm or island and the address follows, so you can share exactly what you see.
- BetterIf the map feed drops a storm that the National Hurricane Center still lists, HawaiiStorm keeps showing it and says which parts may be behind, instead of letting it disappear.
- NewStorm vitals (and “Where the storm is right now” in Simple) shows how fast the storm is moving, from stalling to fast, whether it is slowing down, and what that means for Hawaii. A slow storm keeps raining on the same places.
- NewIn Full data, press i on Storm vitals to learn how to read it.
- NewIn Full data, point at a map button to see what it shows. On a phone, What are these? explains them all, and each tap says what just appeared.
- BetterThe bottom of the page answers common hurricane questions: when the season is, watch versus warning, and what the cone means.
- BetterSource links now open the agency's own page (National Hurricane Center, NWS Honolulu, NOAA Tides & Currents) instead of raw data files.
- BetterThe browser tab names the storm you are following.
- FixedIn light mode, the forecast cone and wind areas no longer cover the map in grey.
- FixedIn light mode the sea is lighter and the forecast cone has a clear edge, so the cone and model tracks stand out over the islands.
- ChangedThe map always shows the islands' mountains and valleys; the relief button is gone.
Feedback, About, and a steadier map
- NewSend feedback from the ? menu or the footer. It goes straight to me.
- NewAn About page: who built this, and why.
- NewThis page.
- NewThe map now shows the islands' mountains and valleys.
- BetterThe hurricane hunters 3D page now looks like the rest of the site.
- ChangedWhen you switch to another tab, or leave the page alone for 10 minutes, HawaiiStorm pauses to save data and updates only every 5 minutes. The status at the top pulses and says how old the data is; press Refresh there to go back to live updates.
- NewThe ? menu shows which version you're on, currently v0.2. Mention it when you send feedback.
- BetterPicking a storm now centers the map on it, once. After that the map stays where you put it.
- BetterClick a storm on the map to switch the whole page to it: vitals, forecast, wind reach and model guidance.
- BetterWith several storms active, choose between them from a dropdown instead of a row of chips.
- BetterIn Full data, the timeline now sits above the map.
- BetterThe data relay behind buoys, model guidance and hurricane hunter flights now serves only this site, so heavy use elsewhere cannot slow it down.
- BetterIf a data source stops answering, the status at the top now says partial instead of live, and that panel shows how old its data really is.
- FixedAlerts, storm advisories, tides and buoy readings could be several hours behind what NOAA had published. They are current again.
- FixedPicking a storm outside the Pacific, in the Atlantic or Indian Ocean, now moves the map all the way to it instead of stopping short.
- FixedThe "storm → distance" arrow no longer stays on screen when the storm is already in view.
- ChangedRemoved the Comfy / Compact setting. Full data keeps its compact layout.
- ChangedHawaiiStorm now counts visits with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which uses no cookies.
HawaiiStorm goes public
- NewLive at hawaiistorm.com, under a new name. It used to be called Cyclone Watch.
- NewNHC's seven-day tropical weather outlook: the areas where a storm could form, with their chances, on the map.
- BetterA storm far from the islands can now be opened, with its model guidance.
- BetterThe storm card over the map can be shrunk out of the way, and lists one line per storm.
- BetterA shared cache in front of NOAA's sources, so the page stays fast however many people are watching.
Island first
- NewPick your island, and every tile answers for it. A Simple view for a quick answer, and Full data for everything.
- BetterThe map respects your own pans and zooms, reaches storms far away, and works with a keyboard and on a phone.
Before that came the first version, built the week before Hurricane Lowell reached Kauai. The About page has that story.