UPDATE: Wind Warning Extended, High Surf Advisory Posted

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued several warnings Wednesday morning based on high winds and high seas around the Big Island.

The island’s summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are under a high wind warning until 10 a.m. this morning. Forecasters are expecting easterly winds between 35 and 50 miles per hour, which could gust up to 65 miles per hour. The rest of the island is under a wind advisory until 6 p.m. Thursday, with 15 to 30 mph winds expected to gust up to 50 miles per hour.

Leeward and southeastern waters around the Big Island, along with the Alenuihaha Channel, are under a gale warning, which is posted until 6 p.m. Thursday. The warning replaced a small craft advisory for those shores, and was necessary as winds from the northeast pushed up to 35 knots, fueling rough sea heights as high as 17 feet.

Advisory level conditions are still expected for the island’s Windward waters until 6 p.m. Thursday, with easterly winds at 25 knots pushing sea heights up to about 11 feet.

In addition, a high surf advisory has been issued for east facing shores of the island until 6 a.m. Friday morning. Forecasters are expecting six to eight feet of surf because of the strong trade winds around the state, and say that rough surf and strong rip currents may prove to be a hazard for water enthusiasts.