Hawaii’s top emergency and weather officials are converging in Honolulu on Thursday as Gov. Josh Green hosts a hurricane outlook presentation for the 2026 season with the National Weather Service. The briefing is set to feature NOAA/NWS meteorologist John Bravender and state and county emergency leaders, including Maj. Gen. Stephen F. Logan, director of the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency. Officials say they will walk through the forecast, interagency coordination and public safety resources, framing the event as a push for residents and local leaders to lock in emergency plans before storms threaten the islands.
According to KITV, county emergency management administrators from Kauaʻi, Maui and Hawaiʻi County will join the briefing. Organizers say the session will focus on how local, state and federal agencies coordinate and what tools are available for public safety and communications. KITV’s Island News staff reported that the timing is meant to nudge communities toward preparedness before hurricane season ramps up.
Why NOAA's outlook matters to Hawaii
Federal forecasters released seasonal outlooks on Thursday that paint a split picture for the months ahead. NOAA is calling for a below average Atlantic season while expecting increased activity in the eastern and central Pacific because of a developing El Niño. As outlined by AP, that pattern can raise the odds that eastern Pacific systems or tropical moisture will influence conditions near Hawaii, even when storms track well south of the islands. The National Hurricane Center notes that routine Central Pacific tropical products resume on June 1, the official start of the Central Pacific season.
State teams gear up
State agencies and the National Guard have been in action since the spring Kona lows and subsequent floods, and the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency says its severe weather resources and interagency coordination remain active as communities recover. In an April news release, HI EMA and the governor’s office detailed steps from dam and reservoir monitoring to sandbag distribution and National Guard support, and pointed residents to state preparedness resources. Maj. Gen. Stephen F. Logan, who leads HI EMA, is slated to take part in Thursday’s briefing to talk through those preparations and response plans.
Tools and tips for residents
Officials are urging residents to finalize family emergency plans, review insurance coverage and pack two week kits now, rather than waiting for a hurricane watch or warning. As KHON2 reported, Bravender has highlighted new probabilistic storm surge maps and the rollout of storm surge watches and warnings this season. Those tools, which will be pushed through emergency alerts, could shift evacuation guidance for vulnerable shorelines. The National Hurricane Center and NOAA preparedness pages offer checklists and instructions on signing up for official alerts and building a household plan ahead of June 1.
Bottom line
The Honolulu briefing gives state and county leaders a public stage to align messaging and resources as Hawaii heads into hurricane season, with officials saying the goal is clearer and faster coordination if a storm takes aim at the islands. Per the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, residents can sign up for alerts and find local readiness information on the state’s emergency pages and through the GoHawaiʻi app. NOAA’s seasonal outlook, together with the new forecasting and surge tools, serves as a reminder that even a single storm can have outsized impacts in Hawaii, so the time to prepare is now.
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