If you have a Hawaii trip coming up and you are counting on Hana Highway, Haleakala, or Oahu’s North Shore working normally, that is not the trip you should be planning around. After two back-to-back Kona storms, some of Hawaii’s most important roads are still closed or restricted, and recovery will take far longer than officials are letting on.
Editors’ Note, March 23, 2026: As of Monday morning, Maui remains under a Flood Advisory until 11 a.m. with heavy rain falling at 1 to 2 inches per hour over windward locations. The Big Island is under a Flood Watch through this afternoon as unstable moisture from the departing Kona low continues to bring the threat of isolated thunderstorms and additional heavy rain. The situation across the islands is still active.
In addition, at 10am Monday, we received notice that a line of thunderstorms is now approaching the Kona Coast of the Big Island, with the National Weather Service issuing a Special Weather Statement. Strong gusty winds up to 50 mph, heavy rain, and lightning are expected in the North and South Kohala and North Kona districts. Anyone outdoors in those areas should move inside a building or vehicle immediately.
What happened and why this is still unfolding.
The Kona Storms left no time to regroup. State crews are now dealing with washouts, debris, drainage failures, and roadbed damage, all at once. Full assessments are still ongoing, with clearing weather just happening on most islands as of Sunday, which means closures and partial reopenings are shifting day to day as new damage is found or conditions change.
Kauai: the one island that cleared early.
Kauai came through this in better shape than the other islands. The island advisory was lifted earlier, and conditions have turned drier and faster. Most roads are open, and cleanup has been moving quickly. That does not mean there are no issues, but compared to the rest of the state, Kauai is the closest thing to normal right now for visitors with upcoming trips.
Oahu: North Shore and windward roads are still affected.
Oahu still has active disruptions, especially on the North Shore and windward side. Kamehameha Highway at Waimea Bay is down to a single lane from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and fully closed overnight, with HDOT saying that schedule is expected to continue for about three more weeks while slope stabilization work above the jumping rock area is completed.
Kalaniana’ole Highway remains partially closed with right lanes blocked in sections. Other roads across the windward side and North Shore remain under repair or restricted, with conditions still changing daily.
There is also a boil water notice in place for the entire Oahu North Shore water system from Mokuleia through Turtle Bay. That affects homes, businesses, and visitors staying in that area too, and even where roads are open, conditions are not fully normal.
Maui: the island with the longest road back.
Maui is dealing with the most disruption. Hana Highway remains closed to visitors, with police checkpoints in place, and Honoapiilani Highway had slides cleared Saturday, but broader access problems remain.
The Haleakala route remains closed from mile marker 2.5 to Haleakala National Park due to damage from the earlier March 13 to 15 storm, with only essential traffic allowed, and repaving depends on weather conditions. Maui County also issued sinkhole-related evacuation warnings in Lahaina on March 22.
During the storm, approximately 200,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater overflowed at the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility and likely reached the ocean, with warning signs posted in the impacted area. Travelers with Maui plans should expect itinerary changes, not just minor road delays.
Molokai: the forgotten island in this story.
Molokai is still dealing with active impacts. Kamehameha V Highway has closures, and flash flooding was reported Sunday morning, with evacuation warnings still active. HDOT reported the highway was impassable between mile markers 0.5 and 12.5, with a major rockslide and debris near mile marker 7.5 and a damaged culvert at mile marker 12.5, while crews continued assessing conditions beyond that point.
There is very little centralized information for Molokai compared with the other islands, which makes it harder for travelers to track. If you have plans there, you need to check directly with local sources before traveling.
What travelers with upcoming bookings should actually do.
Do not assume that because Hawaii flights are operating normally, your entire trip will run normally. Check the Hawaii Department of Transportation and county road closure pages before you go and again right before you head out each day, because conditions are shifting as repairs progress, and a road expected to reopen in a week can slip if more damage is subsequently uncovered. Build flexibility into your plans while this gets worked out.
Brown water advisories are in effect statewide across Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and the Kona coast. On Oahu, wastewater spills were confirmed at facilities serving the Kailua and Kaneohe areas in addition to broader storm runoff, and the ocean safety chief advised all beachgoers to stay out of the water for at least 72 hours. Conditions on the other islands are similar enough that the same caution applies.
There is also a gap between official messaging and on-the-ground conditions. The state has said there is no reason to cancel trips, even as hotels have been used to house evacuees and key roads remain restricted. We covered that disconnect in Visitors Are Told No Reason To Cancel As The Royal Hawaiian And Moana Surfrider Welcome Flood Evacuees, and it is part of what travelers are trying to sort out right now.
If your plans depend on specific drives or access points, check those first, because if they are not open, the rest of the trip needs to adjust around that change.
Do you have a trip to Hawaii coming up in the next few weeks? Tell us which island. Many of our readers may be able to give you the most current road and access information available.
Photo Credit: © Beat of Hawaii at Kualoa Beach on North Shore Oahu, February 2026.
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Hi..
We are coming to Waikiki on May 1. What has been the effect of the storms on Waikiki and the Honolulu area?
Thanks
Greg.
We are flying into Oahu on April 6th and staying up in turtle bay. The family is freaking out as to what’s going to happen. How are the conditions in that area?
We head to Oahu 4/9, Maui 4/15 and the Big Island 4/20.
I am not worried about Oahu, but I am about Maui- Haleakala and the Road to Hana. Big Island I want to the the National Historic sites, one is currently closed and Volcanoes NP, which is partially open.
Very devastating for the state, but I don’t want to fly there and not be able to do the trip we planned.
Thoughts?
Yes, we have a trip Maui from May 10-20. I would love any updates. We had thought of doing the Road to Hana but I think we will pass on that. We are staying in Kaanapali so would love to know if the beach and water are open to use. Thanks in advance for any information.
Get a hold of Lahaina String… see what they think tourists should do…
Hawaii complained that tourists were consuming all the water and left residents with little to none. Well watch what you ask for because in all regards now you got it. Plenty of water so quit complaining.
We Reserved a family trip to Kauai April 3-9. Any problems that I should know about?
Thank you.
Family of 5 going to Ka’anapali 3/28 to 4/4, with a couple days in Hana, too. I am hearing the road to Hana will potentially take at least a week to clear for non-essential traffic, and that assumes that the weather cooperates. Waiʻānapanapa State Park is closed until at least 3/30, and I believe they still don’t have power at this point.
I am hearing that the roads to Lahaina are passable but not necessarily “OK” and lots of erosion issues for the roads and beaches, as mentioned in this article. It broke my heart, but we chose to cancel given that we could get a full refund on flights, hotel. Hopefully the weather allows for speedy repairs and the island will be much more accessible in the near future.
Hi,
I have plans to visit Princeville with my daughter, we girls are a little apprehensive about traveling and exploring the island after the severe storms.
This is a major trip and expenditure for us and we might cancel and come another time. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks and I wish all the residents of the islands all the very best.
Michelle
We land in Maui in May and I see now that what we are actually walking into might be worse than I thought. Losing Hana and Haleakala would change two of the reasons we picked Maui. Any idea yet what we should expect?
We are heading to Oahu and were planning a North Shore day. The unclear situation there changes our thinking in a big way and unless there is further guidance, I think we’ll skip that part entirely.
We were planning Hana Highway and Haleakala on our upcoming trip in April. At this point I am wondering if we should just save Maui for another time instead of forcing a vacation that is not going to be like the one we booked or whether things might all be working more normally by then.
I would wait on Maui – April will be too soon to visit with expecting the major day trips to be operating easily.
Thanks for the heads up as we arrive on Maui next week and this helped me understand what is going on. The official come anyway update made it sound like everything was basically fine, and clearly it is not. I’m doing to start digging and see what we need to adjust.
Yeah, it’s a mess here right now. I am telling everybody that’s planning to come especially though going to Maui is to try and reschedule your trip. Yes she will probably incur the expenses of changing, but you’re going to get here and find that traffic is going to be challenging, the weather is likely going to be uncooperative, there’s going to be road closures and delays, there’s so many displaced people right now. We really don’t need to add tourists into the mix.
family of 4 are travelling to Maui next week 3/30-4/5. we had planned to drive to Hana and spend two nights there and then stay near Haleakalā for a night to see the upcountry before heading to Ka’anapali for a few nights. Is this itinerary going to make sense now or should be pivot away from upcountry and the east coast. those were obviously big highlights for the trip and would make one consider whether to cancel all together and come back at another date. appreciate any on the ground advice you can offer.
Best to call your accommodations in Hana + ask advice, for starters. I got a message that the food bank was delivering to Hana so supplies may be scarce for residents.