A strong Kona low is expected to form northwest of the state today, and bring gusty southerly winds and wet weather to Kauai and Oahu as early as tonight, the National Weather Service said.

Heavy showers and gusty winds are possible through Thursday night over the western half of the state with the low maintaining a position to the northwest, forecasters said.

On Friday, the low is expected to move off to the north leaving behind southeast winds and unsettled weather for the weekend.

Here's a closer look at the rest of the work week:

Today: Scattered showers. Widespread haze. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. South wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tonight: Scattered showers. Widespread haze. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Breezy, with a south wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday: Frequent showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Widespread haze. High near 77. Breezy, with a south wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday Night: Frequent showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Widespread haze. Low around 69. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: Showers likely. The rain could be heavy at times. Widespread haze. Cloudy, with a high near 75. East wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Scattered showers. The rain could be heavy at times. Widespread haze. Cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.