Gentle to moderate southwest winds will prevail today as a front stalls northwest of Kauai, the National Weather Service said.

Cloud lines moving in ahead of the front may produce a few showers today, forecasters said.

The southwest winds are expected to become strong and gusty by tomorrow and rainfall will increase as a stronger front approaches.

The front is expected to reach Kauai by Friday morning and bring strong winds and widespread showers as it moves down the island chain to the Big Island by Saturday.

Winds will shift out of the northwest as the front passes and the weather will turn drier.

Moderate trade winds will prevail from Saturday afternoon through Monday morning, the Weather Service said.

The trades will die off by Monday night as a weather system moves back over the Islands.

Here's a more detailed look at what to expect during the next few days:

Today: Scattered showers. Partly cloudy, with a high near 79. South wind between 9 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tonight: Scattered showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Southwest wind between 11 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. Breezy, with a southwest wind between 16 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Thursday night: Frequent showers. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 66. Breezy, with a west wind around 23 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday: Frequent showers, mainly before noon. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 78. Breezy, with a west wind between 20 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday night: Isolated showers before midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. North wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.