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My Summary of Weather in Hawaii
I receive more
email requests for Hawaii weather information than any other topic!
Here are my answers. ( For current weather, click ).
Temperatures in Hawaii are very stable because it is surrounded by a
vast, warm ocean.
All the air over the islands must first pass over thousands of miles of
that ocean before it
reaches the islands. If the air comes from a cooler place, it warms up.
It it comes from
a warmer place, it cools off. The ocean water temperature off Hawaii
only varies from
about 76 to 81 degrees F.
Here are typical sea water temperatures for Honolulu, Hawaii (
Island of Oahu )
| Jan 76 |
Feb 76 |
Mar 76 |
April 76 |
May 78 |
Jun 79 |
| Jul 80 |
Aug 80 |
Sept 81 |
Oct 81 |
Nov 79 |
Dec 77 |
Air Temperature in Hawaii
Hawaii
air
temperatures
follow
a
seasonal
pattern.
At
sea
level,
the
all
day
average
air temperature varies from about 78 degrees in August to 72 degrees in
February.
Temperature varies depending
on location.
There are two main factors: Altitude and exposure of the area to
prevailing winds.
The prevailing winds are from the northeast. The northeast side of each
island
is called the windward side. The windward side of each island tends to
be cooler and wetter.
The high temperatures here rarely reach 90° F.
The leeward side is warmer and drier, Temperatures exceed 90° F
several days a year.
The
temperatures at altitudes below 1000 feet very rarely drop to 50° F
.
Above 8000 feet, there is occasional freezing and even snow.
Precipitation
Snow is rare in Hawaii, but does
occur at very high elevations, above 8000 feet.
Rain:
Offshore,
the
rainfall
is
about
25
inches
a
year.
As
the
warm,
moist
air
passes
over the islands, it must rise and cool as it passes over the hills and
mountains. As it cools,
water condenses. Therefore, the amount of rain depends strongly on
location.
Hawaii's winds usually come from the Northeast. As those trade winds
rise they drop water
on the land beneath them. Therefore, the windward side of the islands
have much more rain
than the leeward sides. In general, the closer you are to the mountains
on the windward side
( usually the northeast ), the wetter it is.
The air, having lost much of its water on the windward side, and
warming again as it moves
down the leeward side of the mountains, clears up. It's clouds
dissipate and the rainfall
diminishes. The driest and sunniest places in Hawaii are close to the
ocean on the leeward ( usually southwest ) side of any island.
The
rainiest season of the year, in most places, is winter. The seasonal
difference is greatest
at moderate elevations, and small at elevations above 2000 feet.
Rain
may be
very heavy at times. Floods are not uncommon near rivers on the
windward
side of islands.
Winds
The
trade
winds
that
flow
over
and
around the
Hawaiian islands most
of the time, must pass
over mountains and through valleys. These winds are usually above 12
mile per hour.
As they encounter these obstacles, wind speeds are increased as they
pass through valleys
and their direction changes as eddies form. Winds may be gusty, strong
and unpredictable
as a result. Winds above 60 miles per hour are rare Hawaii weather
events, occurring only about
every five years.
Hurricanes in
Hawaii
Hurricanes
rarely
hit
Hawaii.
Damaging
hurricanes
that
do
significant
damage
have been separated by about 10 years on the average. Hawaiian
hurricanes are usually
generated between Hawaii and Baja California.
The most recent severe hurricane, Iniki, struck Kauai and parts of Oahu
in 1991.
For
wonderful climate maps and charts of many other phenomena in Hawaii
you will absolutely love Atlas
of
Hawaii
|
Hawaii climate and weather as
locals know it
