- Lihue
(
Kauai
)
- Honolulu
(Oahu)
- Kahului
(
Maui )
- Lahaina(Maui
)
- Hilo
(
Big
Island,
Hawaii
)
-
Kailua-Kona ( Big Island )
- Hawaii Climate summaries. More detailed weather.
- Temperature forecasts for the following
islands:
48 hour Hawaii Maui Molokai Oahu Kauai
My summary of Weather in Hawaii
I receive more email requests for
weather information about Hawaii than any other topic!
Here
are
my
answers.
Temperatures in Hawaii are very stable because it is surrounded by a
huge, deep, 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. If it comes from a
warmer place, it cools off.
The ocean water temperature only varies from about 76 to 81 degrees F.
Here are typical sea water temperatures,
in F degrees, for Honolulu:
Jan 76 Feb 76 Mar 76
April 76 May
78 June 79
July 80 Aug 80 Sept 81
Oct 81 Nov
79 Dec 77
Air
Temperature
The air
temperature
follows 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 1000 feet very rarely drop to 50°F.
Above 8000 feet, there is occasional freezing and even snow.
Precipitation
Snow is rare, 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.
The 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 travels down the leeward side of the mountains,
clears up. It's clouds dissipate and the rainfall diminishes.
The driest places are close to the ocean on the leeward,( usually
southwest ) side of any island.
The
rainiest
time
of
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. See also, "Precipitation in Hawaii."
Winds
The trade
winds that
flow over and around the
islands most of the time, must pass over mountains and
through valleys. These winds are usually over 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 mph are rare events, occurring only about every five years.
Hurricanes
Hurricanes
rarely hit Hawaii.
Damaging hurricanes that do significant damage
have been separated by about 10 years on the average. These hurricanes
are usually generated between Hawaii and Baja California. The most
recent severe storm, Hurricane Iniki, struck Kauai and parts of Oahu in
1991.
See also, "Hurricanes in Hawaii"
