The Climate of
Hawaii
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Waikiki Beach, Honolulu
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What is the climate of Hawaii like?
The islands of Hawaii are a state of the USA; they are situated between 18° and 22°N in the central Pacific, almost midway between North America and Japan. In area the islands are rather smaller than Wales or the state of Massachusetts; about 16,400 sq km (6,400 sq mi). There are eight main islands; all are hilly and mountainous and consist of both extinct and active volcanoes. On the islands of Hawaii and Maui these peaks exceed 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) in height.
The islands have a tropical oceanic climate with temperatures much moderated both by altitude and by regular sea breezes at lower levels. There is no great difference in average daily temperatures around the year and, although warm or even hot, the combination of temperature and humidity is rarely unpleasant. There are some remarkable differences in annual rainfall between the southwest coasts, which are relatively dry (see the climate of Honolulu), and the northeastern coasts exposed to the trade winds (see the climate of Hilo), which receive much heavier rainfall in all months. In the drier parts of the islands the wettest season is the time of low sun between October and March, which is rather unusual in the tropics.
| Climate data for Honolulu (1991−2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 80.5 (26.9) | 80.5 (26.9) | 81.2 (27.3) | 83.1 (28.4) | 84.8 (29.3) | 86.9 (30.5) | 88.1 (31.2) | 88.8 (31.6) | 88.4 (31.3) | 86.9 (30.5) | 84.1 (28.9) | 81.8 (27.7) | 84.6 (29.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 73.6 (23.1) | 73.8 (23.2) | 74.7 (23.7) | 76.6 (24.8) | 78.2 (25.7) | 80.3 (26.8) | 81.6 (27.6) | 82.2 (27.9) | 81.6 (27.6) | 80.4 (26.9) | 78.0 (25.6) | 75.5 (24.2) | 78.0 (25.6) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 66.8 (19.3) | 67.1 (19.5) | 68.1 (20.1) | 70.1 (21.2) | 71.5 (21.9) | 73.8 (23.2) | 75.1 (23.9) | 75.6 (24.2) | 74.8 (23.8) | 73.9 (23.3) | 71.8 (22.1) | 69.2 (20.7) | 71.5 (21.9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.84 (47) | 1.94 (49) | 2.36 (60) | 0.77 (20) | 0.82 (21) | 0.50 (13) | 0.52 (13) | 0.84 (21) | 0.88 (22) | 1.51 (38) | 2.25 (57) | 2.18 (55) | 16.41 (417) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Hilo (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 78.7 (25.9) | 78.4 (25.8) | 78.5 (25.8) | 79.0 (26.1) | 80.7 (27.1) | 81.8 (27.7) | 82.8 (28.2) | 82.9 (28.3) | 83.3 (28.5) | 82.4 (28.0) | 80.3 (26.8) | 78.8 (26.0) | 80.6 (27.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 71.4 (21.9) | 71.2 (21.8) | 71.9 (22.2) | 72.5 (22.5) | 74.0 (23.3) | 75.2 (24.0) | 76.3 (24.6) | 76.6 (24.8) | 76.5 (24.7) | 75.7 (24.3) | 74.0 (23.3) | 72.2 (22.3) | 74.0 (23.3) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 64.1 (17.8) | 64.1 (17.8) | 65.2 (18.4) | 66.1 (18.9) | 67.3 (19.6) | 68.7 (20.4) | 69.9 (21.1) | 70.4 (21.3) | 69.8 (21.0) | 69.0 (20.6) | 67.6 (19.8) | 65.7 (18.7) | 67.3 (19.6) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 7.86 (200) | 10.22 (260) | 12.68 (322) | 9.40 (239) | 6.99 (178) | 7.30 (185) | 9.24 (235) | 11.30 (287) | 8.70 (221) | 10.24 (260) | 14.39 (366) | 12.07 (307) | 120.39 (3,058) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Some mountain slopes on the island of Hawaii are amongst the wettest regions in the world, with an annual rainfall exceeding 10,000 millimeters (400 inches). The difference in the amount of cloud between the wetter and drier areas causes the average daily sunshine hours to vary between seven and ten hours throughout the year at Honolulu to a mere four to five hours at the wetter places. The islands are occasionally affected by tropical cyclones between May and November, which otherwise is the drier time of year. Such severe storms, however, are less frequent here than in the Caribbean or the South China Sea and west Pacific.
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Hawaii
In summary:
Hawaii has a tropical climate cooled by trade winds. Normal daily temperatures in Honolulu average 74°F (23°C) in February and 82°F (28°C) in August. The sky is usually cloudless or only partly cloudy.
More rain falls in the winter months; and the amount increases with the altitude also up to about 4000 feet (1200 m). The level of rainfall varies greatly across the islands. The southwest coasts are quite arid, whereas the northeastern coasts exposed to the trade winds receive much heavier rainfall. Some mountain slopes are among the wettest regions in the world.