The weather can vary greatly within a few miles. For instance, Mount
Waialeale on Kauai is the wettest spot on earth with over 460 inches of
rain a year (in 1982 it actually rained 666 inches!) However, just a few
miles away is a desert that receives less than 10 inches of rain per
year. So as you can see the weather varies quite a lot just on one
island.
Hawaii weather is greatly influenced by the trade winds
that generally blow at speeds of 10-20 MPH. Sometimes the winds will be
light to non-existent and sometimes they will blow much stronger--into
the 30 MPH range.
The trade winds have a welcome cooling effect.
Even though it may be 85 degrees with 80% humidity, the trade winds make
it feel much more comfortable.
The opposite wind is called the kona wind. The kona winds tend to
bring hot, humid weather, and sometimes rain. The kona winds are not as
prevalent as the trade winds. (Don't confuse kona winds with Kona side
of the Big Island which tends to be hot and dry.)
Hawaii has
semi-tropical weather. Temperatures usually range from 75-90 degrees
year round in the daytime, and 70-80 degrees at night. Temperatures in
the winter months may be a little cooler, where nighttime temperatures
can sometimes fall into the 50's. (It feels much cooler than that with a
20 MPH trade wind blowing.)
At the higher elevations of the
islands (such as up country Maui and Big Island) temperatures can drop
to the 30's or 40's and snow often falls at the very high elevations of
Haleakala and Mauna Kea!
Rain showers can appear at any time of
the year but they most often fall between the months of
November-February. Even though these winter months are technically the
"rainy season", the rains are generally short lived, and sunshine and
blue skies return quickly.
We call these short, light showers
"blessings." Sometimes you can't even seem to find the clouds that are
producing these "blessings", but if you look around you will probably
see the rainbows they leave behind!
Hawaii also has what are
called "Mauka Showers." Mauka means "inland" or "toward the mountains."
It will often be raining in the mountains or valleys, but be dry on the
beaches.
Sometimes during the winter months it does rain for 2-3 days
straight. The good news is that since there are so many micro-climates
on the islands, you can often just go a short distance to find dry
weather.
Hawaii does, on rare occasion have a hurricane pass our
way, although this happens much less often than it does in Florida or
other parts of the US mainland. It is always good to be prepared, of
course, but the last hurricanes to hit Hawaii was "Iniki" which hit
Kauai in 1992. Hurricane season runs between June-December.
Even
given these general guidelines, the weather can vary quite a bit
depending on where you are on the island. The windward (Northeast) sides
of the islands are generally the wettest and coolest, and the leeward
(Southwest) sides are generally the driest and hottest.
So as you
can see, there can be quite a variety of weather in Hawaii. Be sure to
pack a light jacket, rain coat, or sweater so you'll be comfortable on
the cool Hawaiian nights and in your visits upcountry.
If you plan
on visiting Maui or Big Island you won't want to miss the summits of
Haleakala (elevation 10,023 feet) and Mauna Kea (elevation 13,796 feet.)
Just make sure you pack a heavy jacket!
Friday, June 21, 2013
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