As we’ve been working through our detailed month-by-month series to help you choose the best month for you to visit Hawaii, weather is certainly an important factor. Many times, we’ve referenced Weather.com’s excellent database of Hawaii of rainfall averages, however simply listing a single month’s rainfall data point by island, didn’t provide enough context to our liking. To remedy this issue, we’ve aggregated the rainfall data to provide a single chart.
Notes about the data:
– For simplicity, this chart only shows the four major islands. The general rainfall trend by month also applies to Lanai and Molokai. Additionally, it should be noted that rainfall levels on Lanai and Molokai will most closely match their neighbor island of Maui.
– The Big Island line for Hawaii Island is based on rainfall levels at the Kona airport. Hilo rainfall levels are significantly higher.
– Maui rainfall data is based on levels recorded at the airport in Kahului, which is not considered to be one of Maui’s major resort areas like Wailea, Lahaina, Kaanapali and Kapalua. Kahului’s rainfall tends to be a bit higher than all the major resort areas, with the exception of Hana on east Maui.
– Oahu rainfall data is based on records kept at the Honolulu airport. These levels will closely mirror Waikiki Beach, though Ko Olina will be drier and the the North Shore usually gets more rain than Honolulu.
– Kauai rainfall levels are based on data kept at the airport in Lihue. Compared to Lihue, Kauai’s North Shore receives more rain, while the South Shore is drier.
– Overall June is the driest month in Hawaii, while December is the wettest month.
– When we plotted this data, the uptick in rain from February to March was surprising. It’s not quite as dramatic when you consider that February only has 28 days and March has 31 days. Yet, when we averaged the rainfall to a per day level, March still edged out February with more rain.
If past behavior is a predictor of future behavior, you can use these rainfall trends to somewhat anticipate the type of weather you might encounter during your visit to the Hawaiian Islands.
We’ll be inserting this chart into our month-by-month analysis to help you determine the best times to visit Hawaii.
Sheila Beal
Andy Beal
12 comments
We would like to vacation in Hawaii for 3wks to 1 month. Looking for best deals and best winter months to see your beautiful state.
I’ve been to Maui a dozen times. All different times of the year. Winter, Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. even March, are very pricey. We primarily stay in Wailea. I’ve found late Aug. and the first of Sept. to be the best value. Check out The Grand Wailea. A beautiful place to stay. Three to four weeks in Hawaii, be sure to bring a couple credit cards. Enjoy!!
I am looking for all inclusive pricing for mid to late October 3 nights 4 days some activities as well. Thanks in advance for your assistance.
We’re not travel agents.
GYI – there really aren’t any true all-inclusive resorts in Hawaii like there are in Mexico and the Caribbean.
We are looking at traveling over Thanksgiving this year. Weather wise is this a good time to visit?
Weather is perpetually unpredictable. You can only look at trends over time to get an idea of what you might encounter. Take a look at these articles that will give you more insights to weather trends:
https://govisithawaii.com/2014/10/14/is-november-a-good-month-to-go-to-hawaii/
https://govisithawaii.com/hawaii-weather/
Sheila; After Covid shutdown finally made it last August to Kauai for 48th delayed to 49th Anniversary. Wife & I loved it SO MUCH. We are returning for 10 days in mid August for our 50th. Concierge booked us at Plantation Luau with 5-Star dining option on 8/12 for the big day! Wife loved Golf Cart tour in Princeville and Sunset dinner cruise! Mainly we LOVED the peace & quiet and relaxing on our Lanai! Forgot the everyday rainbows!
Great to hear your experience!
is Hilo that wet in august or september? ais Hilo much cheaper than the rest of Hawaii?
how about the crime rate? much worse than rest of the Island?
Thank you
Here’s our Big Island weather guide: https://govisithawaii.com/2015/10/06/hawaii-big-island-weather-guide/
Keep in mind that most rain falls overnight in Hawaii. https://govisithawaii.com/2011/04/05/most-of-hawaiis-rain-falls-at-night/
I’ve not seen any stats on the crime rates on Hawaii Island, but my impression is that Hilo is not very high in crime.
Whats the time horizon for your rain data? How many years used?
Our source was Weather.com. Unfortunately, the pages that the information was on have been deleted. We don’t recall a specific date range. It’s quite possible that the data may have changed a bit — especially after a major weather event, however, the overall trends are still valid.