What kind of climate does hawaii have

Much more common than hurricanes are smaller tropical storms that bring heavy swells and rains. Flash floods frequently occur during and after heavy rainfall and are more common in the wet season.

If you're visiting from a landlocked area, you'll feel the moisture in the air immediately upon your arrival at the airport. Visitors from typically dry areas, such as Colorado, may notice a replenished quality in their skin, or that their hair may take longer to dry after a shower or ocean swim.

The Hawaiian Islands fair well with comfortably moderate humidity levels diminished by cooling trade winds. On rare occasions when the trade winds are absent, humidity can make the air feel a bit thick. Hawaii is a surfer's paradise, with some of the biggest waves and cleanest barrels in the world. Check the daily surf reports to find out which part of the island boasts the best waves.

Generally speaking, the surf is highest in the winter months on the north shores of all islands and in the summer months on the south shores. North shore surf is bigger than south shore surf. Ocean Temperature. Visitors to Hawaii are amazed at how warm the ocean water feels. Now that's a comfortable swim! It takes time for the ocean to change its temperature between seasons. The warmest months in Hawaii are not June and July when the sun is highest, but August and September. The coolest month is not December when the sun is farthest south, but February and March.

The reason is because the ocean acts as a climate regulator and there is a seasonal lag in the ocean's temperature that affects the air temperature as well. The ocean's influence on air temperature can also be illustrated with the following example: Since Hawaii is located more than 2, miles 3, km from the nearest continent, air that reaches the Islands spends enough time over the ocean to adjust its temperature.

Trade Winds. Hawaiian residents and visitors are grateful for these steady and cool breezes brought from the northeast that sweep through the Islands at an average of 12 miles Trade winds are generally steady during the summer months and weaker and inconsistent in winter. In the winter months between late October and April Hawaii's weather is influenced by the southerly winds of Kona storms or by the southwesterly winds that precede and the northerly winds that follow cold fronts.

These winds bring much needed rain to the Islands. Called anuenue in Hawaiian, rainbows are abundant in the Islands and can be seen frequently accompanying light misting rain. It's not uncommon to see two or more rainbows together. Thanks to the help of active sea breezes, the cloud cover in Hawaii does not usually stay put for very long. Hawaii's heaviest rains are come from winter storms between October and April.

While the effects of terrain on storm rainfall are not as great as on trade wind showers, large differences over small distances do occur, because of topography and location of the rain clouds.

Differences vary with each storm. Frequently, the heaviest storm rains do not occur in areas with the greatest average rainfall. Relatively dry areas may receive, within a day or a few hours, totals exceeding half of their average annual rainfall.

The leeward and other dry areas obtain their rainfall mainly from a few winter storms. Therefore, their rainfall is usually seasonal and, their summers are dry. In the wetter regions, where rainfall comes from both winter storms and trade wind showers, seasonal differences are much smaller. At the opposite extreme, drought is not unknown in Hawaii, although it rarely affects an entire island at one time. Drought may occur when there are either no winter storms or no trade winds.

If there are no winter storms, the normally dry leeward areas are hardest hit. A dry winter, followed by a normally dry summer and another dry winter, can have serious effects. The absence of trade winds affects mostly the windward and upland regions, which receive a smaller proportion of their rain from winter storms.

Climate and Past Weather National More Hawaii Climate Portal Local. Please Contact Us. Please try another search. Multiple locations were found. Please select one of the following:. Location Help. News Headlines. Customize Your Weather. Privacy Policy. Current Hazards. Current Conditions. Rivers and Lakes. Climate and Past Weather. Local National Hawaii Climate Portal.

Latitude Hawaii is in the tropics, where the length of day and temperature are relatively uniform throughout the year. Permission required to enter some areas. High-elevation, high-rainfall native forest area with lots of great hiking trails. The wettest location at the summit crater of Haleakala volcano and longest hike. Keep your shorts on. Temperatures here are about the same as the Continuously Wet Warm Temperate zone, albeit with less rainfall, especially in the summer. On Hawaii Island, the zone encompasses much of the scenic rolling hills and pasturelands alongside the highest elevations of the Kohala Mountain Road and the alternatingly dry and wet pasturelands alongside the lower leeward portions of Saddle Road between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Winter months in this zone produce 70 percent of its total annual rainfall, while precipitation in its driest summer month may drop as low as 1. Camping area at the base of the Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa natural saddle. High-elevation forest with great hiking and mountain biking trails.

You may now get your warm jacket out. Perhaps even a parka. As with Hawaii, the zone is typically found elsewhere on earth in the subalpine areas of high mountain peaks, just below the Periglacial arctic tundra see next climate zone.

Natural vegetation is relatively sparse and extremely hardy. Snowfall occasionally occurs in this zone, especially on Mauna Kea, but morning and evening frost are more the norm.

Solar telescopes set up by day, stargazing telescopes set up by night on the 9,foot elevation patio. A small collection of the rare Hawaii plant species, neighboring the Mauna Kea visitor station. Everything from the 7,foot elevation park headquarters to the 10,foot elevation summit. The summit of Haleakala on Maui comes close, with average monthly highs of At 13,feet above sea level, one of the highest lakes in the U. Shop Online.

Nov 10, Derek Paiva ,. Tags : Hawaii Island. Trending Now Travel Safety. Where To Eat. Best of Related Articles.