Kauai Information > Kauai Weather

One of the wonders of Hawaii is its remarkably delightful and stable weather. It is the only one of the 50 states that is both in the tropics and surrounded by the ocean. This, together with the topographic diversity of the individual islands, is what create Hawaii's magnificent climate.
Hawaii features persistent trade winds in a general east-to-west direction. Continue Article

The heart of the trade winds flow across Hawaii during the period May through September, when the trades are prevalent 80 to 95 percent of the time. From October through April, the heart of the trade winds blow south of Hawaii and are prevalent 50 to 80 percent of the time.

Showers are very common and sometimes quite heavy, but the vast majority is light and brief--just a sudden sprinkle of rain. Thunder and lightening are very rare. The trade winds provide a refreshing natural ventilation much of time throughout most of the state.

There is only a slight variation in length of night and day from one part of Hawaii to another, since the major islands of the state all lay within a narrow latitude band. The relatively slight variations in the length of daylight in Hawaii and the smaller annual variations in the altitude of the sun above the horizon result in relatively small variations in the amount of incoming solar energy from one time of the year to another. This, combined with the constant flow of fresh ocean air across the islands is the reason for Hawaii's minimal seasonal temperature changes.

The native Hawaiians recognized only two seasons. KAU (May through October) was the fruitful season, the season when the sun was directly or almost directly overhead, the weather was warmer, and the trade winds were most reliable. HOO-ILO (November through April) was the season when the sun was in the south, the weather was cooler, and the trade winds were most often interrupted by other winds.

But the winner of the title of "Wettest Spot on Earth" goes to Mt. Waialeale in the deep interior center of Kauai, where the average annual rainfall is an incredible 486 inches (over 40 feet). The average annual rainfall over the entire state is equivalent to 8,000 billion gallons of water! Luckily the place where you'll be visiting will probably have just the right amount of rain

Water Temperature
Hawaiian waters are inviting year-round, averaging 74 degrees F (23 C) and reaching close to 80 degrees F (26 C) in the summer months. Surf conditions vary year-round according to seasonal storms in the Pacific.