Menu:
Weather Conditions in Hawaii
Hawaii offers an array of interesting climatic features just like its interesting topography and multi-ethnic cultural mix.
In general, the Hawaii weather can be defined as tropical, but there are pockets in this chain of islands that display sharp climatic diversities. This makes the study of Hawaii weather interesting in itself. Before we discuss about the Hawaii weather in details, we have to learn about the geographical features that account for the island’s interesting weather conditions.
Geographical facts of the Hawaii islands influencing weather
The Hawaiian island Chain extends for a distance of 2,000 miles at the northwest to the extreme southeast end. The six major islands of Hawaii occupy a narrow zone with a length of 430 miles. From west to east they are Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii respectively.
The Hawaiian chain of islands is created on the summits of a long range of volcanic mountains. While Kauai, in the west, is geologically the oldest of the six major islands, Hawaii, in the east, is geologically the youngest. The other major islands between Kauai and Hawaii fall in the intermediate category. The coastal lines of all the states feature steep cliffs with the varying heights of 300 to 3,000 feet. In addition to that all the islands are bordered with coral reefs.
This unique topography which is highly mountainous in nature works for the elevation of the entire chain; 50 percent of the total lands of the islands lie on an elevation of 2,000 feet and 10 percent lies on 7,000 feet. However the degree of elevation varies from island to island.
Due to the narrow width of the islands, over half the area of the entire state lies within five miles of the coast. This is an extreme example of insularity and as such the weather in the island is hugely influenced by the ocean. On the other hand, the mountains in the island, especially the massive ones like Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea in Hawaii largely neutralize the marine effects. This counter effects of marine influence and mountain climates result in semi-continental climatic pockets in some parts of the island. Thus Hawaii becomes a place of great weather diversity. And you can feel this variation even within a short distance.
Hawaiian Weather Facts
The unique feature of Hawaii weather is: the small annual temperature range. For example, the average temperature in Honolulu during August—the warmest month---remains 78° F, while in February—the coldest month---the average temperature remains at 72° F. Thus the difference between the average temperatures in the coldest and warmest months is only 6° F.
The summer and winter temperature in the islands are also controlled by the trade winds. In summer, persistent north eastern trade wind results in a clear blue sky and 22° C to 25° C temperatures. The winds from West overpower the trade winds in winter and that results in massive cloud and rain at a stretch. The windward west coasts are more susceptible to these winter disturbances.
Temperature varies at an average of 2 degree Celsius for every 1000 feet and thus the highest peaks in the island are covered with snow in the winters. As such the places in upcountry Maui and the Big Island, remain cooler even in summer evenings requiring you to carry a set of warm winter clothes.
Cyclones in Hawaii are not as frequent as the South Pacific, but they are not uncommon though. The cyclone season in Hawaii is from July to October. As with the other places so with Hawaii; earthquakes and tsunamis can not be predicted. However, the most vulnerable sights are marked with the quickest escape routes to high grounds.