Hawai‘i Kai in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Hawai‘i Kai sees average daytime highs around 74°F and overnight lows near 72°F, with 4.5 in of rain over about 15 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 74°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is Hawai‘i Kai's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. Hawai‘i Kai has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Hawai‘i Kai's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 74°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 72°F
- Rainfall
- 4.5 in
- 15 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 mph
- Travel score
- 8.2
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Hawai‘i Kai in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 74°F.
A typical winter day in Hawai‘i Kai reaches about 74°F and drops to 72°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Hawai‘i Kai weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74° / 72° | 1.4 | 4.9 | 10.8 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 74° / 71° | 1.1 | 4.4 | 11.3 | 8.1 |
| Mar | 74° / 71° | 1.5 | 4.4 | 11.8 | 8.2 |
| Apr | 75° / 72° | 0.4 | 2.4 | 12.5 | 8.6 |
| May | 76° / 74° | 0.5 | 2.2 | 13 | 8.7 |
| Jun | 77° / 75° | 0.3 | 1.1 | 13.3 | 8.8 |
| Jul | 78° / 76° | 0.2 | 1 | 13.2 | 8.7 |
| Aug | 79° / 77° | 0.4 | 1.8 | 12.7 | 8.5 |
| Sep | 79° / 77° | 0.4 | 2.2 | 12.1 | 8.4 |
| Oct | 79° / 76° | 0.8 | 2.9 | 11.5 | 8.1 |
| Nov | 77° / 75° | 1.6 | 4.9 | 11 | 8.0 |
| Dec | 75° / 73° | 1.9 | 5.2 | 10.7 | 8.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Hawai‘i Kai gets around 4.5 in of rain over 15 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 15 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Hawai‘i Kai
None of Hawai‘i Kai's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Hawai‘i Kai sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane zone; the season peaks August–September.
Is winter a good time to visit Hawai‘i Kai?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Hawai‘i Kai for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Hawai‘i Kai in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Hawai‘i Kai sees daytime highs around 74°F and nights near 72°F. Worth packing: light clothes, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Hawai‘i Kai in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 76°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 80°F and coldest in February near 75°F.
The water stays above 68°F all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 76 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 77 |
| Comfort | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76 | Warm |
| Feb | 75 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 75 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 76 | Warm |
| May | 77 | Warm |
| Jun | 78 | Warm |
| Jul | 79 | Warm |
| Aug | 80 | Warm |
| Sep | 80 | Warm |
| Oct | 80 | Warm |
| Nov | 79 | Warm |
| Dec | 77 | Warm |
UV index in Hawai‘i Kai in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hawai‘i Kai peaks around July 21 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 6 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
| Level | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | High |
| Feb | 9 | Very high |
| Mar | 10 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 7 | High |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Where is Hawai‘i Kai?
Hawai‘i Kai sits at 21.3°N, 157.7°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Honolulu, 1.2 mi away.
Topography around Hawai‘i Kai
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Hawai‘i Kai.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hawai‘i Kai has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,795 ft around an average of 318 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,117 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,983 ft.
The land around Hawai‘i Kai is covered by trees (32%), grassland (23%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, water (70%) within 10 miles, and water (86%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Hawai‘i Kai (21.2964°, -157.7018°, elevation 10 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.