Weather in Hawaii: An Inside Look

Everyone will agree that Hawaii is one of the most beautiful and exotic locations in the world and the weather in Hawaii helps to make it one of the most popular tourist destinations as well. The Hawaiian Islands are surrounded by a vast, warm ocean, which results in stable temperatures in Hawaii. This makes all the air over the islands pass first over thousands of miles of ocean before it reaches the islands, and so if the air is coming from a cooler place, it warms up.

The temperature will vary however, depending on location, and there are two main factors that attribute to weather in Hawaii, which are: altitude and exposure of the area to prevailing winds. The temperatures at altitudes below 1000 feet very rarely drop at all.

Taking A Look At Precipitation

Precipitation is one of the most questioned aspects of weather in Hawaii. Snow is very rare but does occur on occasion, particularly at very high elevations, anything about 8000 feet usually. As for rain, offshore the rainfall is about 25 inches a year, and as the warm, moist air passes over the islands, it must rise and cool as it passes over the hills and mountains. As it does so, water condenses. This means that the amount of rain in Hawaii basically depends on where you are on the islands.

The winds in Hawaii typically come from the Northeast, and as those trade winds rise they drop water on the land beneath them. This is why the windward side of the islands usually have much more rainfall overall than the leeward sides.

What About Natural Disasters?

There are few natural disasters that occur in Hawaii, as the weather in Hawaii is generally very mild. Earthquakes are quite common, but hurricanes rarely hit Hawaii. Damaging hurricanes that do significant damage have been separated by as much as 10 years on average, and even these hurricanes are usually generated between Hawaii and Baja California.

Overall it is easy to see why Hawaii is such a popular place to travel to. The weather in Hawaii is unbelievably favorable, but besides that, the landscape, culture, and people are wonderful. These are the factors that make up an unforgettable vacation. It is definitely a place that everyone should visit at least once in their life, and definitely not a place that you would ever regret traveling to. There is so much to see and do on the Hawaiian Islands, from snowboarding and skiing to sailing and parasailing, there is something for everyone. And that includes you.