(House by the sea)
(House by the sea)
Weather
The Big Island is truly a natural wonder. Visitors here will find everything from stony deserts, to tropical forests, to high alpine zones, all on just one island. The Big Island in fact offers vacationers an opportunity to experience 11 of the world's 13 climate zones. Even with all this, the island is still a work in progress, with Kilauea adding to and reshaping it every day and as we'll see, the volcano even effects her weather.
We can never guaranty the weather here on the Windward side. Normally, we get our rain at night and early morning and then it turns nicer. However, we can get rain for 3 or 4 days straight - just like we can get solid sun for a week or two at a time. You might want to know that the Kailua-Kona area gets rain almost every day as the clouds form in the hills above Kailua. The only near guaranty of weather would be the more expensive resorts about 35 miles north of Kailua like the Hilton. However, you will spend hundreds per night for just a room. Anyway, we just want to tell you that we certainly can't guarantee the weather. Hilo does get twice the rain as where we are at. We are only 20 miles from Hilo and get about 50-60 inches per year. Hilo gets about 150 inches per year. So it can vary greatly in just a few mile. We get three times the rain on our little farm and it's just 9 miles away. Generally, the closer to the mountains you are the wetter is will be.
Because Hawaiian weather varies very little throughout the year, the weather you'll experience on the Big Island depends more on location than time of year. The wide variety of climates and the resulting range of temperatures and rainfall across the island are due primarily to differences in elevation and exposure to the moist northeasterly trade winds. The average day-time temperature in the coastal resort areas ranges from the mid 80's (29.4 C)in the summer months of May to October to the mid to low 70's (23.9-26.1 C) during the winter months of November to April.
A brief review of weather at several popular locations on the island will give visitors a sense of the range of weather they can expect. On the dry southwest side is the Kona coast, where average summer day-time high temperatures are from 77-80 degrees F (25.0-26.7 C), with night-time lows of 61-64 degrees (16.1-17.8 C). Day-time temperatures in the winter here are usually 76-79 degrees (24.4-26.1 C), with night- time lows of 59-62 degrees (15.0-16.7 C). You generally can count on getting a lot of sun in the Kona area, where average monthly rainfall around Kona-Kailua is less than 1 inch in the summer and 1-3 inches during winter months.
To the north is Waimea in the heart of the Big Island's paniolo (cowboy) country. Located up slope from the beach areas, Waimea's 2,600 foot elevation is slightly cooler, with summer day- time high temperatures of 74-77 degrees (23.3-25.0 C) and night time lows of 53-58 degrees (11.7-14.4 C). In the winter day-time highs here drop to 72-75 degrees (22.2-23.9 C), with night-time lows of 51-54 degrees (10.6-12.2 C).
If you really want to experience the lushness of the Big Island, as well as seeing the world's only drive-in volcano, then a visit to the windward northeast coast is a must. The variety of environments to be seen here will amaze you. For example, in a span covering only 6-7 miles you can go from the humid tropical rainforests just north of Kilauea, to the rocky Kau desert just south of the volcano's caldera. This part of the island receives more rain than the leeward coast because of its exposure to the trade winds and its this moisture that supports all the luxuriant growth you can see here, making the city of Hilo one of the flower growing capitals of the world. During the winter season, Hilo receives 9-14 inches of rain per month. This drops to 6-10 inches during the summer months. Summer temperatures here reach a day- time high of 79-84 F degrees (26.1-28.9 C), declining to a low of 68-69 degrees (20.0 C) in the evening. Winter day-time highs reach 79-81 degrees (26.1-27.2 C) , while evening low temperatures are 63-67 degrees (17.2-19.4 C).
One hint to keep in mind that can help you enjoy your time visiting the windward coast and Kilauea areas is that most of the rain falls in the evening and morning hours, so plan your day accordingly. Those planning to visit the summit of Kilauea volcano and other elevated locations on the Big Island will need to bring several layers of light clothing that can be peeled away as needed to feel comfortable in these cooler climates.
For beach-goers the sea water temperatures at the Big Island's beaches range from the high 70's (25.6 C) in summer to the low-mid 70's (22.8 C) in the winter. Unlike some of her neighbors, most of the beaches on The Big Island