Big Island of Hawaii Weather

Iselle: A Myth-Busting Hawaiian Tropical Cyclone

Big Island Hawaii Weather:  Easy blowing trade winds often bring the windward Hilo side (East Hawaii) more clouds and rain, where our leeward Kona side (West Hawaii) of the Big Island is much dryer and tends to be sunnier and warm.  We have eight micro-climates here on the Big Island of Hawaii, ranging from desert-like areas to tropical rainforest, and even occasional snow at the tops of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.  If you like sunny and dry or tropical green and partly cloudy, we have it all here on Hawaii Island!

In East Hawaii, the evening rain begins earlier in the hills than it does along the coast.  It is along the eastern slopes of Mauna Kea high above Hilo town where we have our rainiest area on the Big Island (which is zoned conservation and used for water shed), while it is warmer and dryer in the lower elevation areas of Hilo town, middle Puna (Keaau / Pahoa) and along the Hilo, Hamakua and Puna coast.  Areas along the Hamakua Coast, especially near Honokaa can be quite temperate, where higher elevations can get foggy at times.  Volcano and Mountain View (upper Puna) has weather that is cooler and cloudier due to the elevation, and it is not unusual to see a fireplace for use during the cooler winter nights.  A funny story is when mainlanders ask "How can you live in an area that gets 75 to 125 inches of rain a year?"  But after they spend a year or two here, they start praying for the rain to come back when we hit a warm or dry spell! 

Our rainiest months tend to be March and November, although we can get a rainy and dry spell at any time during the year.  Don't be misled by the weather reports showing rain... an average Hilo day is a sunny morning, partly cloudy afternoon, and rain in the evenings and/or early mornings.  The weather reports forecast rain because at some point in the 24 hour day, there is likely to be some rainfall.  The rain keeps everything green, cool and fresh.  It doesn't rain "all the time", but when a weather system comes in, Hilo and Puna can get quite a downpour.

In West Hawaii, Kailua-Kona is typically a few degrees warmer and quite a bit more arid than tropical Hilo.  It can stay warmer in the evening (unless you are higher up in the Kona hills.)  It's typically warm and sunny near the ocean, and partly cloudy in the hills.  Waimea, in South Kohala, is pleasant during the day, and can sometimes be foggy, breezy and even chilly at night, especially on the "green side" of town.  Homes in the higher elevation communities in Kohala often have fireplaces for those cooler winter nights.  Both Kau and Kohala have a green side and a brown side, and can be quite breezy at times, especially at the north and south points of the Island.

No one area is better than the other, they are just different.  The Big Island of Hawaii is a wonderful place to visit and to live!