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Climate
One of the most common reasons
for visiting Hawaii is the weather. Cooling trade winds, low humidity, high pressure,
clear sunny days, negative ionization from the sea, and an almost total lack of industrial
pollution combine to make Hawaii the most healthful spot in America.
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The weather depends more on
where you are on any given island than on what season it is. The average daytime
temperature is 78° in the winter and 85° in the summer. Temperatures drop less
than 10° at night. Temperatures generally drop about three degrees for every 1,000 feet
of altitude. The lowest temperatures ever recorded in Hawaii were atop Haleakala in
January 1961 when the mercury dropped well below freezing to a mere 14°.
The trade winds are so
prevailing that the Northeast sides of the islands are always referred to as windward.
Kona means “leeward” in Hawaiian, and when the trades stop blowing these
southerly kona winds often take over. To anyone living in Hawaii, “kona wind” is
euphemistic for bad weather, bringing in hot sticky air. They are most common from October
to April.
 The windward (east) side of
the islands are hot and humid and the leeward (west) sides are hot, dry, and sunny. The
mountains' location play the biggest role in rainfall. The best example is Manoa Valley
which has rainfall close to 135 inches a year while Waikiki, only moments away, has only
25 inches a year. No wonder Waikiki is the most visited place in Hawaii for it enjoys
perhaps the best "tourist weather" in the entire world. It is common to see gray
rain clouds raining over Manoa Valley, while the sun is shining brightly on Waikiki sun
bathers just two to three miles away.
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