Hawaii in Summer or Winter?
 

Been meaning to visit Hawaii for a while now. Since winter vacation is just around the corner I'm thinking about choosing Hawaii as a getaway for a while. But, will I enjoy Hawaii in winter? Or should I look for some other place for a winter getaway? Thoughts, please?

There's only about a 5 degree F. difference in average daytime high temperatures between summer and winter and only a slight different in the amount of rainfall so "weather" shouldn't be a factor in your decision. As with most areas in the northern hemisphere there's a couple more hours of daylight in summer vs. winter but again that shouldn't be a major factor in your decision.

So, without knowing what other concerns you may have (please tell us if you have any) it all boils down to a personal decision.

Sure, go to Hawaii this winter and kick back and soak up the rays. Maybe go to Kauai, the Garden Island. Or go to San Diego or Tucson. Temps in upper 60s F and plenty of sun in those two cities.

Go! Whales are there until about March. Hawaii is wonderful anytime!

Definitely winter IMO. Just came back from 2 weeks there. Weather was 25-28 and sunny every day (except one rainy afternoon). Noon to 4pm felt like 30+ weather even though forecast said only in 20s.

I don't understand people that go to sunny destinations in summer honestly as there are many other places to go to then.

You must live somewhere miserable in winter. Often those who travel in winter are snowbirds or are taking advantage of winter vacation days. There are people who live with worse summertime than winter weather. Arizona for example. Or they have children with summer breaks. Does that help?

The prices of winter lodgings and airfares are higher during school holidays and then from about Dec 15 until mid February.

LOL - guilty as charged! You are right that my perspective is coloured by our miserable winters but point still stands that a lot of beach destinations tend to be warm in winter while many other destinations are not and therefore more efficient to visit those in summer.

Hawaii is fantastic in any month of the year. Depends which island which side etc. you are talking about to get any kind of specific details. Obviously winter is cooler in Hawaii than summertime, same as most places.

If you want heat in wintertime probably Mexico or the Caribbean would be a tad warmer.

It wasn't what the OP asked but if someone wants to sweat their .... off, anytime of year, I'd recommend Cartagena Colombia.

I spent roughly the same time frame as the OP in Hawaii last year and we had a significant storm. No one can predict the weather especially nowadays.

All we can say is that it will be warmer than snowbird country anytime of the year. And it will be shoulder to shoulder in Waikiki if that's your thing.

Personally I liked visiting in the fall, but perhaps OP has children in school and has to work around their schedule.
Also depends on what island and what side of the island.

Apparently Hawaii was just hit with another "Kona Low" which flips the typical "dry side/wet side" pattern.

We went for Christmas one year with our kids and it poured and poured. A local said that is what to except at that time.

My one word of caution is to maybe avoid the Kapalua area in Maui if you are going in the winter. We went in February and it poured for 4 straight days and was windy and cold. One of the workers at the hotel said that once or twice a winter, a storm will come in and linger for days. It didn't impact all of Maui but sure did impact the Kapalua area. The chances of that happening when you go are still likely slim but it really sucked.

Cold fronts/Kona low in winter, hurricanes/tropical cyclones in summer, it happens ( few times a year maybe).

At least there are forecasts for the weather events. Don't believe anyone that says "it's always good" but have a backup plan and be aware that sometimes travel to the airports and flights are disrupted. In 2021 I barely made it to the Honolulu airport before the roads flooded out. When I arrived in Hilo that afternoon, it was good weather as the front had already passed but there was damage on the road in the Volcano area. Many Hilo hotels were fully booked up because locals had lost power. The Kona coast ("dry side") also gets plenty of rain during that type of storm.

https://www.kitv.com/news/local/hawa...813f808f3.html

2021 event:
https://www.weather.gov/hfo/konaLowEventSummaryDec2021

Thank you everyone for your valuable insights. It really helped a lot. And yes my final decision is to visit Hawaii. Even though there might be a few cons, I thinks the pros outweighs it. Let's see how it goes.

Here are the two reasons why I have often gone on beach trips in the summer - better deals, which allow me to stay at properties that I might not choose during high season. Travel limited to school breaks so summer is a good opportunity to get away.