Hawaii Climate
Top 5 Cities: Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua, Pearl City, and Waipahu
This month in numbers
Hawaii experienced its 4th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 18.94°C. This is just shy of the all-time record of 19°C set in April 2018. The period from February to April 2026 saw the highest precipitation on record, with 308.52 mm of rainfall. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The three-month period of February to April 2026 also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
The record-breaking precipitation over the past three months (February–April 2026) stands in stark contrast to the ongoing drought conditions that have affected parts of Hawaii. While the state experienced significant rainfall, particularly during March and April, the US Drought Monitor still classified approximately 9% of Hawaii as Abnormally Dry as of May 19, 2026. This mixed picture highlights the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of climate change impacts, where extreme wet periods can occur alongside persistent dryness in other areas or at different times.
What’s driving change?
The extreme rainfall seen in Hawaii during March and April was largely driven by Kona low systems. These low-pressure systems draw deep tropical moisture northward, leading to widespread heavy rain and thunderstorms. March alone saw two such Kona storms, bringing over 2 trillion gallons of water to the islands and causing devastating floods, particularly on Oahu's North Shore. This unusual concentration of rainfall events contributed to the record-breaking three-month precipitation. Despite the heavy rains, Hawaii is also currently experiencing an unusual concentration of wildfire and drought events. There have been four wildfires and two drought events in the past 12 months, with the recent events representing 100% of the annual total for both categories. Hawaiian Electric is actively monitoring high winds and dry conditions, which increase wildfire risk, and has even considered proactive power shutoffs in high-risk areas. For more information on active extreme weather events, visit Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
El Niño is likely to emerge this summer and continue through at least the end of 2026, which could bring above-normal precipitation to Hawaii through summer and into the first part of autumn.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Hawaii
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Hawaii changing?
Hawaii is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Hawaii come from?
Climate data for Hawaii comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Hawaii climate data cover?
The Hawaii climate profile covers Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua, Pearl City and surrounding areas. Hawaii climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Hawaii climate update refreshed?
The Hawaii climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.