Hawaii Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua, Pearl City, and Waipahu
Summary
Hawaii experienced an extraordinarily damp start to summer, capped by its 3rd wettest May to July on record with 465.33 mm of rain. While July itself delivered moderate warmth as the 12th warmest on record, active tropical storm conditions swept through the islands, bringing torrential downpours, coastal flooding, and localised power disruptions. Elevated rainfall and warm conditions are expected to persist through late summer.
This month in numbers
July 2026 brought an average temperature of 20.78°C to Hawaii, marking it as the 12th warmest on record for the state since 1991. Maximum daily temperatures averaged 24.44°C, ranking 24th highest for the period. Rainfall for the month totalled 132.08 mm, placing it as the 8th wettest July in 36 years. The season as a whole was defined by heavy precipitation, with the May to July total reaching 465.33 mm, making it the 3rd wettest such three-month stretch on record.
What changed
Across the three-month season from May to July 2026, mean temperatures averaged 19.98°C, making it the 14th warmest such period on record. While Hawaii's maritime environment buffered it from extreme heat, global temperatures set historic benchmarks. Globally, July 2026 registered a land temperature of 15.8°C, ranking as the 3rd highest on record for the month at 1.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. For the May to July period, global land temperatures reached their 2nd highest level in 87 years of record-keeping. The contiguous United States experienced a July average temperature of 23.01°C, running 1.5°C above average, contrasting with Hawaii's more moderate thermal trajectory.
What’s driving change?
Seasonal climate patterns across the Pacific are heavily influenced by ENSO, which alters trade wind strength and moisture transport across the ocean. In addition, , meaning island areas experience slower overall warming trends than inland continental regions. All of Hawaii's 1 tropical cyclone this year has happened in the past month, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to the islands. The tropical storm activity in Hawaii is tracked on our live map at Extreme Weather tracker. All of Hawaii's 1 flood this year has happened in the past month following heavy precipitation. All of Hawaii's 2 wildfires this year have also occurred in the past month during dry, gusty spells in leeward areas.
Looking ahead
Seasonal outlooks from NOAA suggest a higher likelihood of above-normal temperatures and enhanced rainfall across Hawaii over the next 1-3 months through late summer and early autumn.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – USUnited States
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance — US states & climate regions (tavg, pcp), plus GPCC (Snow, water-equivalent). Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – Hawaii
Köppen Cfb · TemperateHawaii has a temperate climate (Köppen Cfb: Oceanic / temperate), with little variation in temperature or rainfall across the year. August is typically the warmest month, averaging 21.2°C, while February is the coldest at 17.4°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1557mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly rain, with snow (water-equivalent) shown separately.
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Hawaii
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).
Heatwave Days – Hawaii
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Hawaii
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).
Monthly Temperature – Hawaii
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).
Records – Hawaii
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)) - Anomalies vs 1991-2020 mean
Shifting Seasons
Weakly seasonalKöppen Cfb · TemperateHawaii is weakly seasonal - temperature barely changes across the year (3.6°C range) and rainfall is fairly even. The clearest climate signal here is overall warming: monthly temperature has risen in every month.
Baseline vs recent monthly temperature climatology. Biggest warming: Jan (+0.5°C).
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
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.
Statewide monthly temperature and precipitation (nClimDiv).
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
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 headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in Hawaii?
Hawaii has a temperate climate (Köppen Cfb: Oceanic / temperate), with little variation in temperature or rainfall across the year. August is typically the warmest month, averaging 21.2°C, while February is the coldest at 17.4°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1557mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.
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.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Hawaii climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Hawaii climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.