Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Kā‘anapali Hawaii, United States

The climate in Kā‘anapali is warm, muggy, windy, and mostly clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 66°F to 87°F and is rarely below 60°F or above 89°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Kā‘anapali for hot-weather activities is from late May to early October.

The temperature in Kā‘anapali varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

In Kā‘anapali, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Kā‘anapali begins around December 7 and lasts for 4.3 months, ending around April 17.

The clearest month of the year in Kā‘anapali is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 77% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 17 and lasts for 7.7 months, ending around December 7.

The cloudiest month of the year in Kā‘anapali is October, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 40% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Kā‘anapali varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.4 months, from November 10 to April 24, with a greater than 17% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Kā‘anapali is January, with an average of 6.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.6 months, from April 24 to November 10. The month with the fewest wet days in Kā‘anapali is June, with an average of 3.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Kā‘anapali is January, with an average of 6.9 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 24% on January 11.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Kā‘anapali experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Kā‘anapali. The month with the most rain in Kā‘anapali is January, with an average rainfall of 2.1 inches.

The month with the least rain in Kā‘anapali is June, with an average rainfall of 0.4 inches.

The length of the day in Kā‘anapali varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 20, with 10 hours, 52 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 24 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:44 AM on June 5, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 21 minutes later at 7:06 AM on January 17. The earliest sunset is at 5:44 PM on November 25, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 28 minutes later at 7:12 PM on July 4.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Kā‘anapali during 2024.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Kā‘anapali experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 7.2 months, from May 11 to December 17, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 39% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Kā‘anapali is August, with 26.2 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Kā‘anapali is February, with 7.8 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Kā‘anapali experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from May 25 to September 9, with average wind speeds of more than 13.5 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Kā‘anapali is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 15.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.5 months, from September 9 to May 25. The calmest month of the year in Kā‘anapali is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.6 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Kā‘anapali is from the east throughout the year.

Kā‘anapali is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.2 months, from July 31 to November 6, with an average temperature above 79°F. The month of the year in Kā‘anapali with the warmest water is September, with an average temperature of 80°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.0 months, from January 7 to May 6, with an average temperature below 76°F. The month of the year in Kā‘anapali with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 75°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kā‘anapali throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Kā‘anapali for general outdoor tourist activities is from early November to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of February.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Kā‘anapali for hot-weather activities is from late May to early October, with a peak score in the first week of August.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Kā‘anapali are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.7 months, from April 10 to September 2, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Kā‘anapali is June, with an average of 7.6 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from November 5 to January 31, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Kā‘anapali is December, with an average of 4.4 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Kā‘anapali are 20.929 deg latitude, -156.694 deg longitude, and 20 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Kā‘anapali contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 617 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 105 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (5,761 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (10,069 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Kā‘anapali is covered by water (46%), cropland (24%), and artificial surfaces (19%), within 10 miles by water (65%) and trees (18%), and within 50 miles by water (85%).