KAUA'I WEATHER

Because the "Garden Island" of Kaua'i is the furthest North of Hawaii's main islands, it is slightly cooler than the others. Typical winter daytime highs are 76 to 80 degrees F (24.4-26.7 C) and nighttime lows run 60 to 64 degrees (15.6-17.8 C); while summer daytime highs range from 84 to 87 (28.9-30.6 C) and nighttime lows are typically 70 to 72 degrees (21.1-22.2 C). Spring and Fall temperatures are only slightly different from the highs and lows noted above.

For beach goers, the water temperature in the near-shore waters varies from summer highs of approximately 80 degrees (26.7 C), to a low of about 73 degrees (22.8 C) during the coolest winter months. Like all of the islands, Kaua'i can have large waves in the winter. Usually these pounding breakers do not impact beaches at the resort locations, but they do make for wonderful viewing. Strong winter currents can make a beach unsafe, so ask at your hotel and watch for warning flags and posted beach conditions. With Kauai's more than 50 miles of beaches, there's always more than one great spot for you to enjoy the water.

Kaua'i has mountain and highland regions where the weather can be very different from the coastal areas. Visitors will find there is a 3.5 degree drop in temperature for every thousand foot rise above sea level. So if you're planning to drive up to Kokee, you will want to bring a jacket and sweatpants, because the temperatures will be 10-12 degrees cooler than at sea level locations....especially in the winter months.

Rainfall on Kaua'i varies both with the seasons, and as a result of the trade winds, which produce differences in weather between the northern and eastern coasts (windward side) verses southern and western coasts (leeward side). Summer months tend to be mostly sunny to partly cloudy on both coasts, while the winter months of November to March bring an increase of clouds and periodic rain showers. Even during the wetter winter months, precipitation tends to come in brief spells, and there are relatively few periods of prolonged rain.

Because of the northeasterly trade winds, the protected southwest coast tends to receive much less rain than do northern and eastern areas of the island. Most of the heavy rain that does fall however, occurs in the higher mountain elevations, above the resort areas. Another moderating factor is that the rains fall typically during the night and early morning hours...leaving much of the daylight hours available for outdoor activities.

The nice thing about Kaua'i is that the weather is very localized, so if its inclement where you are, a dry sunny beach can usually be found by just driving a few miles to another part of the island. It is this wide variety of environments created by the mix of ocean, mountains and moist trade winds that allow visitors to enjoy sun-drenched beaches, lush tropical valleys, water falls, colorful canyons, cool highlands and frequent rainbows all delivered with Kauai's warm spirit of Aloha.

If you want to have the best chance of sunny weather, the beautiful resorts in Poipu, located on Kauai's southern shore, are probably your best bet. The area gets about half the rain that falls on Kauai's northern shore.