Photo: Travis.Thurston · CC BY-SA 3.0Kapaa has some of the mildest winter nights among U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 85°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 74% of U.S. towns. Rain follows the seasons: March brings about 3.2 times as much as July. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from October to June, with highs of 78–84°.
A year in Kapaa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kapaa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kapaa’s place in Hawaii beside it.
What a year in Kapaa feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
Frost is rare
Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lihue Wso Airport 1020.1, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kapaa’s center in zone 12a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 55°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
About 36 inches of rain a year
March is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 193 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Lihue Wso Airport 1020.1, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Kapaa
0% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. No month averages under 55°.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Lihue Wso Airport 1020.1.
Living with Kapaa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 12a. Frost almost never comes, so tender plants can often stay out through winter.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, April, May, June, October, November and December. 4.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kapaa from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kapaa and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kapaa yet.
Climates most like Kapaa’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapaa, HI | 66° | 85° | 36" | 0.0" |
| Islamorada, Village of Islands, FL | 64° | 89° | 45" | 0.0" |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 49° | 91° | 34" | 0.0" |
| Topanga, CA | 48° | 84° | 20" | 0.0" |
| St. Simons, GA | 43° | 91° | 49" | 0.0" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Kapaa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kapaa’s place among Hawaii’s.
Kapaa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lihue Wso Airport 1020.1. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 79° | 66° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| February | 78° | 66° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| March | 79° | 67° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| April | 80° | 70° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| May | 82° | 71° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| June | 83° | 73° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| July | 85° | 75° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 |
| August | 85° | 75° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| September | 85° | 75° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| October | 84° | 74° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| November | 81° | 71° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| December | 79° | 69° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| Year | 82° | 71° | 36.2" | 0.0" | 193 | 0 |
Where Kapaa’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station (NOAA’s grid doesn’t cover Hawaii).
- Snow: Lihue Wso Airport 1020.1.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lihue Wso Airport 1020.1, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Kapaa’s climate
What is the weather like in Kapaa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 66°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than all but 21 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kapaa in winter?
January nights average 66°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.0 a year on average).
How much snow does Kapaa get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Lihue Wso Airport 1020.1, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Kapaa?
July, with a typical high of 85°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Lihue Wso Airport 1020.1.
When is the first and last frost in Kapaa?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 0% of winters at Lihue Wso Airport 1020.1, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Kapaa in?
Zone 12a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 55°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kapaa?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, April, May, June, October, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kapaa.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.