Bond District · Photo: Howard Olsen · CC BY-SA 3.0Kapaau sits near the top of U.S. towns for mild winters
Sunny July days climb to about 88°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 98% of U.S. towns. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 20°. From December to March, highs of 82–84° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Kapaau at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kapaau’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kapaau’s place in Hawaii beside it.
What a year in Kapaau 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 Puukohola Heiau 98.1, HI, 14 miles from the town’s center, 260 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kapaau’s center in zone 12b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 58°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 9 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain falls on about 39 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Puukohola Heiau 98.1, HI, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Kapaau
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 Puukohola Heiau 98.1, HI.
Living with Kapaau’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 12b. 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 and December. 4.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kapaau from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kapaau and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kapaau yet.
Climates most like Kapaau’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapaau, HI | 68° | 88° | 9" | 0.0" |
| Hacienda Heights, CA | 47° | 87° | 14" | 0.0" |
| Port Isabel, TX | 52° | 92° | 26" | 0.2" |
| Key West, FL | 65° | 90° | 42" | 0.0" |
| Corona de Tucson, AZ | 36° | 96° | 14" | 0.1" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Kapaau compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kapaau’s place among Hawaii’s.
Kapaau weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Puukohola Heiau 98.1, HI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 82° | 68° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 |
| February | 83° | 68° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 |
| March | 84° | 70° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 |
| April | 85° | 71° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 |
| May | 86° | 72° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 |
| June | 87° | 74° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 |
| July | 88° | 75° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 |
| August | 89° | 75° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 |
| September | 88° | 75° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 |
| October | 87° | 74° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 |
| November | 86° | 73° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 |
| December | 84° | 70° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 |
| Year | 86° | 72° | 9.0" | 0.0" | 39 | 0 |
Where Kapaau’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: Puukohola Heiau 98.1, HI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Puukohola Heiau 98.1, HI, 14 miles from the town’s center, 260 ft lower; 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 Kapaau’s climate
What is the weather like in Kapaau?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 68°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than all but 4 U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kapaau in winter?
February nights average 68°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.0 a year on average).
How much snow does Kapaau get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Puukohola Heiau 98.1, HI, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Kapaau?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 75°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Puukohola Heiau 98.1, HI).
When is the first and last frost in Kapaau?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 0% of winters at Puukohola Heiau 98.1, HI, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Kapaau in?
Zone 12b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 58°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kapaau?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March 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 Kapaau.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.