Photo: The original uploader was Sanba38 at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5Hardly any U.S. towns see softer January nights than Kaunakakai
High summer brings afternoon highs near 86°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in January and the lightest in June. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 89% of U.S. towns. For walks and days out, the stretch from November to May brings highs of 79–83°.
A year in Kaunakakai at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kaunakakai’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kaunakakai’s place in Hawaii beside it.
What a year in Kaunakakai 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 Molokai Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kaunakakai’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 22 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 30 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Kaunakakai 536, HI, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Kaunakakai
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 Molokai Airport.
Living with Kaunakakai’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, April, May, November and December. 15 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kaunakakai from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kaunakakai and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kaunakakai yet.
Climates most like Kaunakakai’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaunakakai, HI | 64° | 86° | 22" | 0.0" |
| Topanga, CA | 48° | 84° | 20" | 0.0" |
| Port Isabel, TX | 52° | 92° | 26" | 0.2" |
| Key West, FL | 65° | 90° | 42" | 0.0" |
| Green, OR | 37° | 86° | 32" | 0.0" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Kaunakakai compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kaunakakai’s place among Hawaii’s.
Kaunakakai weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kaunakakai 536, HI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 79° | 64° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 |
| February | 79° | 65° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 |
| March | 79° | 66° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 |
| April | 81° | 67° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 |
| May | 83° | 69° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 |
| June | 85° | 72° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 |
| July | 86° | 73° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 |
| August | 87° | 73° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 |
| September | 87° | 73° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 |
| October | 86° | 71° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 |
| November | 83° | 70° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 |
| December | 80° | 67° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 |
| Year | 83° | 69° | 21.7" | 0.0" | 30 | 0 |
Where Kaunakakai’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: Kaunakakai 536, HI (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Molokai Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher; 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 Kaunakakai’s climate
What is the weather like in Kaunakakai?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 64°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than all but 50 U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kaunakakai in winter?
January nights average 64°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.0 a year on average).
How much snow does Kaunakakai get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Kaunakakai 536, HI, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Kaunakakai?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 73°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Molokai Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Kaunakakai?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 0% of winters at Molokai Airport, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Kaunakakai 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 Kaunakakai?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, April, May, 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 Kaunakakai.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.