Kilauea School · Photo: Joel Bradshaw · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns see softer January nights than Kilauea
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 83°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 98% of U.S. towns. March is the wettest month, June the driest. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from January to December, with highs of 76–84°.
A year in Kilauea at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kilauea’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kilauea’s place in Hawaii beside it.
What a year in Kilauea 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 Kilauea 1134, HI, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kilauea’s center in zone 12b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 56°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
About 61 inches of rain a year
March is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 295 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Koloko Reservoir 1137, HI, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Kilauea
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 Kilauea 1134, HI.
Living with Kilauea’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, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. 5.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kilauea from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (82%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kilauea and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kilauea yet.
Climates most like Kilauea’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kilauea, HI | 63° | 83° | 61" | 0.0" |
| Key Biscayne, FL | 62° | 89° | 61" | 0.0" |
| Galveston, TX | 48° | 89° | 52" | 0.1" |
| Cut Off, LA | 46° | 90° | 63" | 0.0" |
| Gulf Shores, AL | 44° | 90° | 62" | 0.0" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Kilauea compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kilauea’s place among Hawaii’s.
Kilauea weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Koloko Reservoir 1137, HI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 77° | 63° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 22 | 0 |
| February | 77° | 64° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 21 | 0 |
| March | 76° | 64° | 7.5" | 0.0" | 23 | 0 |
| April | 78° | 66° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 25 | 0 |
| May | 80° | 68° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 24 | 0 |
| June | 82° | 70° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 26 | 0 |
| July | 83° | 71° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 27 | 0 |
| August | 83° | 72° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 27 | 0 |
| September | 84° | 71° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 24 | 0 |
| October | 83° | 70° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 26 | 0 |
| November | 80° | 68° | 7.2" | 0.0" | 25 | 0 |
| December | 78° | 66° | 6.5" | 0.0" | 25 | 0 |
| Year | 80° | 68° | 61.3" | 0.0" | 295 | 0 |
Where Kilauea’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: Koloko Reservoir 1137, HI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kilauea 1134, HI, 0.6 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 Kilauea’s climate
What is the weather like in Kilauea?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 63°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than all but 70 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kilauea in winter?
January nights average 63°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.0 a year on average).
How much snow does Kilauea get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Koloko Reservoir 1137, HI, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Kilauea?
July, with a typical high of 83°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Kilauea 1134, HI.
When is the first and last frost in Kilauea?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 0% of winters at Kilauea 1134, HI, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Kilauea in?
Zone 12b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 56°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kilauea?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, 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 Kilauea.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.