Photo: Brocken Inaglory · CC BY-SA 3.0Laupahoehoe is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 148 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 80°. The seasons sit close together: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans only 20°. By January nights alone, it runs milder than almost every U.S. town. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from January to December, with highs of 76–81°.
A year in Laupahoehoe at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Laupahoehoe’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Laupahoehoe’s place in Hawaii beside it.
What a year in Laupahoehoe 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 Kihalani 132.5, HI, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Laupahoehoe’s center in zone 12b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 57°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
About 148 inches of rain a year
March is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 255 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Kihalani 132.5, HI, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Laupahoehoe
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 Kihalani 132.5, HI.
Living with Laupahoehoe’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. 3.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Laupahoehoe from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Laupahoehoe and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Laupahoehoe yet.
Climates most like Laupahoehoe’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laupahoehoe, HI | 61° | 80° | 148" | 0.0" |
| Ketchikan, AK | 32° | 65° | 150" | 35" |
| Tillamook, OR | 38° | 71° | 87" | 0.2" |
| Hoquiam, WA | 37° | 68° | 81" | 0.5" |
| Pascagoula, MS | 43° | 89° | 66" | 0.1" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Laupahoehoe compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Laupahoehoe’s place among Hawaii’s.
Laupahoehoe weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kihalani 132.5, HI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 76° | 61° | 10.4" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| February | 76° | 61° | 12.6" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| March | 76° | 62° | 17.3" | 0.0" | 22 | 0 |
| April | 77° | 63° | 14.6" | 0.0" | 23 | 0 |
| May | 78° | 65° | 7.8" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| June | 79° | 66° | 6.5" | 0.0" | 24 | 0 |
| July | 80° | 67° | 12.1" | 0.0" | 24 | 0 |
| August | 81° | 67° | 16.9" | 0.0" | 25 | 0 |
| September | 81° | 67° | 7.3" | 0.0" | 21 | 0 |
| October | 80° | 67° | 11.0" | 0.0" | 22 | 0 |
| November | 78° | 65° | 16.3" | 0.0" | 21 | 0 |
| December | 76° | 63° | 15.5" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| Year | 78° | 64° | 148.2" | 0.0" | 255 | 0 |
Where Laupahoehoe’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: Kihalani 132.5, HI (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kihalani 132.5, HI, 0.2 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 Laupahoehoe’s climate
What is the weather like in Laupahoehoe?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 61°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than all but 80 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Laupahoehoe in winter?
February nights average 61°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.0 a year on average).
How much snow does Laupahoehoe get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Kihalani 132.5, HI, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Laupahoehoe?
July, with a typical high of 80°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Kihalani 132.5, HI.
When is the first and last frost in Laupahoehoe?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 0% of winters at Kihalani 132.5, HI, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Laupahoehoe in?
Zone 12b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 57°.
What is the best time of year to visit Laupahoehoe?
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 Laupahoehoe.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.