Photo: Travis.Thurston · CC BY-SA 3.0Makakilo’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 65°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Makakilo at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Makakilo’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Makakilo’s place in Hawaii beside it.
What a year in Makakilo 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 Upper Wahiawa 874.3, HI, 11 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Makakilo’s center in zone 12a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 54°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
About 14 inches of rain a year
December is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 214 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Aiea Hts 764.6, HI, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Makakilo
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 Upper Wahiawa 874.3, HI.
Living with Makakilo’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 and December. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Makakilo from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Makakilo and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Makakilo in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Makakilo’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makakilo, HI | 65° | 88° | 14" | 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 rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
How Makakilo compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Makakilo’s place among Hawaii’s.
Makakilo weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Aiea Hts 764.6, HI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 81° | 65° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| February | 81° | 65° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| March | 82° | 66° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| April | 84° | 68° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 |
| May | 85° | 69° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| June | 87° | 71° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| July | 88° | 73° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 21 | 0 |
| August | 89° | 73° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 |
| September | 89° | 72° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| October | 87° | 72° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| November | 84° | 69° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| December | 82° | 67° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| Year | 85° | 69° | 13.9" | 0.0" | 214 | 0 |
Where Makakilo’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: Aiea Hts 764.6, HI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Upper Wahiawa 874.3, HI, 11 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Makakilo’s climate
What is the weather like in Makakilo?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 65°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than all but 42 U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Makakilo in winter?
January nights average 65°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.0 a year on average).
How much snow does Makakilo get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Aiea Hts 764.6, HI, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Makakilo?
July, with a typical high of 88°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Upper Wahiawa 874.3, HI.
When is the first and last frost in Makakilo?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 0% of winters at Upper Wahiawa 874.3, HI, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Makakilo in?
Zone 12a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 54°.
What is the best time of year to visit Makakilo?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, April 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 Makakilo.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.