Weather

Hilo forecast: Rain followed by lush beauty

Like most tropical islands, Hilo gets more than its share of rain. Even sunny days take a break for an afternoon shower.

The upside: Lush, transcendently green Hawaiian landscapes and some of the world’s most beautiful flowers. And be sure to watch for the rainbows!

The area gets about 280 days of rain a year with the occasional thunderstorm. The rainiest months are in the spring and summer, while the winter months have the least. The northeasterly trade winds are the major influence on local weather conditions. A lot of the rain falls at night, leading up to clear mornings.

The Big Island’s temperatures stay in a pleasant range for most of the year. The average temperatures in Hilo tend to be in the low to mid-70s, with highs in the low ’80s and lows in the low- to mid-60s. Relative humidity is moderate, meaning you won’t feel like you’re in sticky South Florida!

Here are the average (mean) temperatures for Hilo by month:

January: 72	July: 76
February: 71	August: 77
March: 72	September: 76
April: 73	October: 76
May: 74	November: 74
June: 75	December: 72

The upper parts of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea get occasional snow in the winters, typically in February, March and April. Average low temps for the Mauna Loa slopes are in the 30s year-round.

If you’re headed up into the volcanic clouds to see the Big Island observatories, warm layered clothing is a must. The combination of strong winds, high altitudes and falling temperatures can be quite uncomfortable and potentially dangerous.

Read about volcanoes and air quality