Panic! POH - Hawaii weather

[Dulcidog]

Well the time is finally here. We are on our first cruise on POH in just 3 days (6-19-06)! I have planned every single detail of this trip, and it can't get here soon enough.:D

 

I've been watching the weather on the islands for the last month or so, and it has basically been great. Now I'm seeing rain showers predicted for every island except Oahu for every single day of our cruise.:(

 

We have several excursions scheduled (and paid for) not through NCL, so I'm starting to get a little concerned. Those helicopter tours are not cheap!:eek: I assume NCL will refund our $ if our NCL sponsored excursions are cancelled, right?

 

Are there any weather experts here who can give me a little more info on the weather in Hawaii? Are daily rain showers normal? I thought the rainy season was over.

[Druke I]

I certainly wouldn't stress about the weather and rain showers.

 

Often, the showers in the Islands are over in just a couple of minutes, and it returns to nice and sunny. They need all those showers to maintain the lush green landscape.

 

My wife and I have remained on the beaches (or ship deck) more often than not, knowing that the shower will quickly pass.

[Jenninhawaii]

 

Are there any weather experts here who can give me a little more info on the weather in Hawaii? Are daily rain showers normal? I thought the rainy season was over.

Don't panic, It rains all the time here. It may only rain 10 minutes or maybe an hour or so and then the rest of the day is perfect. Even if it is raining on one part of the island it could be sunny just 10 minutes away. We don't stop having fun just because of a little rain shower! Consider it a nice relief from the heat.:D Don't stress over the weather, relax and enjoy your vacation. Jen

[mikefast]

I agree, don't worry about the weather. You need a little rain to see those beautiful rainbows. Nothing prettier than to see a rainbow against those beautiful green mountains.

[zimmerjulie]

Yes, NCL will refund your tour price if an NCL tour is cancelled:)

[honestguy]

each island has a rainy side, each has a dry side. if its going to rain chances are it will be in hilo, and on the helicopter on kauai(since you fly into the wettest spot on earth) that being said I never seen rain in kona, and can't recall rain in honolulu. Always a bit of rain on the road to hana since you go right through rain forests

[sceptic]

Hi. My advice is from Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy: Don't panic.

 

From the official NWS discussion from this AM: THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL REMAIN WITHIN A BROAD BELT OF TRADE WINDS...WITH THE CURRENT GFS RUN SHOWING VERY LITTLE SPEED VARIATION OVER THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS.

 

In other words, Trade winds. Normal. Not soggy Kona blasts like you might get in winter.

 

What this means is the windward (more lush, green and rainy) sides of the islands will have a good chance of some passing showers. This, incidentally, is why they're lush and green. Very unlikely you'll have steady rain. Chances are that on any of the islands you will likely find locales that are sunny, warm, with a nice breeze - Kona, Lahaina, Kihei, Honolulu, Poipu for example, kissed perhaps by a bit of "pineapple mist" - and areas that are strongly affected by passing showers. Can you say "hilo"? I thought you could.

 

The good side: The road to Hana's waterfalls will have water, but it won't be torrential stuff. If you want to work on your suntan, you can. If you want to go on snorkel excursions (Maui and Kona primarily) you can cuz these leave from the leeward sides. And you might see a rainbow. In Hawaii. Imagine that.

 

The potential bad: depending on the vagaries of timing between passing showers, a helicopter ride in a particular place or seeing a particular vista might be cancelled or rerouted a bit. You might on occasion get wet. (Hey, when it's 82 and you get a shower, it really doesn't feel too bad. Wear shorts, have a towel in the rental car.) Whatever happens, don't let this hurt your vacation. You're in Hawaii! Always have options.

[Suebee]

I agree with the posters. We live at one of the driest ares of Oahu and if the wind is strong enough we get sprinkles from the mountains while it is hot and sunny here...its refreshing!

 

It rains somewhere in Hawaii nearly every day. Its why Hawaii has rainforests. Its part of the topography. So every morning the weather forcasters say "Mostly sunny highs in the mid to upper 80's, light trade winds and possible mauka (mountain) showers". The only thing that changes about the weather here is the wind and surf.

 

Enjoy every minute....you have nothing to panic about.

[kapoho2]

No problem with the weather. The trade winds bring the little showers, but without the trade winds....it can get VERY hot. During the past 10 days or so the trades were almost nonexistant.....and it was HOT. Everyone was talking about it and complaining. The trades returned yesterday...and the weather is delightful even with the brief passing showers!

[Ju1es]

I wouldn't worry about it. We were in Hawaii for 2 weeks and rain didn't case any problems. There were a couple times that it started to "rain" if you could call it that. It was more like mist. And it lasted for about 10 minutes - we actually just moved from the pool deck to the beach (approx 30 feet) where it wasn't raining!

[NancyHawaii]

Don't worry about the weather. It usually rains for just a very short while and the sun will be right back out :) It has been raining the past few days..but only late at night... like right now.. it's almost 2 am here :)

 

Have fun and enjoy your trip :)