Best Time to Visit Oahu
Oahu's climate barely moves: every month averages between 19 and 32°C, cooled by the trade winds. What changes is the rain, which falls mostly between November and March, the surf, which turns huge on the North Shore in winter, and the price of a hotel room. Here's when to go — and when to think twice.
The tail of the dry season, hotel prices at their lowest, the thinnest crowds of the year, ocean still warm, and every coast swimmable before the winter swell arrives.
The rain has stopped, the summer holidays have not started, prices sit between the two peaks, and the humpback whales are still passing in early April.
The most expensive two weeks of the year, hotels booked months ahead, Waikiki at its fullest, and the wettest stretch of the season; spring break and the July school holidays are the other two price surges.
| Month | Weather | Crowds | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19 to 27°C | High | High | The wettest month, passing showers rather than whole rainy days, big surf on the North Shore, humpback whale season under way |
| February | 19 to 27°C | High | High | Still wet and still the whale season at its peak; Presidents Day week is busy, the North Shore surf contests draw crowds |
| March | 20 to 27°C | Very high | High | Spring break fills Waikiki, the rain starts to ease, the last full month of whale watching |
| April | 21 to 28°C | Medium | Medium | The rain drops away, the surf calms on the north coast, Easter week busy, otherwise one of the best value months |
| May | 22 to 29°C | Medium | Medium | The dry season begins, warm water on every coast, Lei Day on 1 May, crowds still moderate |
| June | 23 to 31°C | High | High | Dry, sunny and reliably warm; school holidays begin and the Central Pacific hurricane season opens on 1 June |
| July | 24 to 31°C | Very high | Very high | The peak of the summer holidays, hotels at their fullest after the Christmas fortnight, south-shore surf for beginners |
| August | 24 to 32°C | High | High | The warmest and most humid month, the hurricane season at its statistical peak, crowds thinning after mid-month |
| September | 24 to 31°C | Low | Low | The quietest month of the year, hotel prices at their lowest, ocean still at its warmest, hurricane season still open |
| October | 23 to 30°C | Low | Low | Warm, dry and uncrowded, the first north-shore swells arriving late in the month, excellent value |
| November | 22 to 29°C | Medium | Medium | The rain returns and the North Shore surf builds; Thanksgiving week is busy and expensive, the rest of the month quiet |
| December | 20 to 27°C | Very high | Very high | Wet and cooler, the biggest surf of the year on the North Shore, whales arriving; the final two weeks are the most expensive of the year |