Tell me about Hawaii in early February

[klpca]

So...I am retiring (shhh...not everyone knows, lol) and I have an opportunity to go to Maui in late Jan/early Feb. How is the weather? Is it warm enough to snorkel? Is it cloudy or rainy? We usually go in late spring which we love. We have also gone in late fall/early winter which I also liked. I didn't like the time that we went in early Dec - we had a lot of rain on Oahu. Should I or shouldn't I? Please add your opinion. Not sure if I should book the week or not as we have never traveled in Feb. Many thanks!

 

[dsmrp]

We were in Honolulu in late January and February, and Kauai in mid February.
There were a few light showers on Kauai, but generally the weather was good on both islands.
Maybe a little overcast in the morning, but cleared up fast and generally sunny during the day.
I was in Honolulu in December too, and the weather was much more rainy overall.

I say go for February on Maui.

 

[DaveNV]

There will likely be some rain. It's the wet season in Hawaii. But rain usually passes in waves, and a rainy sky can clear to be a wide-open blue sky shortly afterwards. Maui is a big island, so if the weather is poor on one part of the island, it might be good at another location. temperatures will be reasonable, probably not as warm as in full Summer. There will be whales, so there's that.

If you want guaranteed sunshine every day, don't go. If you love Hawaii and want to have a nice time, then definitely go. If there's some rain, watch for the sun that follows. It's Hawaii. What not to like?

(And I'll whisper this here - Congratulations on your retirement! I won't tell anyone. )

Dave

 

[lynne]

One nice thing about the Hawaiian Islands is that the rain is usually not island-wide. On Maui, if it was raining in Kaanapali, we would drive to Kehei or upcountry.

 

[slip]

Yes, I agree with everyone. Generally the ocean is rougher in the winter also so keep that in mind. You will be on Maui for the height of whale season. A whale tour alone will be worth the trip.

And congrats on you know what, I know how you feel.

 

[easyrider]

Maui is really nice in the winter. It does rain and flood sometimes. Kihei had some big flooding last winter off North Kihei Road. I always go anyway so my vote is go go go. Yes, the snorkeling is easy , nice and warm with plenty of things to see. Ahihi Cove and Napili Bay are a couple of easy favorites. Congrats on making it.

Bill

 

[artringwald]

We've gone to Maui in February many times and never regretted it! Here's some details about the weather to expect.

Hawaii Weather and Rainfall

 

[klpca]

Well then, I see a winter trip to Maui in my future! Even the rainy trip that we took in Dec was fine - but the trails were muddy which made some parts more slippery and gooey than I like. Our Hawaii trips go like this: sit on the lanai and have coffee, snorkel or hike, then back to the lanai for drinks. Add in some kind of sailing if things work out. Repeat for the rest of the trip. I just need enough dry days to get in some outdoor activities. Thanks for the reports of first hand experiences. They are most helpful!

 

[lockewong]

I was late to this conversation. First of all, congratulations!!! It will be perfect to unwind in Maui. We have gone every year since we bought - Developer's prices from Marriott. Like most of the TUG members who found out later, I learned everything about timeshares from this website. I decided to go every year to my "home resort." My husband's birthday is in February. We used to go to Carmel/Monterey but avoiding the Crosby/AT&T/Pebble Beach crowd was too hard to navigate when we had kids. As a result, we have been going to Maui for over two decades.

First, it is whale season. As #artringwald, #slip, #lynne, #easyrider, alluded to, if the weather is bad, drive to the South in the winter. A few years ago, the rain was substantial the week before and the runoff caused the snorkeling to be less-than-ideal. But, the local snorkel rental place will direct you to either, Ahihi Cove/The Dumps past Makena to the South or to Napili Bay or even Honolua Bay to the North. Honolua Bay is a preserve and parking is on the side of the road. We went this past February and it was 70 degrees and gorgeous. But, you need sturdy shoes to climb over the rocks and pebbles. Also, they are serious about reef-safe sunscreen. The coral is only slowly coming back now. You must book the whale watch early; from the Mainland. We barely squeaked into two whale watches. We had a baby whale go under our boat. But, the small vessels fill up fast. Same with reservations, depending on limits on capacity. Have fun. Feel free to DM me for more information. Again, Congratulations!

 

[Denise L]

So...I am retiring (shhh...not everyone knows, lol) and I have an opportunity to go to Maui in late Jan/early Feb. How is the weather? Is it warm enough to snorkel? Is it cloudy or rainy? We usually go in late spring which we love. We have also gone in late fall/early winter which I also liked. I didn't like the time that we went in early Dec - we had a lot of rain on Oahu. Should I or shouldn't I? Please add your opinion. Not sure if I should book the week or not as we have never traveled in Feb. Many thanks!

Aloha and congratulations on your retirement! We love Maui in February. The ocean is warm enough all year long for snorkeling. Usually, there is rain and cooler weather, so clouds and some days when no sunscreen is required. It is probably windier than late spring. We have been going there for many years in February (Presidents' Week) and love love love the whales. Sometimes in the evening, we would actually need a sweatshirt if it was cool and windy. We have brought travel umbrellas during our winter trips if the forecast called for a lot of rain. We probably never had a February trip when it didn't rain.

However, Hawaii is in a state of severe drought at the moment. We were there in December 2021 and there was a huge storm (I brought my rain jacket, and used it quite a lot), then maybe one more storm, and then nothing. When we flew in at the end of February 2022, Maui looked so dry, it reminded me of driving through the Altamont Pass in California (or a lot of places in California) and looking at the golden dry hills all around. We were there for three weeks, and it rained about six drops the entire time. It had never been this dry on any of our previous winter trips. I have a lot of videos of rainy days and flooded resort paths, but not this time. Gorgeous, perfect weather, but not so great for the Maui/Hawaii drought situation.

We go for the whales, winter birthdays, and less crowds (not the case lately due to built-up travel demand). Hubby burns in the sun, so he actually enjoys not having to worry about sunscreen when it rains.

We love the weather in late spring and late fall, also. We were married there in the month of November, 25 years ago. If you have never been there for whale watching, it is my favorite thing to do on Maui besides snorkeling, so I highly recommend it. And since we were so used to rain before, it was odd to not have any. Now it's hard to say what is normal weather anymore!

 

[JIMinNC]

We have been to Hawaii in October, November, December, January, February, March, June and July. The most cloudy/rainy weather was during the two November trips many years ago. We have always had great weather in January/February/March, and rarely have we ever had more than one day of cloudy weather in a week. Jan/Feb/Mar is now our preferred time to go to Maui. This past February, we had great sun every day and no rain at all. High temperatures are generally 78-84 during that time of year, usually 80+. Perfect time for beach, snorkeling, and especially the whales! We did five whale watches last month on Maui, plus a sunset cruise.