Honolulu (Oahu) weather in December

December in Honolulu: hot, rainy, with clean air — an excellent time to visit.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Honolulu🇺🇸 United States · Hawaii · Beach85
  1. 90Jan
  2. 91Feb
  3. 90Mar
  4. 92Apr
  5. 92May
  6. 93Jun
  7. 93Jul
  8. 93Aug
  9. 92Sep
  10. 92Oct
  11. 92Nov
  12. 85Dec

#12 of 12 months in Honolulu · #292 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 85/100 (tier A)

Days
27°C
Nights
21°C
Wet days
10
Sun
9.3 h
Humidity
74%
Daylight
11 h
Honolulu, United States
Photo: Stephen Leonardi · Pexels

What December is like in Honolulu

Wet, warm and very busy over the holidays, with the largest waves of the year on the north shore.

peak

confidence: high

Traveller notes on Honolulu in December

Other months in Honolulu

Regulars name a specific, checkable reason this month stays quieter than peak season: kids are still in school and there's no spring break landing in May, so crowds thin out well before the Memorial Day rush arrives. Our row backs the warm, dry-season read, 28.7C reading as a hot 31C, over 22.3C nights, with rain modest at 44.9mm across 5.8 days. Regulars are consistent this counts as the start of the dry season proper, sunny most days with a steady breeze off the water, and specifically call out flowers coming into bloom island-wide this time of year as a seasonal bonus. The sea sits at a warm, swimmable 24.8C. The record: humidity 73 percent, 12 hours of sun, a 20.9 kph wind and AQI 38.
NoSpringBreakMeansGenuinelyThinnerCrowds · May · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Regulars call this one of the island's best all-round weather months, sunny and warm without the summer's added heat, and are specific that a steady trade wind is a genuinely good sign here rather than something to worry about - it's what keeps the heat and humidity in check. Our row backs the pleasant read, 27.9C reading as a real 30C, over 21.6C nights, with 51.6mm of rain across 6.9 days. Regulars note the odd rough-wave day can still turn up on the North Shore even in an otherwise settled month, and a light sweater is worth packing for restaurants running strong air conditioning or a cooler evening. The sea sits at a warm 25.1C. The record: humidity 73 percent, 11.3 hours of sun, a 21.3 kph wind and AQI 38.
TradeWindsAreAGoodSignNotAWarning · April · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
July is the driest month here and regulars say that is also why it is the least humid - less rain, less moisture. Our row gives 23.7mm across 7 days at 73 percent. The month's real mechanism is the trade wind, which is steadiest now, at or above its yearly average about nineteen days in twenty. It does three jobs at once: it makes 30.4C bearable, it keeps the vog away - twenty miles an hour pushes it well offshore - and on the rare July day it fails, regulars remember the discomfort. Our wind reads 23.7 kph. Crowds are the cost, with July and August the peak and Waikiki much busier than the rest of the island. The record: 24.2C nights, 12.3 hours of sun and a 26.4C sea.
TheTradesDoThreeJobs · July · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
June in Honolulu is sun, mid-80s Fahrenheit and trade winds, and the forum's point is that the wind is doing more work than the temperature. The trades blow their strongest in the summer months, and what they carry away is the vog - the volcanic haze that drifts up from the Big Island and only becomes a problem on Oahu when the north-easterlies are too weak to push it offshore. June is usually the good case for that, with the honest caveat that nobody can predict a volcano. The same wind is why the humidity feels lower than the figure: our row gives 72 percent with a 22 kph breeze. The record: 29.7C days that feel like 32C, 23.2C nights, 4.8 precipitation days carrying 32.2mm and a 25.7C sea.
TheTradesDoTheWork · June · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Year-round notes are on Honolulu's overview. Add your own note from Honolulu's card on the map.

Honolulu climate normals — December

Daytime high27°C / 81°F🥵 hot
Nighttime low21°C / 69°F
Feels like (high)29°C / 84°F
Sea temperature26°C / 78°F😎 warm sea
Rainfall100 mm / 3.9 in🌧 rainy
Rainy days10 days
Humidity74%💧 humid
Dew point18°C / 64°F
Sunshine9.3 h/day
Daylight10.9 h
Wind21 km/h / 13 mph
Air quality (US AQI)35🍃 good

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Honolulu in December

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Peak crowdsthe editor's peak month, Triple Crown of Surfing, Honolulu Marathon

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Honolulu's weather

Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).

Fair weatherHonolulu's weather doesn't swing hard through the year — comfort stays fairly steady in every month.

JFMAMJJASOND

What's on in Honolulu in December

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Hazard

    Box jellyfish influx

    1 Jan – 31 Dec · usuallyInsects & disease

    Eight to ten days after each full moon, box jellyfish come inshore on the south-facing beaches and Waikiki, Ala Moana and Hanauma post warning signs for two or three days. The lifeguards know the dates in advance. Source ↗

  • Hazard

    Vog on southerly winds

    1 Oct – 30 Apr · usuallyVolcanic activity

    When the trades drop and the wind swings round to the south, volcanic haze off Kilauea drifts up the chain and sits over Oahu for a few days: flat light, no horizon, sore throats. It depends on the volcano being active. Source ↗

  • Season

    North Shore big-wave season

    1 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallySurf seasonRisk

    Winter swell turns the north-facing shores into a spectator sport and closes them to swimming. The beaches that are safe in July are not the ones that are safe now.

  • Festival

    Triple Crown of Surfing

    12 Nov – 20 Dec · usuallySurf seasonCrowded

    A waiting period rather than a fixture: the contests run on the days the swell shows up, and Kamehameha Highway to the North Shore stops moving when they do. Source ↗

  • Nature

    Humpback whale season

    15 Nov – 15 May · usually

    The humpbacks arrive from Alaska and are around the islands into spring, with the most of them in February. Boats and swimmers have to stay a hundred yards off. Source ↗

  • Festival

    Honolulu Marathon

    13 DecSporting eventCrowdedClosuresBook early

    Tens of thousands run it, a large share of them flying in from Japan, and Waikiki hotels price the weekend accordingly. Source ↗

  • Holiday

    Christmas and New Year

    24 Dec – 1 JanChristmas & New YearClosuresCrowded

    Christmas Day and New Year's Day are federal holidays: on 25 December most shops, museums and many restaurants close, and airports stay busy through the week between as families travel. New Year's Eve fills bars and restaurants, many at set-menu prices. Source ↗

What's on around the world in December →

Nearby, and something's on

Within 300 km of Honolulu — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.

Where is Honolulu?

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Honolulu in December — FAQ

Is December a good time to visit Honolulu?
December in Honolulu: hot, rainy, with clean air — an excellent time to visit. It ranks #12 of 12 months for Honolulu on SeasonMap's comfort score (85/100).
What is the weather like in Honolulu in December?
In December, Honolulu averages a daily high of 27.2°C and a low of 20.8°C, with about 99.5 mm of rain over roughly 9.7 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Honolulu in December?
Honolulu has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 35 in December.

Within 300 km: Lahaina's Humpback whale season on 15 Dec – 15 May, and Maui's Humpback whale season on 15 Dec – 15 May.