Honolulu (Oahu) weather in May

May in Honolulu: hot, a little rain, with clean air — an excellent time to visit.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Honolulu🇺🇸 United States · Hawaii · Beach92
  1. 90Jan
  2. 91Feb
  3. 90Mar
  4. 92Apr
  5. 92May
  6. 93Jun
  7. 93Jul
  8. 93Aug
  9. 92Sep
  10. 92Oct
  11. 92Nov
  12. 85Dec

#5 of 12 months in Honolulu · #88 of 1413 destinations to visit in May · comfort 92/100 (tier S)

Days
29°C
Nights
22°C
Wet days
6
Sun
12 h
Humidity
73%
Daylight
13 h
Honolulu, United States
Photo: Stephen Leonardi · Pexels

What May is like in Honolulu

Dry, warm and settled, with the surf switching round to the south shore and Lei Day on 1 May.

festivalshoulder

confidence: high

Traveller notes on Honolulu in May

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 ↗

Other months in Honolulu

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 ↗
Honolulu forum threads describe January as genuinely pleasant, with a typical high around 81F and posters citing a comfortable range of roughly 78-85F. Rain does happen - one poster's data put the monthly average around 2.9 to 3.5 inches - but it wasn't described as the rainiest month, and posters were consistent that showers tend to pass quickly rather than settling in for the day. A real geographic detail flagged repeatedly: Waikiki and Honolulu sit on the drier southern shore of Oahu, while the North Shore sees noticeably more rain this time of year. Posters described the typical pattern as stretches of two to three weeks of sun occasionally interrupted by a passing winter storm bringing a few rainier days.
WaikikiBeachRegular · January · 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 — May

Daytime high29°C / 84°F🥵 hot
Nighttime low22°C / 72°F
Feels like (high)31°C / 88°F
Sea temperature25°C / 77°F🙂 pleasant
Rainfall45 mm / 1.8 in🌦 some rain
Rainy days6 days
Humidity73%💧 humid
Dew point18°C / 65°F
Sunshine12 h/day
Daylight13.2 h
Wind21 km/h / 13 mph
Air quality (US AQI)38🍃 good

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

Crowds in Honolulu in May

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.

Busybetween the peaks, Japanese Golden Week, Lantern Floating Hawaii

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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 May

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 ↗

  • Season

    South shore surf season

    15 Apr – 30 Sep · usually

    The swell switches round to the south and Waikiki and Ala Moana start working, while the North Shore lies flat enough to snorkel.

  • Holiday

    Japanese Golden Week

    27 Apr – 7 May · usuallyCrowded

    Japan's run of public holidays at the turn of April into May fills Waikiki, the outlet buses and the Diamond Head trail the way nothing but Christmas does. Rates on Kalakaua move for the whole fortnight. Source ↗

  • Festival

    Lei Day

    1 MayMajor festival

    The first of May is Lei Day, with a lei contest, hula and music at Kapiolani Park. A small, local, entirely unbranded thing. Source ↗

  • Festival

    Lantern Floating Hawaii

    24–31 May · usuallyNational holidayCrowded

    Memorial Day evening at Ala Moana Beach Park: several thousand lanterns go out on the water at sunset and about fifty thousand people watch from the sand. Parking on the peninsula is gone by mid-afternoon. 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 ↗

What's on around the world in May →

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 May — FAQ

Is May a good time to visit Honolulu?
May in Honolulu: hot, a little rain, with clean air — an excellent time to visit. It ranks #5 of 12 months for Honolulu on SeasonMap's comfort score (92/100).
What is the weather like in Honolulu in May?
In May, Honolulu averages a daily high of 28.7°C and a low of 22.3°C, with about 44.9 mm of rain over roughly 5.8 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Honolulu in May?
Honolulu has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 38 in May.

Within 300 km: Lahaina's Humpback whale season on 15 Dec – 15 May, and Maui's Upcountry jacaranda around 1 May – 15 Jun.