Honolulu (Oahu) weather in November
November in Honolulu: hot, a little rain, with clean air — an excellent time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#8 of 12 months in Honolulu · #55 of 1413 destinations to visit in November · comfort 92/100 (tier S)
- Days
- 29°C
- Nights
- 22°C
- Wet days
- 8
- Sun
- 10.1 h
- Humidity
- 73%
- Daylight
- 11 h

What November is like in Honolulu
The wet season begins and the big north-shore surf contests get under way. Humid and warm.
festivalshoulder
confidence: high
Traveller notes on Honolulu in November
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.
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.
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.
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.
Year-round notes are on Honolulu's overview. Add your own note from Honolulu's card on the map.
Honolulu climate normals — November
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Honolulu in November
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, Triple Crown of Surfing, Thanksgiving
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.
What's on in Honolulu in November
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Hazard
Box jellyfish influx
1 Jan – 31 Dec · usuallyInsects & diseaseEight 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
Central Pacific hurricane season
1 Jun – 30 NovThe season runs from June to the end of November. Direct hits are rare, but a passing system brings days of high surf and rain on the leeward side. Source ↗
- Hazard
Vog on southerly winds
1 Oct – 30 Apr · usuallyVolcanic activityWhen 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 seasonRiskWinter 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 seasonCrowdedA 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 · usuallyThe 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 ↗
- Holiday
Thanksgiving
25–29 NovNational holidayCrowdedClosuresThanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November, is the country's biggest travel holiday: airports and highways are at their busiest on the Wednesday before and the Sunday after, and on the day itself offices, banks and many shops close. Source ↗
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?
Honolulu in November — FAQ
- Is November a good time to visit Honolulu?
- November in Honolulu: hot, a little rain, with clean air — an excellent time to visit. It ranks #8 of 12 months for Honolulu on SeasonMap's comfort score (92/100).
- What is the weather like in Honolulu in November?
- In November, Honolulu averages a daily high of 28.7°C and a low of 22.2°C, with about 39.4 mm of rain over roughly 7.5 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Honolulu in November?
- Honolulu has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 36 in November.
Within 300 km: Lahaina's Rebuilding access rules on 1 Jan – 31 Dec, and Maui's Haleakala sunrise reservation on 1 Jan – 31 Dec.