When should you plan to visit Hawaii? Is February a good month for a Hawaii vacation? We’ll explore all the important factors — weather, crowds, hotel prices, and special events — to help you decide if February suits your needs and desires for a Hawaii vacation.
What’s the weather like in Hawaii in February?
Hawaii’s proximity to the equator keeps the weather warm year-round. Even in February, the weather is pleasantly warm at the beaches with average daytime high temperatures ranging from about 78 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Nighttime low temperatures near the beaches range from around 63 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit on average.(Use this link to convert temperatures to Celsius.)
Hawaii’s ocean temperatures don’t fluctuate dramatically from month to month or season to season. You can swim in the ocean in Hawaii in February even though it is one of the cooler months. See our Hawaii ocean temperature article for more details.
Though most of Hawaii’s annual rainfall comes in winter months, February is relatively dry-ish compared to the other winter months. That could partly be attributed to the fewer number of days in the month. In comparison to the dryer summer months, February is definitely wetter as you can see from the following rainfall chart.
Anecdotally, we should add that we visited Kauai, the island with the most rainfall in Hawaii, last February. Rain didn’t really hamper our daytime sightseeing and activities. What rain did fall mostly happened overnight. Early mornings were a bit overcast, but by about 10am, the weather was mostly sunny. By the way, the photo we’ve used at the top of this article was taken during our February 2013 visit to Kauai.
If you are concerned about rain during a vacation to Hawaii in February, you can decrease the likelihood of rain by staying in one of the areas that tend to get the least rainfall throughout the year.
We recommend that you wear quick-drying clothing and bring a light, breathable rain jacket for your daytime adventures. Of course an umbrella is also helpful to keep you dry during a passing rain shower.
Is February a crowded time to visit Hawaii?
Per our analysis of HTA visitor arrival data, the number of visitors coming to Hawaii in February is below average as a whole. The only exception is that Valentine’s Day can be a popular time to visit Hawaii. We’ve been in Hawaii for Valentine’s Day a number of times and we only really felt it being crowded during a Waikiki stay.
Is February a cheap or expensive time for a Hawaii vacation?
From our analysis of Hawaii hotel rates and trends, February hotel rates hover just slightly above average. During the week around Valentine’s Day to Presidents Day, rates tend to be the highest for the month of February. The following chart shows how hotel rates vary throughout the year.
Airfare is more unpredictable. That being said, we typically see good airfare for February being advertised as early as October and as late as early January. See our suggestions for finding the cheapest flights to Hawaii.
Are there any special events, festivals or reasons to go to Hawaii in February?
The peak of the humpback whale season is in February. It’s a very, very exciting time to be in the islands, particularly if you are staying on Maui, Hawaii’s Big Island, Lanai and Molokai as the most humpbacks tend to hover in those areas.
Top festivals and events in Hawaii in February are as follows:
Hawaii, the Big Island
- Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival in early February
- Pana’ewa Stampeded Rodeo in mid-February
Kauai
- Waimea Town Celebration in mid-February
Maui
- Maui Whale Festival with various events throughout February
Oahu
- February is part of the big wave season on Oahu’s North Shore. Various surfing competitions are held in the month of February.
Several other festivals and events are held throughout the island in February. For a more comprehensive list, check out the events search feature on GoHawaii.com. Also check our events posts that we typically issue about a month or so before each quarter.
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How does February compare to other months for a Hawaii vacation? See our article on choosing the best time to go to Hawaii.
Have you been to Hawaii in February? Where did you go? How was your experience?
Sheila Beal
14 comments
Excellent post! bring light clothing!
Anytime is a good time to go to Hawaii – simply one of the most beautiful places in the world, no question about it. There’s so much to do, no matter which of the islands you go to. Yes, things can get a little pricey, but well worth it.
HAWAII offers you many great options,depending on what environment you would like! Big Island offers you lots of vegetation,waterfalls,small roads where Oahu gives Pearl Harbor,Honalulu,Waikiki,a good combination of beach,Ocean and plenty of shopping and nitelife! What ever you would like in Great Weather research the Island you prefer,you will Love it !
Hi! I am going to Hawaii Feb 1 to Feb 15 2019 and want to know how many nights you would suggest we stay in each island (Maui and Kauai). We plan on only staying in Maui and Kauai. Any additional tips you can give during those weeks will be great.
Probably half and half. If you’re thinking about longer on one island versus the other, I’d give the nod to Maui.
We have tons of tips on this site about visiting both islands and Hawaii in general, so do have a good look around the site!
We are planning to go to Hawaii in February for the first time. We are interested in knowing which Island/Islands would be the best to stay/visit. My wife has very limited diet (only fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, vegan gelato (lol), no sugar, not much salt, no non organic fruits and vegetables, no sweets etc.. These are the things we are interested in seeing: Waterfalls, Beaches (not crowded), Mountains, Whales, etc.. We are not big into the heavy “Americanization” of Hawaii or big crowds. We are planning to go for between 1 Week to 10 Days. We also don’t want to spend too much time jumping Island to Island. We want to see maybe 2-3 Islands at the most. I know we have a few requirements, but we thought some people might help us with suggestions. Thanks
Here’s our guide to help you choose the island(s) that are right for you. https://govisithawaii.com/2010/06/28/how-to-pick-the-best-hawaiian-islands-for-your-vacation/ You may want to pay special attention to Hawaii (Big) Island as it may be a good fit.
Read this regarding how many islands to visit based on your available time: https://govisithawaii.com/2014/01/14/how-many-islands-should-you-visit-during-your-hawaii-vacation/
This is amazingly helpful! What great info all the way around!!! Thank you so much!
Thank you for this helpful article. We’ve never been to Maui before and are planning a camping trip for end of February–are we crazy? We will be camping with our kids and I’m concerned about the tent getting wet. Is camping just a bad idea during this month?
No, you’re not crazy to plan to go to Maui in February, but you should aim to camp where the weather tends to be drier. See our Maui weather guide: https://govisithawaii.com/2015/09/29/maui-weather-guide/
We are planning on traveling to Maui in February 2020. What is the weather like? And what type of clothing should we pack?
We’ve described February weather in the article and also given some suggestions for what to pack. For more general packing suggestions see this article: https://govisithawaii.com/2007/07/23/what-to-pack-for-your-hawaii-vacation/
hi, can you help me with some suggestions? i have tickets to the kona airport mid february , its my 16 year old and myself. I know i want to go to the volcanoes tour but which one would you say. can you suggest of places to stay near the ocean not pricey for me… and some activities for teens. and for sure a luau show? I hope to hear from you?
We are unable to assist on a individual basis. We suggest you check out our First Time Visitor Guide that will point you to the appropriate articles that will help you answer your questions. https://govisithawaii.com/first-time-visitors-guide-to-hawaii/