Residents might soon feel some relief after a sweltering late summer.
Temperatures in Hawaiʻi usually peak in August, but this year, they continued climbing into September as El Nino conditions trapped heat around the islands.
But Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal Director Ryan Longman said the islands finally started to cool off in October, according to the latest monthly climate report.
October was still about half a degree hotter than its monthly average, but Longman said the winter months should bring some chill. February is typically Hawaiʻi's coldest month.
"It's downhill from here," Longman told HPR.
October also marks the start of Hawaiʻi's rainy season. Longman said that shift was anything but typical this year.
In past years, the islands have come out of the dry summer months desperate for rain. But so far, 2026 has gotten almost 200% more rainfall than average.
And El Nino may affect wind patterns and storm tracks this winter, drying out the islands over the coming months.
Find HCDP’s latest climate summary here.
HCDP is a collaborative effort based at the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, which is an underwriter of HPR.
