Hawaii · United States
February
Peak whale season and improving sunshine — the best winter month for combining wildlife with weather.
Strong option
#8 of 12 months
There are better months for Hawaii — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
27°C
Low
21°C
Rain
72mm
Sun
7hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How February scores in Hawaii
Weather
Good
Value
Above average
Crowds
Above average
Events
Outstanding
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in February
- ↑February is statistically the peak month for humpback whale activity in Hawaiian waters — cow-and-calf pairs are most frequently sighted, and the male singing (audible underwater at 20–30 metres depth with a snorkel) creates an experience found nowhere else on Earth
- ↑Sunshine hours improve from January — 7.0 hours daily is meaningfully better than the 6.5–6.8 of the surrounding winter months, and extended dry spells are more common; the south and west coasts of Maui and Oahu can deliver run of beautiful beach days
- ↑Valentine's Day drives significant couples travel, but also brings discounts at resorts: many Maui luxury properties offer Feb 14 promotions on extended stays booked in advance, making this a good window for high-end romance travel
What you sacrifice
- ↓Humpback whale season means whale-watching boat trips sell out weeks in advance — book a reputable operator (Pacific Whale Foundation, Trilogy) well before arrival or plan on early-morning standby queues
- ↓February remains in the winter wet season: the northern and eastern shores of all islands continue to receive regular rain showers, and Kauai's famed Na Pali Coast viewpoints can be obscured for days at a time in cloud
- ↓Mid-range accommodation is expensive year-round, but February's Valentine's premium can push certain properties and packages to their highest rates of the year outside of Christmas week
How February compares to May (best month)
| Factor | February | May ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 6 | 9 |
| Value | 5 | 7 |
| Crowds | 5 | 7 |
February in other destinations
Lisbon (14.3°C)Barcelona (14°C)Tokyo (10.4°C)Bali (30.1°C)Santorini (13.2°C)Paris (8°C)New York (4.5°C)Marrakech (19.1°C)Amsterdam (6°C)Maldives (30.2°C)Rome (11.9°C)Bangkok (33°C)Istanbul (8.6°C)Vienna (4.9°C)Seoul (4°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (31°C)Kyoto (10.1°C)Phuket (32.1°C)Cape Town (26.9°C)Prague (4°C)Amalfi Coast (13°C)Mexico City (23°C)Medellín (29°C)Fiji (31°C)London (9°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (3°C)Tulum (29°C)Dubai (26°C)Singapore (31°C)Hoi An (26°C)Chiang Mai (31.5°C)Miami (24.8°C)Florence (11.4°C)Queenstown (22.2°C)Madrid (11.2°C)Porto (15°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (6°C)Kraków (4°C)Tbilisi (8°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (19°C)Osaka (10°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (29°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (26°C)Cancun (29°C)Krabi (33°C)Athens (14°C)Seville (17°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (31°C)Havana (27°C)Split (11°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (34°C)Cappadocia (6°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (29°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (20°C)Jordan (13°C)Azores (17°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (20.3°C)Cairo (21.2°C)Kenya (28°C)Jaipur (25.1°C)Las Vegas (17.2°C)San Francisco (14°C)Madeira (19.8°C)Vancouver (8.4°C)Muscat (27.8°C)Lima (27°C)Cinque Terre (12°C)Kotor (11°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (29°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (6.5°C)Penang (32.2°C)Lombok (30.9°C)Cape Verde (25.8°C)Fez (15.8°C)Kerala (32°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (18°C)Oslo (0°C)Auckland (24°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Hawaii, not across destinations. Methodology →