Hawaii · United States
November
North Shore surf season opens — the most exciting month for spectating, the wettest for beach relaxation.
Strong option
#7 of 12 months
There are better months for Hawaii — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
28°C
Low
23°C
Rain
72mm
Sun
7hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How November scores in Hawaii
Weather
Good
Value
Good
Crowds
Above average
Events
Excellent
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in November
- ↑Vans Triple Crown of Surfing begins in November at Oahu's North Shore — the six-week competition window from November through December covers Pipeline, Sunset Beach, and Haleiwa, and when big swells arrive the world's best surfers perform on the most photographed waves on Earth; live spectating is free and the North Shore food trucks, shave ice stands, and makeshift spectator parties create an unmissable atmosphere
- ↑The first humpback whales of the season typically arrive in Hawaiian waters from Alaska in late November — early sightings from Maui's coastline begin around Thanksgiving, and booking a whale watch for late November is the earliest opportunity of the season
- ↑Thanksgiving week brings domestic US travel to Hawaii but paradoxically the week immediately before and after Thanksgiving can be among the most reasonably priced of the winter season — the holiday spike is concentrated around the specific weekend rather than the whole month
What you sacrifice
- ↓November is the wettest autumn month: 72mm of rainfall predominantly on windward coasts, and overcast periods can last several days; Kauai's North Shore is often the most dramatically affected and can see heavy rain for days at a stretch
- ↓Thanksgiving week (fourth Thursday of November) pushes accommodation prices to near-peak levels across all islands — families and couples treat it as an opportunity for a warm-weather holiday and availability tightens significantly in the days before and after the holiday
- ↓North Shore surf is exciting to watch but creates a hazardous coastline across Oahu's northern shore from November through April; beach swimming on the north coast is essentially impossible during big winter swells
How November compares to May (best month)
| Factor | November | May ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 6 | 9 |
| Value | 6 | 7 |
| Crowds | 5 | 7 |
November in other destinations
Lisbon (16.8°C)Barcelona (16.5°C)Tokyo (16.6°C)Bali (30.8°C)Santorini (17.5°C)Paris (10.5°C)New York (11°C)Marrakech (21.3°C)Amsterdam (9.2°C)Maldives (30°C)Rome (15.5°C)Bangkok (30.2°C)Istanbul (13.8°C)Vienna (7.8°C)Seoul (10.4°C)Dubrovnik (15.4°C)Rio de Janeiro (28.8°C)Kyoto (16.9°C)Phuket (31.7°C)Cape Town (23.7°C)Prague (7°C)Amalfi Coast (16°C)Mexico City (22°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (29°C)London (11°C)Sydney (24°C)Iceland (4°C)Tulum (29°C)Dubai (29°C)Singapore (31°C)Hoi An (27°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (27.2°C)Florence (13.6°C)Queenstown (18.5°C)Madrid (13°C)Porto (17°C)Edinburgh (9°C)Copenhagen (8°C)Budapest (9°C)Kraków (6°C)Tbilisi (11°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (25°C)Osaka (16°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (21°C)Buenos Aires (26°C)Mykonos (17°C)Zanzibar (30°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (29°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (18°C)Seville (18°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (27°C)Split (15°C)Taipei (23°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (20°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Cappadocia (12°C)Dominican Republic (29°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (26°C)Seychelles (29°C)Nepal (21°C)Jordan (19°C)Azores (19°C)Bora Bora (29°C)Los Angeles (22.1°C)Cairo (25.3°C)Kenya (25.8°C)Jaipur (27.8°C)Las Vegas (20.5°C)San Francisco (16.5°C)Madeira (21.5°C)Vancouver (9.2°C)Muscat (31.2°C)Lima (21.5°C)Cinque Terre (15°C)Kotor (15°C)Tel Aviv (22°C)Santiago (26°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (9.4°C)Penang (30.8°C)Lombok (31.2°C)Cape Verde (27.5°C)Fez (19.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (23°C)Oslo (5°C)Auckland (20°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Hawaii, not across destinations. Methodology →