Mauna Loa, HI Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Mauna Loa's primary NOAA station, MAUNA LOA 5 NNE.
The climate verdict for Mauna Loa
Dryness leads the climate profile for Mauna Loa, Hawaii, with 14.3 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 46°F. Its climate comfort score of 56/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 36% of station-mapped location scores.
- 46°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 56/100
- comfort score, above 36% of station-mapped location scores
- 14.3"
- annual precipitation
- 233 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Mauna Loa: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00021514 · Mauna Loa, HI 46°F mean · 14.3" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-NARROW · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 46°F
- RANK-COOL #1,578
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Ketchikan
- PRCP-DRY 14.3"
- SWING-NARROW 7°F
- COMF-MID 56/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,919 HDD
- STN-1 USW00021514
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Ketchikan, AK (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every HI station list.
- Mauna Loa (this station) 46°F
- Cold Metlakatla, AK 46°F
- Hot Mineral, CA 46°F
- Near Ketchikan, AK 46°F
- Near Incline Village, NV 46°F
Mauna Loa sits in Hawaii, the #2 hottest U.S. state at 72.4°F statewide annual average - see all 50 hottest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa: 57/100 · grade C
Mauna Loa publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Mauna Loa, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 56/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 0 calendar days | 100/100 · A |
| Frost-free season | 233 days/year | 82/100 · B |
| Precipitation balance | 14.3 in · 20.7 from 35 in | 26/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 46.0°F · 21.5° from 67.5°F | 23/100 · F |
Mauna Loa · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Mauna Loa falls in the polar Köppen band: ET
The warmest month stays below 10°C: tundra class (ET). Class ET is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: polar, specifically tundra.
- Köppen code
- ET
- Group
- Polar
- Warmest month
- 49.3°F
- Coldest month
- 42.2°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Mauna Loa sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Mauna Loa's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 77%
- Among 6,861 stations, Mauna Loa sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 84%
- Mauna Loa's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 100%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Mauna Loa is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Mauna Loa compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Mauna Loa's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
56 36th percentile score exceeds 36% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F (11°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 1.1" | 6.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 50°F (10°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 1.0" | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 51°F (10°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 1.9" | 7.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 53°F (12°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 0.9" | 3.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 56°F (13°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 47°F (9°C) | 0.6" | 0.9 | 0.0 |
| June | 58°F (14°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 0.4" | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| July | 58°F (14°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 1.3" | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| August | 57°F (14°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 2.4" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| September | 57°F (14°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 0.7" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 56°F (13°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 1.5" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 52°F (11°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 1.2" | 2.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 51°F (11°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 1.3" | 4.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The calendar barely moves in Mauna Loa: no date carries a normal high of 90°F or a normal low at freezing. The year runs between 34°F near February 18 and 58°F near June 16.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 34°F around February 18.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is March 1, when 23% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 21 at 7%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 57 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 28 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 17°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Mauna Loa.
Where Mauna Loa Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 17°F.
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 14 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Mauna Loa earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
3.9 days with precipitation
5.7 days with precipitation
6.8 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
2.1 days with precipitation
3.7 days with precipitation
6.0 days with precipitation
4.8 days with precipitation
4.9 days with precipitation
4.6 days with precipitation
5.6 days with precipitation
Mauna Loa spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 29% of the annual total and December through February 24%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Mauna Loa has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry an unusually narrow 7.1°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: August averages 2.4" and June 0.4". The three wettest months together take 40% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Mauna Loa's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 56 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 14.3" between them, or roughly 0.25 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
December 1
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 12
50% probability date
Growing Season
233 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,919
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
0
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
June
Coldest Month
February
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside HI closest to Mauna Loa on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (46°F here).
- Algona, IA 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Arlington, WI 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Eau Claire, WI 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Glenbrook, NV 46°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (14.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Colorado City, AZ 14.3" · 0.0" off
- Sunburst, MT 14.3" · 0.0" off
- Fort Morgan, CO 14.3" · 0.0" off
- Lance Creek, WY 14.3" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Mauna Loa's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Mauna Loa, at 6,919 degree days versus 0 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 7.1°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
Mauna Loa's frost-free season lasts about 233 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
The calendar stays thermally compact and dry. June and February mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar, only 7.1°F apart, while the annual precipitation total remains below PlainClimate's dry threshold. The annual average is 46°F. The monthly rows show whether that limited precipitation is spread through the year or concentrated in a shorter interval.
Mauna Loa's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 14.3 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Mauna Loa wettest normal
August
August concentrates the scarce annual total (14.3 inches).
Mauna Loa driest normal
June
June is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Mauna Loa's climate
How dry is Mauna Loa? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Mauna Loa? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Mauna Loa's primary station: MAUNA LOA 5 NNE (USW00021514). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Mauna Loa; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Mauna Loa comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.