Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE), Hawaii climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)'s normal year runs from 34°F February nights to 58°F June afternoons, with 14.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.8°C, February lows of 1°C, June highs of 14°C, 363 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMauna Loa (5 mi NNE)
- Station IDUSW00021514
- Location19.54°N 155.58°W
- Elevation11,179 ft (3,407 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) is 55°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 17%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE).
- Jan 51° 35°
- Feb 50° 34°
- Mar 51° 35°
- Apr 53° 37°
- May 56° 39°
- Jun 58° 41°
- Jul 58° 41°
- Aug 57° 41°
- Sep 57° 41°
- Oct 56° 40°
- Nov 52° 37°
- Dec 51° 36°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) each month?
June is the warmest month, with normal highs of 58°F; February the coldest, with normal lows of 34°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.38 in), the least in June (0.43 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F | 35°F | 43.2°F | 1.10 | 4 | <1 | 6 | 11 h |
| February | 50°F | 34°F | 42.2°F | 1.04 | 6 | <1 | 9 | 11 h 30 min |
| March | 51°F | 35°F | 42.7°F | 1.94 | 7 | <1 | 7 | 12 h |
| April | 53°F | 37°F | 44.8°F | 0.87 | 4 | <1 | 4 | 12 h 30 min |
| May | 56°F | 39°F | 47.4°F | 0.60 | 4 | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| June | 58°F | 41°F | 49.3°F | 0.43 | 2 | <1 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| July | 58°F | 41°F | 49.1°F | 1.27 | 4 | <1 | <1 | 13 h 10 min |
| August | 57°F | 41°F | 49.0°F | 2.38 | 6 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 50 min |
| September | 57°F | 41°F | 48.6°F | 0.67 | 5 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 56°F | 40°F | 47.7°F | 1.47 | 5 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 40 min |
| November | 52°F | 37°F | 44.8°F | 1.21 | 5 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 10 min |
| December | 51°F | 36°F | 43.4°F | 1.32 | 6 | <1 | 4 | 11 h |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 38°F | 46.0°F | 14.30 | 56 | <1 | 34 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°C | 2°C | 6.2°C | 28 mm |
| February | 10°C | 1°C | 5.7°C | 26 mm |
| March | 10°C | 2°C | 5.9°C | 49 mm |
| April | 12°C | 3°C | 7.1°C | 22 mm |
| May | 13°C | 4°C | 8.6°C | 15 mm |
| June | 14°C | 5°C | 9.6°C | 11 mm |
| July | 14°C | 5°C | 9.5°C | 32 mm |
| August | 14°C | 5°C | 9.4°C | 60 mm |
| September | 14°C | 5°C | 9.2°C | 17 mm |
| October | 13°C | 4°C | 8.7°C | 37 mm |
| November | 11°C | 3°C | 7.1°C | 31 mm |
| December | 11°C | 2°C | 6.3°C | 34 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Hawaii Vol National Park Headquarters 54 (22 miles away), gets 0 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00021514; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE): the warmest is June at 58°F.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00021514.
When is the last frost at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)?
In Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 12 in half of years and after May 18 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 1 in half of years and before November 9 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 121 year in 10 after May 18; 9 in 10 after March 13
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 11 year in 10 before November 9; 9 in 10 before January 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 235 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 327 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 13 in half of springs and before January 22 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) in zone 11a in ZIP code 96726, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 26°F (15 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Hawaii · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00021514; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)?
In a normal year in Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE), a 90°F day is rare, 34 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 56 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 34a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 56a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 2005) is 69°F, on July 27, 2013; the lowest is 21°F, on February 15, 2019.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2018, with 28.40 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00021514; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00021514. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE), 5.3 kWh per square metre a day. January is the sunniest month (79%) and March the cloudiest (71%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 4.4 |
| February | 75% | 4.8 |
| March | 71% | 5.2 |
| April | 71% | 5.7 |
| May | 72% | 5.9 |
| June | 74% | 6.1 |
| July | 76% | 6.2 |
| August | 76% | 6.1 |
| September | 75% | 5.6 |
| October | 76% | 5.0 |
| November | 76% | 4.4 |
| December | 76% | 4.0 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) record?
A normal year at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) brings 6,919 heating degree days, 29% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 0 cooling degree days, 100% fewer than the median (908). Twelve months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 138 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 674 | 0 |
| February | 638 | 0 |
| March | 693 | 0 |
| April | 606 | 0 |
| May | 546 | 0 |
| June | 470 | 0 |
| July | 493 | 0 |
| August | 496 | 0 |
| September | 494 | 0 |
| October | 536 | 0 |
| November | 606 | 0 |
| December | 668 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,919 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00021514. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 47.5°F, 1.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.0°F. 3 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.0°F | −1.0°F | 24.19 |
| 2022 | 45.9°F | −0.1°F | 14.38 |
| 2023 | 46.1°F | +0.1°F | 24.06 |
| 2024 | 48.1°F | +2.1°F | 22.13 |
| 2025 | 47.5°F | +1.5°F | 7.35 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00021514. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)'s climate compare?
Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) is warmer than 0 of the 18 places with their own NOAA record in Hawaii, and wetter than 1. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.0°F is warmer than 23%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) is ET: tundra. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)?
February, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 34°F. The warmest is June (58°F by day, 41°F at night).
Does it snow at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)?
Rarely. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Hawaii Vol National Park Headquarters 54 (22 miles away), records 0 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)?
August, with 2.38 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.43 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE) in zone 11a in ZIP code 96726, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 26°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 9b.
How late can frost come at Mauna Loa (5 mi NNE)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 12; in one year in ten it comes after May 18. Waiting until May 18 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Hawaii climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Hawaii Vol National Park Headquarters 54, HI22 miles from this station, 61.7°F a year
- Opihihale #2 24.1, HI27 miles from this station, 68.1°F a year
- Sea Mountain 12.15, HI28 miles from this station, 75.0°F a year
- Glenwood #2 55.4, HI29 miles from this station, 67.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made