Maui Ranks in World’s Top 15 Winter Getaways

‘Iao Valley on Maui is one of the island’s most visited destinations. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Maui Now Staff

The consistent year-round weather on Maui and Hawai‘i Island have not surprisingly earned them prominent places in Weather.com’s “15 Best Winter Escapes.”

Kahului, Maui, ranked number two on the list for its average of 131 sunny days throughout the year. The town’s average temperature tops out at 81 degrees in winter, with the average low only dipping to 63 degrees. The website’s ranking highlighted Kahului’s proximity to ‘Īao Valley, once called “The Yosemite of the Pacific” by Mark Twain, as a cool but moderate getaway from the heat.

“When you get out of your car at the top of the long winding road you’ll be struck by the crisp mountain air, so different from the warm humidity you left just moments ago. It often rains in this valley, but forge ahead: “The beauty of the park is apparent even in cloudy weather,” a report from Hawaii.com said.

On Hawai‘i Island, Hilo ranked number 11 on the list. The average wintertime high is a mild 79 degrees, with lows dipping into the lower 60s. During the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year still affords 11 hours of sunlight to soak up and enjoy.

Hilo ranked lower on the list because of its well-known reputation of frequent rainfall. The town averages 30 inches of rain in the winter season alone, with plenty of precipitation year-round. Fortunately, winter tends to be the dryer season of the year for those seeking refuge from any inkling of winter’s breathe. Even so, the common afternoon shower of the small bay-town affords enough beauty to be tolerable even by rain-haters.

“… in Hilo, the rain is amazing,” said a New York Times report in 2003. “It comes and goes, the weather sometimes changing from wet to dry within seconds.”

Hawai‘i also ranked two additional contenders in the Top 15 with Lihue, Kaua‘i at number 10, and Honolulu, ‘Oahu at number three.

Weather.com compiled the Top 15 national list by examining average temperatures, length of days, rainfall, as well as the number of sunny days annually.

Read the full report and see the other destinations listed in the Top 15 by visiting “15 Best Winter Escapes” at weather.com.