Rain in Puna Area
We get a lot of rain here in Puna, but we really do get most of it at night.
A typical day is like : we get up around 7:30am, it is normally a bit rainy at that point but it usually quickly gets sunny. We have a steady, brisk trade wind that brings in cool water from the ocean to the east (it blows east to west typically) that lasts all day.
On many days we will see a shower or two during the day that lasts for 5 or 10 minutes - just long enough to cool everything down. The temperature gets to about 81°F (or 27°C) max. Humidity is almost always high.
Around 5:30pm (summer) or 4:30pm (winter) the sun drops on the other side of the mountain and it instantly gets cooler. The sun goes down between 7-7:30pm (summer) or 6-6:30pm (winter). At this point it cools down to about 70°F (or 21°C).
During the months of March and April, it tends to get quite cool at night (maybe down to 65°F or 18°C). More often than not it will start raining about 9pm and rain on and off all night long.
There are times -- usually during the months of January through April when it rains so much you think you will go insane. There are also times when it won't rain at all for weeks. We've been through 2 pretty severe winter droughts in the last 10 years. All the grass dies and we have to order water (a big truck comes and fills the cathement tank with county water for $100). The rain always comes back though.All this rain is really not a hardship. It keeps everything cool and beautiful and growing like mad. We make provisions -- we always carry a big umbrella (golfing use kind) and an extra set of clothes. We always put a tarp up at the beach and everyone has covered patios or porches for gatherings rain or shine. We don't cancel soccer unless you will literally drown standing up. The schools and churches have common areas that are open-air, but they are all covered. It's really much easier for me to live with than scraping frozen car windows or trudging through snow in -70°F windchill.
The following numbers are provided by worldclimate.com. They are in line with my experience. If you were planning something like a wedding in Puna or Hilo, it looks like March and April would be bad months to have it, but June would be the best month to avoid the rain.
| Area | Average yearly rainfall | Average month with LOWEST rainfall and amount | Average month with HIGHEST rainfall and amount |
| Keeau | 138 inches | 6.3 inches (June) | 17.1 inches (April) |
| Hilo (Hilo is not in Puna, but I am including it for reference, as some sources name it the rainiest city in the united states) | 135 inches | 6.9 inches (June) | 15.2 inches (March) |
| Kapoho | 103 inches | 5.3 inches (June) | 12.1 inches (March) |
| Pahoa | 145.7 inches | 7 inches (June) | 15.6 inches (March) |
| Kalapana | 80.3 inches | 2.9 inches (June) | 9.7 inches (March) |
You'll notice that Kalapana gets a lot less rain than the rest of the island. Kalapana is on a southern shore, and all the southern shores get less rain.
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