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I've only been here 10 days but all the locals have been telling me it has been dry too long, rain needs to return. I've been told it is unusually cool too, we have a wind advisory in effect all weekend but only a 20% chance of rain. It's rained once while I've been here. I visited Hilo took an umbrella but no rain. Drove through some mist/sprinkles on Saddle Rd but that's it. So I agree with other posters: it is relative to what you are used to but by no means does it rain EVERY single day.
I go to Hilo at twice a month for work - and while I appreciate the charm of the area - for me, the rain is really that bad. I've never been to Hilo and have a completely dry day. Sometimes rain all day but the late afternoon rain seems to be a constant cycle. And it isn't a gentle - think hard driving rain. Then of course the loud frogs are another topic....
Kona - Very dry. Very Sunny. It's also very hot.
I'm here in Hilo today (8/29/12). It has been raining every day on and off for this week; usually at night and once during the day. BUT, It is a warm rain and it is nice to sit on the Launi and look at the beautiful views. My home town is San Jose, CA, which has more sunny days per year than Hilo but the rain there is cold and dreary. Also, both my wife and I love the frogs. We have come here several times and look forward to the sounds at night
We toured Kona yesterday and they do have more services than the Hilo side but it looked like a moonscape except in the areas where they planted vegatation. I really recommend to someone considering a move here to visit both sides and come here at least two different times of the year.
I'm here in Hilo today (8/29/12). It has been raining every day on and off for this week; usually at night and once during the day. BUT, It is a warm rain and it is nice to sit on the Launi and look at the beautiful views. My home town is San Jose, CA, which has more sunny days per year than Hilo but the rain there is cold and dreary. Also, both my wife and I love the frogs. We have come here several times and look forward to the sounds at night
We toured Kona yesterday and they do have more services than the Hilo side but it looked like a moonscape except in the areas where they planted vegatation. I really recommend to someone considering a move here to visit both sides and come here at least two different times of the year.
Another option is to skip the Big Island all together and go to Maui - you skip the "moonscape" - better infrastructure - no frogs - and have multiple options from upscale with Wailea and great beaches - a dry side in Lahaina/Kanaapali - or meet in the middle with Kihei - etc.....
I think bptsj makes an important point. When I've been in Seattle during the winter, it's been gray and COLD. Cold-weather clothes cold (no, not like Montana, but enough for a jacket, gloves etc). When I lived in Hilo over a winter I don't remember ever wearing a heavy jacket unless I was going to the observatory at high altitude. I'd wear a raincoat and a sweater around Volcano, but it can't be compared to rain in the Northwest. So if it's cold you don't like, you might be okay. If it's just mud and wet, then Hilo probably isn't your place.
When I was in Hilo last Feb. and March, and part of April, it rained alot but it was still warm out and the sun would come out every day. I went to the beach every single day and didn't get rained out. Never needed a sweater or long pants. For awhile, I wondered why the family get-togethers at the beach parks always had a shade structure put up as there's always shade available.
Duh, for the intermittent RAIN! On the days I'd wake up to some heavy rain, I'd drive out towards Pahoa, Kalapana or Kapoho, and drive right out of it into the sun. The worst of it seemed to be right on Hwy. 11 enroute...the windshield wipers couldn't keep up and I wanted to pull over it was so bad. But if it bothers you, you can leave it all behind in minutes.
Being from the high desert, I really appreciated the rain and benign temperatures, and being in sun that wouldn't scorch and burn me at an intolerable 100 degrees. I found myself saying, "It's so comfortable...I'm not HOT and I'm not COLD. "It's just right!"
Another option is to skip the Big Island all together and go to Maui - you skip the "moonscape" - better infrastructure - no frogs - and have multiple options from upscale with Wailea and great beaches - a dry side in Lahaina/Kanaapali - or meet in the middle with Kihei - etc.....
Of course you will also skip all the affordable real estate if you do that...
We live on the mainland now, but spent many, many years on the Big Island. Yes, it rains a lot. Where it rains depends on where you live. Up slope it rains much more. It's not just the rain, it's the many cloudy days that can be depressing to some people. I'd like to believe that it just rains sometimes and then clears up, but my memory doesn't support that, nor do my wife's phone calls to her son over there. He generally complains that it's raining, and been raining for a while. Some years are more rainy than others. There has been a drought there for a while. Just remember that drought on the Big Island isn't like what most people would consider a drought. We're not talking dust storms and the like. And of course, the vog means that the rain can carry harsh chemicals w/ it. Don't forget that while the Big Island may have the cheapest land prices they're still expensive.
For comparison with my earlier post, here are the rainfall numbers for July, typically one of the dryest months for Puna:
N. Glenwood.................17.15
Fernwood Forest...........13.30
Royal Hawaiian Estates...9.90
Ohia Estates ................11.90
Mauna Loa Estates .........9.02
Volcano Village...............7.29
Volcano Golfcourse & CC..1.80
Terracore.
Please help me.
Where did you get the map for the rainfall for the Big Island
Kit in Waimea 885-6614
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Comment Hilo versus Kona
Duh, for the intermittent RAIN! On the days I'd wake up to some heavy rain, I'd drive out towards Pahoa, Kalapana or Kapoho, and drive right out of it into the sun. The worst of it seemed to be right on Hwy. 11 enroute...the windshield wipers couldn't keep up and I wanted to pull over it was so bad. But if it bothers you, you can leave it all behind in minutes.
