Maui in December
Typical December weather
- Average high
- 83.3 °F (28.5 °C)
- Average low
- 65.9 °F (18.8 °C)
- Rain in the month
- 2.80 in (71.1 mm)
- Days with 0.01 in of rain or more
- 10.0
Averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any given year can differ.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), KAHULUI AP, HI US (USW00022516), 1991–2020 normals (www.ncei.noaa.gov, checked ).
How December 2026 scores in Maui
-
Overall score
6*/10 (provisional)
6*/10 GoodThe main score for Maui in December 2026, from 1 to 10, where 10 is best for the visitor. Weather counts for 40%, crowds 25%, daylight 10% and uniqueness 25%. Air quality is shown on its own. How we score
Overall 6*/10: (0.4×9 + 0.1×5 + 0.25×3) ÷ 0.75 = 4.85 ÷ 0.75 = 6.47 → 6. *From three of the four aspects: crowds is not measured for this month, so the other three aspects' weights are scaled to add up to 1.
-
Weather
9/10
9/10 IdealWeather 9/10: the average high is 83.3 °F with 71.1 mm of rain (1991–2020 normals, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)). That high is inside the 70–86 °F comfort band, so only rain lowers the score.
How this was scored
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), KAHULUI AP, HI US (USW00022516), 1991–2020 normals (www.ncei.noaa.gov, checked )
- The data file read (www.ncei.noaa.gov, checked )
high 83.3 °F: no deduction; rain 71.12 mm: −1.42; 10 − 1.42 = 8.58 → 9
-
Crowds
Not measured
Crowds: not measured. No official monthly crowd series for Maui is in our record. See How we score.
-
Daylight
5/10
5/10 AverageDaylight 5/10: in December 2026 the sun is up for 10 h 53 min a day on average, from sunrise to sunset at 20.90° N, 156.43° W (NOAA solar equations).
How this was scored
- Destination point 20.90° N, 156.43° W, the weather station's published coordinates (www.ncei.noaa.gov, checked )
- Sunrise and sunset by the NOAA Solar Calculator equations, checked against NOAA's own Solar Calculator code (the US Naval Observatory's service didn't answer us) (gml.noaa.gov, checked )
mean of 31 days from sunrise to sunset: 10 h 53 min (10.89 h); 1 + 1.5 × (10.89 − 8) = 5.34 → 5
-
Uniqueness
3/10
3/10 Few eventsUniqueness 3/10: 2 dated events from official calendars fall in December 2026: IRATION with KANAKA FYAH and TWIN FIN (single-day) and MAUI POPS ORCHESTRA - Holiday Pops (single-day). 3 more events are listed but not counted: at most 2 of each type count.
- IRATION with KANAKA FYAH and TWIN FIN · Single-day · Dec 5 · +1
- MAUI POPS ORCHESTRA - Holiday Pops · Single-day · Dec 6 · +1
- JIAOYING SUMMERS · Single-day · Dec 12 · not counted
- JOHN MULANEY · Single-day · Dec 18 · not counted
- Rocky Mountain High Experience® — John Denver Christmas Comes to Maui · Single-day · Dec 30 · not counted
How this was scored
- IRATION with KANAKA FYAH and TWIN FIN (single-day), 2026-12-05, Maui Arts & Cultural Center, One Cameron Way, Kahului, HI 96732 (www.gohawaii.com, checked )
- MAUI POPS ORCHESTRA - Holiday Pops (single-day), 2026-12-06, Maui Arts & Cultural Center, One Cameron Way, Kahului, HI 96732 (www.gohawaii.com, checked )
- Maui Events (official tourism board calendar) (www.gohawaii.com, checked )
- County of Maui (city or municipal government calendar) (www.mauicounty.gov, checked )
- Grand Slam tennis (WTA Tour 2027) (major-sports competition calendar) (wtafiles.wtatennis.com, checked )
- Formula 1 World Championship (2026 and 2027 seasons) (major-sports competition calendar) (www.formula1.com, checked )
- FIFA World Cup and continental championships (Women's World Cup 2027, AFC Asian Cup 2027, Concacaf W Championship 2026) (major-sports competition calendar) (digitalhub.fifa.com, checked )
- Abbott World Marathon Majors and World Athletics Platinum Label road races (major-sports competition calendar) (worldathletics.org, checked )
- Super Bowl (2026-2027 National Football League Important Dates) (major-sports competition calendar) (www.nfl.com, checked )
- NFL regular-season international games (2026 slate) (major-sports competition calendar) (media.nfl.com, checked )
- UEFA club competition finals 2026/27 (Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Women's Champions League) (major-sports competition calendar) (www.uefa.com, checked )
- Olympic and Paralympic Games (LA28 Games dates; Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games) (major-sports competition calendar) (la28.org, checked )
1 + 1 (IRATION with KANAKA FYAH and TWIN FIN, single-day) + 1 (MAUI POPS ORCHESTRA - Holiday Pops, single-day) = 3. Not counted: JIAOYING SUMMERS (2 single-day events already count); JOHN MULANEY (2 single-day events already count); Rocky Mountain High Experience® — John Denver Christmas Comes to Maui (2 single-day events already count)
-
Air quality
10/10
10/10 Mostly good airAir quality 10/10: 90 of 90 measured days in December (2023–2025) were in EPA's Good range for fine particles (PM2.5 at 9.0 µg/m³ or less), at 2 monitors within 25 miles. It isn't part of the overall score. Source: US Environmental Protection Agency, AirData (monitors operated by Hawaii State Department Of Health).
How this was scored
- US Environmental Protection Agency, AirData (monitors operated by Hawaii State Department Of Health) (aqs.epa.gov, checked )
- Kihei monitor (15-009-0006-1), 8.3 miles from the destination point, Population exposure (aqs.epa.gov, checked )
- Kahului monitor (15-009-0025-1), 4.6 miles from the destination point, Population exposure (aqs.epa.gov, checked )
- The data read (aqs.epa.gov, checked )
- The data read (aqs.epa.gov, checked )
- The data read (aqs.epa.gov, checked )
- The data read (aqs.epa.gov, checked )
2023: 28 of 28 days Good; 2024: 31 of 31 days Good; 2025: 31 of 31 days Good; pooled 90 of 90 = 1.000; 1 + 9 × 1.000 = 10.00 → 10
This is a summary of past measurements, not health advice. For today's air, see AirNow or the local agency.
Maui through the year: scores out of 10, where 10 is best for the visitor; * marks a provisional score, explained on that month's page
| Aspect | Nov 2026 | Dec 2026 (this page) | Jan 2027 | Feb 2027 | Mar 2027 | Apr 2027 | May 2027 | Jun 2027 | Jul 2027 | Aug 2027 | Sep 2027 | Oct 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 9* provisional | 6* provisional | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured |
| Weather | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Crowds | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured |
| Daylight | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Uniqueness | 9 | 3 | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured | – not measured |
| Air quality | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Scores summarize official data with the method on How we score. They aren't a recommendation, and any given year can differ.
When to go
December falls within the humpback whale season, which NOAA's sanctuary says generally runs from November through April, ahead of the peak from January through March. It is also outside the official Central Pacific hurricane season, although the Central Pacific Hurricane Center says tropical cyclones can occur at any time. Check the Kahului normals for December temperature and rainfall, and note that Haleakalā National Park describes summit temperatures that can be below freezing. The State of Hawaii's holiday schedule lists Christmas, so look at how the holiday falls against your travel days.
Trip facts
- At Kahului, the 1991-2020 normal daily maximum temperature for December is 83.3°F and the normal daily minimum is 65.9°F. (www.ncei.noaa.gov, checked )
- At Kahului, the 1991-2020 normal precipitation for December is 2.80 inches, with a normal 10.0 days of precipitation of 0.01 inch or more. (www.ncei.noaa.gov, checked )
- NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary says humpback whales are generally seen in Hawaiʻi from November through April each year, with the peak season from January through March. (hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov, checked )
- The Central Pacific Hurricane Center says the Central Pacific hurricane season officially begins on June 1 and ends on November 30, although tropical cyclones can occur at any time. (www.nhc.noaa.gov, checked )
- The State of Hawaiʻi's schedule of state government holidays for 2026 lists Christmas on Friday, December 25. (dhrd.hawaii.gov, checked )
- The National Park Service says that to view sunrise at Haleakalā National Park, a visitor needs to make a reservation ahead of time. (www.nps.gov, checked )
- The National Park Service says Haleakalā sunrise reservations can be made online up to 60 days in advance of the sunrise visit on recreation.gov. (www.nps.gov, checked )
- The National Park Service says year-round summit temperatures at Haleakalā range between below freezing to highs of 50°-65°F. (www.nps.gov, checked )
- The State of Hawaiʻi's Kahului Airport website says Kahului Airport is the primary airport on the island of Maui and receives both overseas and interisland flights. (airports.hawaii.gov, checked )
- The State of Hawaiʻi's Kahului Airport website says the County of Maui operates a public transit system that provides limited service to the airport. (airports.hawaii.gov, checked )
- Go Hawaii says Hawaiʻi follows Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HAST), which is 10 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time, and does not observe Daylight Saving Time. (www.gohawaii.com, checked )
- Go Hawaii says visitors can rent a car at Kahului Airport or Kapalua Airport. (www.gohawaii.com, checked )
- Go Hawaii's Maui page has sections for West Maui, South Maui, Central Maui, Upcountry Maui and East Maui, and its South Maui section names Kīhei and Wailea. (www.gohawaii.com, checked )
- Go Hawaii's South Maui page says you'll find the sunniest, driest area of Maui on the peaceful southwestern coast. (www.gohawaii.com, checked )
Flights
Kahului Airport is the primary airport on Maui, and the State of Hawaii's airport page says it receives both overseas and interisland flights. When you compare flights, look at routes, connections, total travel time and baggage rules for your dates. Hawaii does not observe daylight saving time, so check the time difference with your home city for the days you travel. The National Park Service requires a reservation made ahead of time to view sunrise at Haleakalā, so see how far ahead reservations open before you fix your arrival date.
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Where to stay
Go Hawaii describes Maui in regions, so decide which part of the island fits your plans before you compare places to stay. South Maui, where Go Hawaii's page names Kīhei and Wailea, is described on its South Maui page as having the sunniest, driest area of Maui on the southwestern coast, while Central Maui, Upcountry Maui and East Maui are separate regions to weigh as well. Compare each area by its distance from Kahului Airport, the activities you plan and how you will reach Haleakalā National Park if you want to see sunrise. For West Maui, check the County of Maui's and the Hawaii Tourism Authority's current visitor guidance before you decide.
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Getting around
Go Hawaii says visitors can rent a car at Kahului Airport or Kapalua Airport, so compare pickup locations and rental terms against your itinerary. The airport's official page says the County of Maui's public transit system provides limited service to the airport, so check Maui Bus routes and schedules before you plan around it. Haleakalā National Park says summit temperatures can be below freezing at any time of year, so plan your clothing for the summit as well as the coast. Settle how you will reach the summit before you reserve a sunrise slot.
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Things to do
Decide what is worth building a day around, then check availability for your travel dates. Compare what a tour or ticket includes, the meeting point and the cancellation terms before you choose.
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Stay connected
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Protect the trip
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