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 Less rainy on the east side, which gets up to 30 inches of rain a year

 Driest on the south and west, which get as little as 5 inches a year at Polihale and up to 20 inches a year at Poipu.

 Rainy in the mountains, like Kokee State Park, especially the nearer you get to Mt. Waialeale, the rainiest spot on Earth.

If you want to get away from the rain, head for the south and west coasts. The image on the previous page summarizes the situation.

The long of it

Hawaii’s weather is temperate to a degree that puts the so-called “temperate” zones of the world to shame. The humidity is moderate, too: 50–60%, not the sweltering horror of some other tropical lands. You are still in the northern hemisphere, so it is warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter, but nothing like the sweltering/freezing mainland.

Hawaii’s mild climate is determined largely by its tropical location and also by the northeast trade winds that sweep across it. The north-east trade winds—so-called because sea captains took advantage of them on their trade routes—are dependable, steady winds that blow from the northeast west across the thousands of miles of open sea that separate the Hawaiian Islands from the continents. They are responsible for keeping the temperature and the humidity moderate. Since they are the prevailing winds in this area, the side of the island that faces them is called the “windward” side. The opposite side of the island is the opposite of windward; in nautical terms, “leeward.”