What to know and plan for a November 2026 vacation to Hawaii

Situated between the busy summer vacation months and the upcoming December holiday spike, November is at a sweet spot in the autumn shoulder/low season. You’ll likely save a bit of money by visiting in November as It’s one of the cheapest months to visit Hawaii. The brief exception is that Thanksgiving week/weekend tends to gets a little busy.

What’s Hawaii’s weather like in November?

As the weather in much of the northern hemisphere has turned cold, it’s wonderful to experience Hawaii’s perpetual summer-like climate. Hawaii does have some seasonal temperature fluctuations, but not like the extremes in North America. One of the nicer aspects about visiting Hawaii in November is that the temperatures are still warm, but several degrees below the hotter summer months.  You can expect the average daytime high temperatures to be roughly 84°F (28.9°C) with nighttime temps only dipping to about 70°F (21.1°C).

November is not the rainiest month in Hawaii, but as winter approaches, rainfall levels  tend to be above average, especially in comparison to the drier summer months. Personally, I wouldn’t let that scare me off or dread a Hawaii vacation. During our November visits around the Hawaiian Island, we experienced far more dry, sunny days than overcast or rainy days.

There’s an interesting weather phenomena in that most of Hawaii’s rain falls overnight. The advantages you’ll gain from the typical November rainfall uptick is that the waterfalls should be flowing nicely, the islands are greener, and you might even catch one of Hawaii’s famous rainbows.

Don’t panic, but hurricane season in the Central Pacific finishes at the end of November. Historically, there have been very few hurricanes recorded in the Central Pacific. (Note that the Central Pacific is a very large area and Hawaii is quite small in comparison.) It is very unlikely that a hurricane will impact Hawaii in November, however it’s worth mentioning because the 2026 season has been unusually busy with Lala brushing near Hawaii in August and Lowell approaching very near to Kauai in September. Learn more by checking out these Hawaii’s hurricane season frequently asked questions.

For more weather insights by island, see our Hawaii weather page.

Where to stay based on the weather of November

As previously mentioned, in November there’s a little increase in rainfall levels. As such, my advice is to pay closer attention to where to stay in Hawaii to avoid rain.

No matter what time of year you visit, we always recommend making sure your beach accommodation has air-conditioning. The vast majority of Hawaii hotels have air conditioning. It’s the vacation rentals where you need to be more careful in your selection. If you are opting for a VRBO condo or other vacation rental, that’s where you have to be careful to check if your prospective vacation condo or villa has air conditioning. We’ve stayed in a couple of Hawaii vacation rentals without air conditioning and we really wished we had air conditioning. When searching for vacation rentals, look for filters that allow you to filter for rentals with air conditioning.

What should you pack for a Hawaii vacation in November?

As we’ve mentioned, the weather is hot and will likely feel humid. We recommend that you pack clothes that will help maximize your comfort. Based on our numerous trips the the Hawaiian Islands, here’s a cheatsheet of what works best:

What to pack for daytime wear for beach or sightseeing

These are the types of clothing that we wear most often during the day in Hawaii:

What to pack to wear for evening/ dinner in Hawaii

For evening wear, you can leave the fancy clothes at home because Hawaii’s dress code is casual. Ladies might want to pack summer dresses or perhaps resort-wear tops with nice shorts, skorts, or trousers. For men, we suggest you pack summery shirts, like polos or short-sleeve button downs, along with nice shorts. If you have clothing with “Hawaiian prints” they’ll be perfect to wear on your Hawaii vacation.

For more expert packing tips we’ve developed from our many trips to Hawaii, see our Hawaii vacation packing guide. We provide many more packing recommendations, including specialized shoes and gear to bring for tours.

For our tried-and-true packing tips from our many trips to Hawaii, see our Hawaii vacation packing guide. We provide many packing recommendations that you might not have considered based on your sightseeing plans and activities.

What are the ocean conditions in November in the Hawaiian Islands?

Ocean temperatures are warm enough to swim year round in Hawaii. In November, the ocean temps start to cool down a bit from their warmest in September and October, but remain above average at around 78° F (25.5°C).

In November, ocean conditions transition to the bigger swells of winter. The big swells are most noticeable on the northern-facing shores. These big waves bring in professional surfers who are amazing to watch. See this list of surfing competitions planned for the famous big wave beaches of Oahu’s North Shore.

The big waves are incredible to see and leave it at just that — seeing them. Let the pros do the surfing on the big swells. See more about ocean safety in Hawaii.

With big winter swells, I would not advise making plans for ocean sports in unsheltered spots of the north shorelines. When north-facing shores experience big waves, the south shores are generally calmer.

November’s natural occurrences in Hawaii

There are some wonderful natural occurrences that happen every November in Hawaii. First, the big winter swells start coming in as we just mentioned.

Another neat natural occurrence is that more humpback whales start arriving into the sheltered waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. Though the official whale watching season doesn’t start until mid-to-late December, if you keep your eyes peeled, you might see humpback whale activity.

By November, most of North America and Europe would have experienced the bleakness from the first frost. But, in Hawaii, flowers are in bloom and plants are green and vibrant and absolutely lovely.

Notable sky events in November 2026

With low light pollution, Hawaii is a tremendous place for stargazing. There are several noteworthy night sky events happening this November.

  • The Taurids Meteor Shower is a minor meteor shower that produces about 5-10 meteors per hour. It peaks on the night of November 4/5.
  • The new (i.e. no) moon is on November 9. This evening is ideal for stargazing.
  • The Leonids Meteor Shower is an average shower that produces up to fifteen meteors per hour. The peak night is November 17/18.
  • The full moon is November 24. This one is considered a “supermoon”. The moon will be near its closest approach to Earth and may appear slightly bigger and brighter than usual.

November Cultural Festivals & Special Events for 2026

There are two national holidays in November — Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Hawaii offers a nice setting to celebrate both holidays.

For Veterans Day, November 11th, look for special events across the islands, but especially on Oahu. Additionally, some national parks and other attractions tend to offer free or discounted tickets for veterans on Veterans Day.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, November 26th, you can find many Thanksgiving-themed menus at Hawaii restaurants. You’ll likely find traditional Thanksgiving foods, such, but with a delicious Hawaii twist. As Waikiki is a popular destination for this holiday, we update this Waikiki Thanksgiving guide each year, which is a work in progress at the moment as most venues haven’t announced what they’re offering yet. That said, we’ve listed some excellent holiday kick-off events happening around Thanksgiving.

Beyond those two national holidays, there are some excellent festivals and special events that you might find interesting to include in your vacation itinerary. Here are some top events for November 2026.

Oahu Events

November 5-8: Hawaii Food & Wine Festival events on Oahu

November 11: Veteran’s Day is typically held at the Battleship Missouri Memorial at Pearl Harbor. This year’s event is to be determined. Check their Facebook page for updates.

Various dates in November: Several surfing competitions take place dependent upon the conditions, of course.

Kauai Events

November 7: The 38th Annual Emalani Festival

November 8: The 34th Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival – Kauai Style

Hawaii, Big Island Events

November 5-15: The 55th Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival

November 21: E Mau Ana Ka Hula – A Tribute to King Kalakaua

Maui Events

November 6-7: The 13th Annual Made in Maui County Festival

Kauai Recovery after Hurricane Lowell

As of the time of publishing this page in September 2026, the beautiful island of Kauai continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Lowell. Excellent progress has been made. Most resorts that were damaged in the storm have made rapid repairs and reopened by the end of September. By November, we expect that much more of the island will be recovered. That being said, some of the islands parks may not be fully accessible. Check the Hawaii state parks’ page for Kauai for updates and advisories.

More information to help you make your Hawaii vacation plans: