What to Wear in Maui in November
Maui in November: 30°C / 86°F afternoons, 20°C / 68°F nights, the first whales and the thinnest crowds of the winter.
- Teal long-sleeve rash guard — Maui County's sun advice names rash guards, and it bans non-mineral sunscreen
- Cobalt high-waist bikini — under the rash guard, or on its own at a guarded beach
- Dusty pink cardigan — Kula's normal November low is 56.6°F
- Sage wide-leg linen trousers — a sunset whale cruise on an open deck
- Ivory floral midi dress — dinner in Pāʻia at 68°F
- Black straw bucket hat — the brim angles down, so the trade wind slides over it
- Non-mineral sunscreen — Maui County bans its use as well as its sale
- Lahaina's fenced-off areas — the county asks visitors to stay out
- North-shore swims in big surf — larger surf starts by November
- Haleakalā at dawn in beachwear — the park calls the summit regularly below freezing
Pack for the quiet month. NOAA's normals for Kahului give November 85.8°F by day and 68.4°F at night, the warmest nights of the winter, with 46mm of rain over about 9 days, and the state's visitor figures put November 2025 at about 54,500 visitors a day on Maui, some 16% fewer than December or January. The island changes under you anyway. NOAA's whale sanctuary says humpbacks can be seen from November through April, Pacific Whale Foundation opens its whale-watch season in early November, and the National Weather Service in Honolulu notes that "by November, larger surf episodes are starting to take place along north shores". Upcountry Kula averages 56.6°F before dawn. And Maui County goes further than the state on sunscreen: it bans the use of any non-mineral formula and tells visitors to cover up with "hats, long-sleeved shirts and sunglasses or rash guards".
November is Maui between seasons. The whales are arriving, the north shore is waking up, and the island has more room in it than it will have in December or January.
The capsule
01Teal long-sleeve rash guardMaui County's Ordinance 5306 bans the sale, distribution and use of non-mineral sunscreen, and the county's own advice is to cover up instead: "hats, long-sleeved shirts and sunglasses or rash guards and wetsuits in the water." A long-sleeve rash guard protects your back and arms on a snorkel without any sunscreen at all, and teal hides the salt line a white one shows.
02Cobalt square-neck bikini, high-waist bottomsWear it under the rash guard to snorkel, and on its own at a guarded beach: Maui County's lifeguards work 7:30am to 6:15pm in winter at beaches including Kamaʻole I, II and III in Kīhei. A high waist and a square neckline stay put in a shore break, and cobalt reads clearly against the teal.
03Dusty pink crew-neck cardiganNOAA's normals for Kula Branch Station, 3,100 feet up the slope of Haleakalā, give November a low of 56.6°F, about twelve degrees Fahrenheit colder than the coast. A breakfast in Kula or Makawao starts in a cardigan and ends without one. Textured cotton knit and long sleeves, in a pink that goes over the ivory dress after dark.
04Sage wide-leg linen trousers, pleatedPacific Whale Foundation runs sunset whale-watch cruises from November to March, and an open deck at dusk feels colder than a 68°F normal low. Full-length linen keeps the wind off your legs without adding heat, the wide leg makes the step down into the boat easy, and sage sits between the teal and the pink.
05Ivory square-neck midi, small pink florals, puff sleevesDinner in Pāʻia, where Mahina opened its first store in 2006, or in Wailea after a day on the south shore. Short puff sleeves suit a 68°F evening after sunset at about 5:45pm, the small print hides a day's salt and sand, and the tie waist gives it shape without a belt.
06White two-buckle footbed sandalsA contoured footbed for long days on foot: the shore path in Kīhei, the car park at Lahaina Civic Center for the Invitational, an afternoon between Makawao galleries. Two buckles hold your foot on soft sand where a slide lets go, and white keeps the coast half of the capsule light.
07Black straw bucket hat, cream stitched edgeA bucket brim angles down, so the trade wind on a south-shore walk slides over it instead of lifting it off. Black straw shades your face and neck, which is the covering the county asks for in place of chemical sunscreen, and it crushes into a suitcase and springs back.
08Tan suede half-moon crossbodyHands free for the tournament and the gallery hop. The Southwest Maui Invitational fills Lahaina Civic Center from 23 to 25 November, and a small half-moon crossbody holds a phone, a card and the mineral sunscreen the county allows. Tan suede matches the straw and the cork of the sandals.
Day to night
Teal rash guard over the cobalt bikini · sage linen trousers · white footbed sandals · black straw bucket hat · tan crossbody. A snorkel at a guarded Kīhei beach by eight, before the trade wind picks up, then lunch Upcountry.
Ivory floral midi · dusty pink cardigan open over it · white sandals · tan crossbody. A sunset whale-watch cruise, then dinner in Pāʻia with the cardigan on.
A suggested look — ivory floral midi dress, dusty pink cardigan, white buckle sandals, black straw bucket hat.
What to avoid
- Non-mineral sunscreen — Maui County bans its use as well as its sale
- Lahaina's fenced-off areas — the county asks visitors to stay out
- North-shore swims in big surf — larger episodes start by November
- A heavy coat on the coast — Kahului's normal low is 68.4°F
- Haleakalā at dawn in beachwear — the summit is regularly below freezing
Frequently asked questions
Warm at the coast, cool up the mountain. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Kahului Airport give an average November high of 85.8°F (29.9°C) and a low of 68.4°F (20.2°C), with 1.81 inches (46mm) of rain across about 9 days of measurable rain; only about 3 bring a tenth of an inch or more. Kula, at 3,100 feet, averages 71.9°F by day and 56.6°F at night. The National Weather Service in Honolulu puts November highs at Haleakalā-type elevations in the 50s Fahrenheit with lows in the 30s. Sunset moves from about 5:49pm on 1 November to 5:43pm on the 30th.
A teal long-sleeve rash guard, a cobalt high-waist bikini, a dusty pink cardigan, sage wide-leg linen trousers, an ivory floral midi, white footbed sandals, a black straw bucket hat and a tan crossbody. That covers a Kīhei snorkel, a sunset whale cruise and a cool morning in Kula. Bring mineral sunscreen only: Maui County bans the use of anything else. If you plan a Haleakalā sunrise, add a warm jacket, a hat and long trousers for those few hours.
In November. NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary says that "from November through April, visitors to the sanctuary can see whales from shore and at sea", and Pacific Whale Foundation says its season "officially kicks off in early November" with a Welcome Home the Whales cruise. NOAA puts the usual peak from January through March, so November sightings are the early arrivals. Federal rules keep boats, swimmers, paddleboards and drones at least 100 yards from humpbacks. On deck, dress for wind rather than heat.
Early November, for space. The state holidays on 3 November (General Election Day) and 11 November (Veterans' Day) are single days, and on the 11th Haleakalā National Park waives its entrance fee for US citizens and residents, though a sunrise reservation is still required. Late November fills up: the Southwest Maui Invitational brings eight college basketball teams to Lahaina Civic Center from 23 to 25 November, Thanksgiving follows on the 26th, and Hawaiʻi's public schools take the Friday off too.
December is a little cooler and noticeably wetter at Kahului. NOAA's normals give it 28.5°C by day and 65.9°F (19°C) at night, against November's 85.8°F (30°C) and 68.4°F (20°C), and 2.80 inches of rain over about 10 days, the wettest of November, December and January. It is also busier: state figures put December 2025 at about 65,100 visitors a day, against about 54,500 in November. December is the month to plan a Haleakalā sunrise with proper winter clothes, which our December guide covers.
Resort-casual pieces bought on the island. Mahina opened its first store in Pāʻia in 2006, as a boutique for women who lived and worked on Maui, and now runs shops in Pāʻia, Kīhei, Wailea, Kāʻanapali and Lahaina Gateway. Maui Hands, which opened in Makawao in August 1992 with 25 artisans, sells Hawaiʻi-made jewellery and fibre work in Makawao, Pāʻia and Wailea. Tori Richard, whose first patterns were cut in Honolulu in 1956, has Maui stores at The Shops at Wailea and Whalers Village. Rash guards at the beach, a cardigan Upcountry.
Sources
- NOAA — 1991–2020 climate normals, Kahului Airport (OGG) station
- NOAA NCEI — U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (monthly normals by station) — accessed 2026-09-26
- NOAA NCEI — Kula Branch Station 1991–2020 monthly normals — accessed 2026-09-27
- NWS Honolulu — Hawaiʻi weather FAQ (seasons, summit temperatures, surf) — accessed 2026-09-27
- NOAA — Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (whales November–April) — accessed 2026-09-27
- NOAA Humpback Whale Sanctuary — Boating guide (January–March peak) — accessed 2026-09-27
- NOAA Humpback Whale Sanctuary — Regulations (100-yard approach rule) — accessed 2026-09-27
- PacWhale Eco-Adventures (Pacific Whale Foundation) — Maui whale-watch season — accessed 2026-09-27
- County of Maui — Mineral-only sunscreen (Ordinance 5306) — accessed 2026-09-27
- County of Maui — Sunscreen ordinance FAQ — accessed 2026-09-27
- County of Maui — Ocean Safety (lifeguard hours, guarded beaches) — accessed 2026-09-27
- County of Maui — Lahaina's Front Street reopens 1 Aug 2026 — accessed 2026-09-27
- Southwest Maui Invitational — 2026 dates and venue — accessed 2026-09-27
- Southwest Maui Invitational — 2026 game schedule — accessed 2026-09-27
- Hawaiʻi DBEDT — November 2025 visitor statistics — accessed 2026-09-27
- Hawaiʻi DBEDT — December 2025 visitor statistics — accessed 2026-09-27
- NPS Haleakalā — Fees and fee-free days — accessed 2026-09-27
- NPS Haleakalā — Sunrise reservations and summit conditions — accessed 2026-09-27
- Hawaiʻi DHRD — State observed holidays 2026 and 2027 — accessed 2026-09-27
- Hawaiʻi State Department of Education — 2026–27 official school calendar — accessed 2026-09-27
- Mahina — About us (Pāʻia, 2006) — accessed 2026-09-27
- Maui Hands — Our story (Makawao, 1992) — accessed 2026-09-27
- Tori Richard — About us (Honolulu 1956) — accessed 2026-09-27
