Lāhainā Noon is that moment when the Sun is directly overhead. At the moment of Lāhainā Noon shadows disappear.
As the islands lie south of the Tropic of Cancer there is a day when the Sun will pass directly overhead as the summer solstice approaches, generally in late May. There is a second noon as the Sun’s position moves south again in July.
The term Lāhainā Noon is unique to the islands, being adopted by the Bishop Museum in the 1990’s to describe this event. The Hawaiian term lā hainā translates roughly as cruel Sun.
The exact date and time varies significantly across the islands and from year to year. The table below shows the time of Lāhainā Noon for various cities in 2019.
| Lahiana Noon for May 2019 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Long. | Lat. | Date | Time | Elevation |
| Naalehu | 155°35’W | 19°03’N | May15 | 12:19HST | 89.9 |
| Hilo | 155°05’W | 19°42’N | May18 | 12:17HST | 89.9 |
| Kona | 155°59’W | 19°39’N | May18 | 12:20HST | 89.9 |
| Waimea | 155°40’W | 20°01’N | May20 | 12:19HST | 89.9 |
| Hawi | 155°50’W | 20°14’N | May21 | 12:20HST | 90.0 |
| Hana | 156°00’W | 20°46’N | May23 | 12:21HST | 89.9 |
| Kihei | 156°27’W | 20°45’N | May23 | 12:23HST | 89.9 |
| Kahalui | 156°28’W | 20°53’N | May24 | 12:23HST | 89.9 |
| Lahaina | 156°40’W | 20°53’N | May24 | 12:23HST | 89.9 |
| Lanai City | 156°55’W | 20°50’N | May24 | 12:24HST | 89.9 |
| Kaunakakai | 157°01’W | 21°05’N | May25 | 12:25HST | 89.9 |
| Honolulu | 157°49’W | 21°18’N | May26 | 12:28HST | 89.9 |
| Kaneohe | 157°48’W | 21°25’N | May27 | 12:28HST | 89.9 |
| Waialua | 158°08’W | 21°34’N | May28 | 12:30HST | 89.9 |
| Lihue | 159°22’W | 21°58’N | May31 | 12:35HST | 90.0 |
| Data from US Naval Observatory Data Services | |||||
Share this:
