 During Maui's winter, Upper Kula can be as cold as 40 degrees in the early morning hours, and the Haleakala summit can dip below freezing.An exception to the normal pattern is the occasional winter “Kona storms” which bring rainfall to the South and West areas accompanied by high southwesterly winds (opposite of the prevailing trade wind direction).Maui is a leading whale-watching center in the Hawaiian Islands due to humpback whales wintering in the sheltered Auau Channel between the islands of Maui county.