Cebu City climate
Cebu City (Philippines) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 2,009 mm79 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Cebu City climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2882 | 2476 | 2679 | 1606.3 |
| Feb | 2883 | 2475 | 2679 | 1034.1 |
| Mar | 3085 | 2576 | 2781 | 833.3 |
| Apr | 3188 | 2678 | 2983 | 662.6 |
| May | 3289 | 2780 | 2984 | 1265.0 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2780 | 2883 | 2128.3 |
| Jul | 2984 | 2679 | 2882 | 2389.4 |
| Aug | 2984 | 2679 | 2882 | 2038.0 |
| Sep | 2984 | 2679 | 2882 | 2198.6 |
| Oct | 2984 | 2679 | 2781 | 2389.4 |
| Nov | 2984 | 2679 | 2781 | 1636.4 |
| Dec | 2883 | 2578 | 2780 | 1987.8 |
| Year | 3289 | 2475 | 2781 | 2,00979 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87% | 73% | 4.1 | 11:35 |
| Feb | 84% | 64% | 4.8 | 11:47 |
| Mar | 80% | 53% | 5.7 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 76% | 49% | 6.3 | 12:21 |
| May | 76% | 65% | 5.7 | 12:36 |
| Jun | 80% | 79% | 5.2 | 12:43 |
| Jul | 83% | 84% | 4.8 | 12:40 |
| Aug | 84% | 84% | 5.0 | 12:27 |
| Sep | 84% | 84% | 4.9 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 85% | 77% | 4.8 | 11:53 |
| Nov | 86% | 69% | 4.6 | 11:38 |
| Dec | 87% | 72% | 4.1 | 11:31 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Cebu City is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 27 °C80 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 28 °C82 °F and lows 24 °C76 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 3 °C5.3 °F.
It is very wet, receiving about 2,009 mm79 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is August–October, which brings 33% of the annual total. The wettest month is October (238 mm9.4 in), the driest is April (66 mm2.6 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 76% in April to 87% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 49%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (5 mph) in June to 15 km/h (10 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Cebu City
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February–April: average highs of 28 °C83 °F to 31 °C88 °F with 66 mm2.6 in to 103 mm4.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is very wet (238 mm9.4 in) and humid (85% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Cebu City
- Wetter months (June–October, December) — highs 2883 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2578 to 27 °C80 °F, about 218 mm8.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (January–May, November) — highs 2882 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2475 to 27 °C80 °F, about 117 mm4.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Cebu City compares
Compared with Budta, about 351 km to the south, Cebu City is on average 0.3 °C0.6 °F warmer and receives 17% less precipitation (2,009 mm79 in vs 2,434 mm96 in). The difference is largest in May (1.2 °C2.1 °F warmer).
Of the 62 places in the Philippines covered by World Climates, Cebu City is the 23rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 53rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Philippines climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Kendari (Indonesia, Af), Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago, Am) and Honiara (Solomon Islands, Af).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Lapu-Lapu City (pop. 497,813), Mandaue City (pop. 331,320) and Toledo (pop. 206,692). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Cebu City, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Naga 19 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,892 mm75 in
- Cadiz 96 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,333 mm92 in
- Ormoc 110 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,224 mm88 in
- Bacolod City 110 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,251 mm89 in
- Himamaylan 114 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,066 mm81 in
- Kabankalan 124 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,066 mm81 in
- Dumaguete 129 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,730 mm68 in
- Iloilo 151 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,313 mm91 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Cebu City?
May is the warmest month in Cebu City, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 27 °C (80 °F).
What is the coldest month in Cebu City?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
When does it rain the most in Cebu City?
October is the wettest month with about 238 mm (9.4 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 66 mm (2.6 in).
What is the best time to visit Cebu City?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February–April.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 99 m, while Cebu City lies at about 37 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.