Palu climate
Palu (Indonesia) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 1,734 mm68 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Palu climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3086 | 2475 | 2780 | 1184.6 |
| Feb | 3086 | 2475 | 2781 | 1174.6 |
| Mar | 3086 | 2475 | 2781 | 1566.1 |
| Apr | 3086 | 2576 | 2781 | 1877.4 |
| May | 3086 | 2577 | 2781 | 1827.2 |
| Jun | 2985 | 2576 | 2781 | 2168.5 |
| Jul | 2985 | 2476 | 2780 | 1485.8 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2476 | 2781 | 1084.3 |
| Sep | 3087 | 2476 | 2781 | 1034.1 |
| Oct | 3187 | 2576 | 2882 | 1305.1 |
| Nov | 3086 | 2576 | 2781 | 1355.3 |
| Dec | 3086 | 2476 | 2781 | 1335.3 |
| Year | 3187 | 2475 | 2781 | 1,73468 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88% | 91% | 4.8 | 12:10 |
| Feb | 88% | 89% | 5.2 | 12:09 |
| Mar | 88% | 85% | 5.4 | 12:07 |
| Apr | 89% | 84% | 5.3 | 12:06 |
| May | 90% | 80% | 5.0 | 12:05 |
| Jun | 90% | 84% | 4.6 | 12:04 |
| Jul | 89% | 81% | 4.9 | 12:04 |
| Aug | 87% | 77% | 5.3 | 12:05 |
| Sep | 86% | 77% | 5.6 | 12:06 |
| Oct | 86% | 81% | 5.4 | 12:08 |
| Nov | 88% | 88% | 5.1 | 12:10 |
| Dec | 88% | 91% | 4.8 | 12:10 |
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 Palu is like
The warmest month is October, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 25 °C76 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 30 °C86 °F and lows 24 °C75 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 0.7 °C1.3 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,734 mm68 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is April–June, which brings 34% of the annual total. The wettest month is June (216 mm8.5 in), the driest is September (103 mm4.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 86% in September to 90% in June. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 77%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 1 km/h (1 mph) in June to 2 km/h (1 mph) in January.
Best time to visit Palu
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are January, August and September (average highs 30 °C86 °F, 30 °C86 °F and 30 °C87 °F).
The most challenging month is June, which is very wet (216 mm8.5 in) and humid (90% 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 Palu
- Wetter months (March–July) — highs 2985 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2475 to 25 °C77 °F, about 178 mm7.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (August–February) — highs 3086 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 2475 to 25 °C76 °F, about 121 mm4.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Palu compares
Compared with Samarinda, about 307 km to the west, Palu is on average 1.4 °C2.4 °F warmer and receives 29% less precipitation (1,734 mm68 in vs 2,449 mm96 in). The difference is largest in September (1.6 °C3 °F warmer).
Of the 110 places in Indonesia covered by World Climates, Palu is the 49th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 100th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Indonesia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Buenaventura (Colombia, Af), General Santos (Philippines, Af) and Koronadal (Philippines, Af).
Nearby places
- Palopo 235 km · 27 °C81 °F · 3,184 mm125 in
- Toli-Toli 241 km · 25 °C78 °F · 2,008 mm79 in
- Bontang 289 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,192 mm86 in
- Samarinda 307 km · 26 °C78 °F · 2,449 mm96 in
- Balikpapan 341 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,469 mm97 in
- Parepare 346 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,883 mm74 in
- Nusantara 352 km · 26 °C79 °F · 2,429 mm96 in
- Gorontalo 390 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,773 mm70 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Palu?
October is the warmest month in Palu, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Palu?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
When does it rain the most in Palu?
June is the wettest month with about 216 mm (8.5 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 103 mm (4.1 in).
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 618 m, while Palu lies at about 9 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +4 °C7.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.