Papeete climate
Papeete (French Polynesia) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C80 °F, and about 1,330 mm52 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Papeete climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2882 | 2780 | 2781 | 1907.5 |
| Feb | 2882 | 2780 | 2781 | 1746.9 |
| Mar | 2882 | 2780 | 2781 | 1345.3 |
| Apr | 2882 | 2780 | 2781 | 1164.6 |
| May | 2781 | 2679 | 2780 | 903.6 |
| Jun | 2780 | 2578 | 2679 | 692.7 |
| Jul | 2679 | 2577 | 2578 | 522.0 |
| Aug | 2679 | 2476 | 2577 | 471.9 |
| Sep | 2679 | 2576 | 2578 | 401.6 |
| Oct | 2780 | 2577 | 2678 | 843.3 |
| Nov | 2781 | 2678 | 2780 | 1134.5 |
| Dec | 2882 | 2679 | 2781 | 2218.7 |
| Year | 2882 | 2476 | 2680 | 1,33052 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80% | 70% | 6.1 | 13:04 |
| Feb | 81% | 67% | 6.0 | 12:41 |
| Mar | 80% | 60% | 5.7 | 12:14 |
| Apr | 80% | 60% | 4.9 | 11:43 |
| May | 79% | 55% | 4.3 | 11:18 |
| Jun | 78% | 51% | 4.0 | 11:05 |
| Jul | 77% | 48% | 4.2 | 11:10 |
| Aug | 77% | 49% | 4.9 | 11:32 |
| Sep | 77% | 52% | 5.6 | 12:01 |
| Oct | 78% | 58% | 6.1 | 12:32 |
| Nov | 79% | 63% | 6.4 | 12:58 |
| Dec | 81% | 69% | 6.1 | 13:10 |
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 Papeete is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 28 °C82 °F and a low of 27 °C80 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 26 °C79 °F and lows 24 °C76 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.3 °C4.1 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,330 mm52 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 44% of the annual total. The wettest month is December (221 mm8.7 in), the driest is September (40 mm1.6 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 77% in August to 81% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 48%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 15 km/h (9 mph) in April to 19 km/h (12 mph) in September. Daylight lasts from about 11.1 hours in June to 13.2 hours in December.
Best time to visit Papeete
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–October: average highs of 26 °C79 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 40 mm1.6 in to 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (221 mm8.7 in) and humid (81% 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 Papeete
- Wetter months (November–April) — highs 2781 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 2678 to 27 °C80 °F, about 158 mm6.2 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 (May–October) — highs 2679 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 2476 to 26 °C79 °F, about 63 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Papeete compares
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Castries (Saint Lucia, Am), Negara (Indonesia, Aw) and Port-Vila (Vanuatu, Am).
Nearby places
- Avarua 1,146 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,609 mm63 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Papeete?
March is the warmest month in Papeete, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 27 °C (80 °F).
What is the coldest month in Papeete?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
When does it rain the most in Papeete?
December is the wettest month with about 221 mm (8.7 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 40 mm (1.6 in).
What is the best time to visit Papeete?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–October.
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.