Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Sainte-Rose Réunion

In Sainte-Rose, the wet season is oppressive and partly cloudy, the dry season is mostly clear, and it is warm and windy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 64°F to 86°F and is rarely below 61°F or above 88°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best times of year to visit Sainte-Rose for hot-weather activities are from late March to early June and from early October to mid December.

The hot season lasts for 3.9 months, from December 10 to April 7, with an average daily high temperature above 84°F. The hottest month of the year in Sainte-Rose is February, with an average high of 86°F and low of 75°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.5 months, from June 11 to September 26, with an average daily high temperature below 78°F. The coldest month of the year in Sainte-Rose is July, with an average low of 64°F and high of 76°F.

In Sainte-Rose, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Sainte-Rose begins around April 17 and lasts for 7.1 months, ending around November 22.

The clearest month of the year in Sainte-Rose is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 89% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 22 and lasts for 4.9 months, ending around April 17.

The cloudiest month of the year in Sainte-Rose is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 61% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Sainte-Rose varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.1 months, from December 22 to April 24, with a greater than 21% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Sainte-Rose is February, with an average of 10.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.9 months, from April 24 to December 22. The month with the fewest wet days in Sainte-Rose is July, with an average of 2.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Sainte-Rose is February, with an average of 10.3 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 37% on February 10.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Sainte-Rose experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 7.9 months, from October 11 to June 9, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Sainte-Rose is February, with an average rainfall of 5.1 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 4.1 months, from June 9 to October 11. The month with the least rain in Sainte-Rose is July, with an average rainfall of 0.4 inches.

The length of the day in Sainte-Rose varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 21, with 10 hours, 51 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 13 hours, 25 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:26 AM on November 27, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 29 minutes later at 6:54 AM on July 4. The earliest sunset is at 5:42 PM on June 6, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 22 minutes later at 7:04 PM on January 17.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Sainte-Rose during 2024.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Sainte-Rose experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 7.5 months, from October 17 to May 31, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 29% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Sainte-Rose is January, with 29.4 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Sainte-Rose is August, with 1.9 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Sainte-Rose experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from May 29 to September 26, with average wind speeds of more than 12.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Sainte-Rose is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 14.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.1 months, from September 26 to May 29. The calmest month of the year in Sainte-Rose is November, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.2 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Sainte-Rose is from the east throughout the year.

Sainte-Rose is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 4.0 months, from December 25 to April 24, with an average temperature above 80°F. The month of the year in Sainte-Rose with the warmest water is February, with an average temperature of 82°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.6 months, from July 2 to October 22, with an average temperature below 75°F. The month of the year in Sainte-Rose with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 74°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Sainte-Rose throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Sainte-Rose for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to early November, with a peak score in the second week of September.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Sainte-Rose for hot-weather activities are from late March to early June and from early October to mid December, with a peak score in the second week of November.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Sainte-Rose are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from October 12 to January 27, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Sainte-Rose is November, with an average of 7.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from May 8 to August 11, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.5 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Sainte-Rose is June, with an average of 3.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Sainte-Rose are -21.130 deg latitude, 55.796 deg longitude, and 131 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Sainte-Rose contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,427 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 292 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (8,586 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (10,026 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Sainte-Rose is covered by water (66%), trees (15%), and grassland (10%), within 10 miles by water (67%) and trees (20%), and within 50 miles by water (91%).