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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Aitape Papua New Guinea

The climate in Aitape is warm, oppressive, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 78°F to 84°F and is rarely below 76°F or above 87°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Aitape for hot-weather activities is from late April to mid November.

Climate in Aitape

warmJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow22%22%10%10%overcastprecipitation: 6.9 inprecipitation: 6.9 in4.2 in4.2 inmuggy: 100%muggy: 100%beach/pool score: 5.8beach/pool score: 5.84.84.8
Aitape weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The temperature in Aitape varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

Average High and Low Temperature in Aitape

Average High and Low Temperature in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJul 3183°FJul 3183°FOct 2084°FOct 2084°F78°F78°F78°F78°FSep 1484°FSep 1484°FDec 484°FDec 484°FJun 1983°FJun 1983°F78°F78°F79°F79°F78°F78°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 84°F83°F84°F84°F84°F83°F83°F83°F84°F84°F84°F84°F
Temp. 80°F80°F80°F81°F81°F80°F80°F80°F80°F81°F81°F81°F
Low 78°F78°F78°F79°F79°F78°F78°F78°F78°F78°F79°F79°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in Aitape

Average Hourly Temperature in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowwarm
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Banana Village, Kiribati (4,182 miles away); Fernando de Noronha (Distrito Estadual), Brazil (11,847 miles); and Camayenne, Guinea (10,747 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Aitape (view comparison).

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In Aitape, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Aitape begins around July 16 and lasts for 2.8 months, ending around October 8.

The clearest month of the year in Aitape is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 21% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 8 and lasts for 9.2 months, ending around July 16.

The cloudiest month of the year in Aitape is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 89% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Aitape

Cloud Cover Categories in AitapeclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Aug 2322%Aug 2322%Dec 1610%Dec 1610%Jul 1616%Jul 1616%Oct 816%Oct 816%NowNowpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastmostly clearclear
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 89%89%87%84%82%83%83%79%81%84%87%89%
Clearer 11%11%13%16%18%17%17%21%19%16%13%11%

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

The wetter season lasts 7.7 months, from November 2 to June 22, with a greater than 46% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Aitape is February, with an average of 15.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 4.3 months, from June 22 to November 2. The month with the fewest wet days in Aitape is September, with an average of 11.6 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 Aitape is February, with an average of 15.1 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 54% on February 9.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Aitape

Daily Chance of Precipitation in AitapewetwetdryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 954%Feb 954%Sep 1738%Sep 1738%Nov 246%Nov 246%Jun 2246%Jun 2246%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 15.5d15.1d15.4d15.3d13.5d13.6d12.7d12.8d11.6d13.3d14.2d15.3d

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. Aitape experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Aitape. The month with the most rain in Aitape is April, with an average rainfall of 6.8 inches.

The month with the least rain in Aitape is September, with an average rainfall of 4.2 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Aitape

Average Monthly Rainfall in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 in12 in12 in14 in14 inApr 86.9 inApr 86.9 inSep 224.2 inSep 224.2 inFeb 86.9 inFeb 86.9 inJun 165.1 inJun 165.1 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 6.5″6.8″6.6″6.8″5.2″5.1″4.8″4.7″4.2″4.8″5.5″6.0″

The length of the day in Aitape does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 18 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is June 21, with 11 hours, 56 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 12 hours, 18 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Aitape

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 12.3h12.2h12.1h12.0h12.0h11.9h12.0h12.0h12.1h12.2h12.3h12.3h

The earliest sunrise is at 6:07 AM on November 9, and the latest sunrise is 31 minutes later at 6:38 AM on February 19. The earliest sunset is at 6:20 PM on October 26, and the latest sunset is 31 minutes later at 6:51 PM on February 6.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Aitape during 2024.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Aitape

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMNov 96:07 AMNov 96:07 AM6:51 PMFeb 66:51 PMFeb 6Oct 266:20 PMOct 266:20 PM6:38 AMFeb 196:38 AMFeb 19daynightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Aitape

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM0000101010102020202030303030404040405050505060606060707070808000001010101020202020303030304040404050505050606060607070708063NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

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.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Aitape

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

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.

The perceived humidity level in Aitape, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 100% throughout.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Aitape

Humidity Comfort Levels in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jul 2100%Jul 2100%NowNowmiserablemiserableoppressiveoppressive
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 31.0d29.0d31.0d30.0d31.0d30.0d31.0d31.0d30.0d31.0d30.0d31.0d

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 Aitape experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from December 11 to March 29, with average wind speeds of more than 4.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Aitape is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.3 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.4 months, from March 29 to December 11. The calmest month of the year in Aitape is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.1 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Aitape

Average Wind Speed in AitapewindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph1 mph1 mph2 mph2 mph3 mph3 mph4 mph4 mph5 mph5 mph6 mph6 mph7 mph7 mph8 mph8 mphMar 25.5 mphMar 25.5 mphOct 214.0 mphOct 214.0 mphDec 114.8 mphDec 114.8 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 5.25.35.14.34.14.14.34.64.44.14.34.9

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Aitape varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the east for 6.4 months, from April 25 to November 6, with a peak percentage of 78% on August 31. The wind is most often from the north for 5.6 months, from November 6 to April 25, with a peak percentage of 49% on January 1.

Wind Direction in Aitape

Wind Direction in AitapeNENJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNoweastnorthwestsouth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Aitape 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 does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 1°F of 84°F throughout.

Average Water Temperature in Aitape

Average Water Temperature in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec81°F81°F82°F82°F83°F83°F84°F84°F85°F85°F86°F86°F87°F87°FMay 1585°FMay 1585°F83°FFeb 2583°FFeb 25Jan 1484°FJan 1484°FMar 1884°FMar 1884°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 84°F84°F84°F84°F85°F85°F84°F84°F84°F85°F85°F84°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Aitape 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 Aitape for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to early October, with a peak score in the third week of August.

Tourism Score in Aitape

Tourism Score in Aitapebest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810104.94.93.63.6NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Aitape for hot-weather activities is from late April to mid November, with a peak score in the third week of August.

Beach/Pool Score in Aitape

Beach/Pool Score in Aitapebest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810105.85.84.84.8NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

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 Aitape 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.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Aitape

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%100%Jan 1100%Jan 1100%Jul 2100%Jul 2NowNowwarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

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.

Growing Degree Days in Aitape

Growing Degree Days in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F2,000°F2,000°F4,000°F4,000°F6,000°F6,000°F8,000°F8,000°F10,000°F10,000°FJul 490°FJul 490°FAug 301,800°FAug 301,800°FJun 3011,102°FJun 3011,102°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

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 per square meter does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 0.5 kilowatt-hours of 4.2 kilowatt-hours throughout.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Aitape

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in AitapeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWhSep 74.7 kWhSep 74.7 kWhJun 283.7 kWhJun 283.7 kWhNov 14.5 kWhNov 14.5 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 4.44.54.64.44.23.83.84.44.74.64.34.2

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Aitape are -3.153 deg latitude, 142.363 deg longitude, and 39 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Aitape contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 246 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 33 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,450 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (6,385 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Aitape is covered by water (47%), trees (34%), and cropland (13%), within 10 miles by water (54%) and trees (40%), and within 50 miles by water (57%) and trees (39%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Aitape, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Aitape is further than 200 kilometers from the nearest reliable weather station, so the weather-related data on this page were taken entirely from NASA's MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

The temperature and dew point estimates are corrected for the difference between the reference elevation of the MERRA-2 grid cell and the elevation of Aitape, according to the International Standard Atmosphere .

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.