Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Wau Papua New Guinea

The climate in Wau is warm, humid, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 62°F to 78°F and is rarely below 60°F or above 83°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Wau for warm-weather activities is from early May to mid November.

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

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

The clearer part of the year in Wau begins around May 17 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around October 25.

The clearest month of the year in Wau is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 24% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 25 and lasts for 6.7 months, ending around May 17.

The cloudiest month of the year in Wau is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 96% 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 Wau varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.8 months, from December 3 to April 28, with a greater than 31% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Wau is February, with an average of 12.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.2 months, from April 28 to December 3. The month with the fewest wet days in Wau is August, with an average of 6.6 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 Wau is February, with an average of 12.0 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 42% on March 1.

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. Wau experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Wau. The month with the most rain in Wau is February, with an average rainfall of 7.5 inches.

The month with the least rain in Wau is October, with an average rainfall of 3.6 inches.

The length of the day in Wau does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 33 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is June 21, with 11 hours, 42 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 12 hours, 33 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:44 AM on November 13, and the latest sunrise is 43 minutes later at 6:27 AM on July 16. The earliest sunset is at 6:02 PM on May 24, and the latest sunset is 37 minutes later at 6:39 PM on January 31.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Wau 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.

Wau experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 8.5 months, from October 11 to June 27, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 24% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Wau is April, with 21.4 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Wau is August, with 2.8 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 Wau does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 0.4 miles per hour of 2.8 miles per hour throughout.

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

The wind is most often from the west for 1.0 months, from February 4 to March 4, with a peak percentage of 35% on February 28. The wind is most often from the east for 11 months, from March 4 to February 4, with a peak percentage of 44% on January 1.

Wau 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 5.1 months, from November 20 to April 25, with an average temperature above 85°F. The month of the year in Wau with the warmest water is January, with an average temperature of 86°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 2.6 months, from July 3 to September 21, with an average temperature below 82°F. The month of the year in Wau with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 81°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Wau 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 Wau for general outdoor tourist activities is from early May to mid November, with a peak score in the third week of August.

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 Wau for hot-weather activities is from early November to late January, with a peak score in the second week of December.

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 Wau 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 some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.3 months, from August 19 to October 29, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.2 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Wau is September, with an average of 5.5 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 6.8 months, from December 11 to July 6, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Wau is April, with an average of 4.2 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Wau are -7.338 deg latitude, 146.716 deg longitude, and 3,550 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Wau contains large variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 3,245 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 3,829 feet. Within 10 miles contains large variations in elevation (7,513 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (11,893 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Wau is covered by cropland (40%), trees (39%), and grassland (12%), within 10 miles by trees (78%), and within 50 miles by trees (70%) and water (18%).