Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Kwikila Papua New Guinea

In Kwikila, the wet season is hot and overcast; the dry season is warm, windy, and mostly cloudy; and it is oppressive year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 73°F to 88°F and is rarely below 70°F or above 92°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Kwikila for warm-weather activities is from mid June to mid October.

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

In Kwikila, 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 Kwikila begins around May 10 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around November 1.

The clearest month of the year in Kwikila is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 37% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 1 and lasts for 6.3 months, ending around May 10.

The cloudiest month of the year in Kwikila is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 90% 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 Kwikila varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.3 months, from December 15 to April 25, with a greater than 24% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Kwikila is February, with an average of 11.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.7 months, from April 25 to December 15. The month with the fewest wet days in Kwikila is September, with an average of 2.4 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 Kwikila is February, with an average of 11.0 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 41% on March 7.

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. Kwikila experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Kwikila. The month with the most rain in Kwikila is March, with an average rainfall of 7.6 inches.

The month with the least rain in Kwikila is September, with an average rainfall of 0.8 inches.

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

The earliest sunrise is at 5:37 AM on November 16, and the latest sunrise is 50 minutes later at 6:27 AM on July 13. The earliest sunset is at 5:54 PM on May 28, and the latest sunset is 44 minutes later at 6:38 PM on January 27.

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

The perceived humidity level in Kwikila, 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, staying within 4% of 96% throughout.

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 Kwikila experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.6 months, from May 12 to October 30, with average wind speeds of more than 10.6 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Kwikila is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.2 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.4 months, from October 30 to May 12. The calmest month of the year in Kwikila is December, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.0 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the south for 2.0 weeks, from March 18 to April 1 and for 1.6 months, from November 10 to December 30, with a peak percentage of 48% on November 19. The wind is most often from the east for 7.3 months, from April 1 to November 10, with a peak percentage of 63% on June 9. The wind is most often from the west for 2.6 months, from December 30 to March 18, with a peak percentage of 34% on January 1.

Kwikila 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 4.4 months, from December 6 to April 20, with an average temperature above 83°F. The month of the year in Kwikila with the warmest water is February, with an average temperature of 84°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.5 months, from June 30 to October 13, with an average temperature below 79°F. The month of the year in Kwikila with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 77°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kwikila 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 Kwikila for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to mid October, 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 Kwikila for hot-weather activities is from early May to mid November, with a peak score in the last week of August.

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 Kwikila 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 2.4 months, from September 2 to November 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.1 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Kwikila is October, with an average of 6.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 4.9 months, from February 18 to July 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Kwikila is June, with an average of 4.7 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Kwikila are -9.818 deg latitude, 147.660 deg longitude, and 223 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Kwikila contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 640 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 327 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,532 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (11,299 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Kwikila is covered by shrubs (39%), trees (38%), and grassland (17%), within 10 miles by trees (49%) and cropland (21%), and within 50 miles by water (52%) and trees (39%).