Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Kokopo Papua New Guinea

The climate in Kokopo is warm, oppressive, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 78°F to 85°F and is rarely below 76°F or above 88°F.

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

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

In Kokopo, 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 Kokopo begins around July 16 and lasts for 3.5 months, ending around October 31.

The clearest month of the year in Kokopo is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 22% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 31 and lasts for 8.5 months, ending around July 16.

The cloudiest month of the year in Kokopo is February, 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 Kokopo varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.5 months, from December 12 to April 27, with a greater than 38% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Kokopo is February, with an average of 13.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.5 months, from April 27 to December 12. The month with the fewest wet days in Kokopo is October, with an average of 9.1 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 Kokopo is February, with an average of 13.1 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 47% 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. Kokopo experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Kokopo. The month with the most rain in Kokopo is February, with an average rainfall of 8.5 inches.

The month with the least rain in Kokopo is October, with an average rainfall of 4.3 inches.

The length of the day in Kokopo does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 22 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is June 21, with 11 hours, 52 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 12 hours, 23 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:25 AM on November 10, and the latest sunrise is 34 minutes later at 6:00 AM on July 20. The earliest sunset is at 5:42 PM on October 24, and the latest sunset is 31 minutes later at 6:13 PM on February 4.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Kokopo 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 Kokopo, 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.

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

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from June 14 to October 4, with average wind speeds of more than 9.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Kokopo is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.7 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.3 months, from October 4 to June 14. The calmest month of the year in Kokopo is November, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.8 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the east for 2.7 months, from March 31 to June 20 and for 1.6 months, from October 8 to November 27, with a peak percentage of 54% on June 4. The wind is most often from the south for 3.6 months, from June 20 to October 8, with a peak percentage of 63% on August 11. The wind is most often from the west for 4.1 months, from November 27 to March 31, with a peak percentage of 48% on January 1.

Kokopo 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.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kokopo 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 Kokopo for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid July to early 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 Kokopo for hot-weather activities is from late April to late November, with a peak score in the third 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 Kokopo 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 2.5 months, from September 2 to November 18, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Kokopo is October, with an average of 5.0 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 1.5 months, from June 8 to July 22, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Kokopo is June, with an average of 3.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Kokopo are -4.352 deg latitude, 152.263 deg longitude, and 328 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Kokopo contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 564 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 247 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,949 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (7,638 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Kokopo is covered by trees (46%), water (26%), and grassland (12%), within 10 miles by water (43%) and trees (41%), and within 50 miles by water (56%) and trees (37%).