Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Tarawa KiribatiThe climate in Tarawa is hot, oppressive, windy, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 79°F to 88°F and is rarely below 77°F or above 90°F. Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Tarawa for hot-weather activities is from early May to mid November. Average Temperature in TarawaThe temperature in Tarawa varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.
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. Cartagena, Colombia (7,669 miles away); Tutóia, Maranhão, Brazil (10,012 miles); and Hithadhoo, Maldives (6,910 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Tarawa (view comparison). CloudsIn Tarawa, 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 Tarawa begins around April 16 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around November 17. The clearest month of the year in Tarawa is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 34% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around November 17 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around April 16. The cloudiest month of the year in Tarawa is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 81% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Tarawa varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 8.5 months, from November 28 to August 11, with a greater than 37% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Tarawa is April, with an average of 13.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 3.6 months, from August 11 to November 28. The month with the fewest wet days in Tarawa is October, with an average of 8.8 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 Tarawa is April, with an average of 13.5 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 47% on April 10.
RainfallTo 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. Tarawa experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year in Tarawa. The month with the most rain in Tarawa is December, with an average rainfall of 6.4 inches. The month with the least rain in Tarawa is September, with an average rainfall of 3.2 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Tarawa does not vary substantially over the course of the year, staying within 11 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 12 hours, 3 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 12 hours, 12 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 6:09 AM on November 1, and the latest sunrise is 31 minutes later at 6:40 AM on February 10. The earliest sunset is at 6:13 PM on November 5, and the latest sunset is 31 minutes later at 6:44 PM on February 15. Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Tarawa during 2024. 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. MoonThe 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. HumidityWe 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 Tarawa, 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.
WindThis 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 Tarawa experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from December 21 to April 12, with average wind speeds of more than 11.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Tarawa is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.9 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 8.3 months, from April 12 to December 21. The calmest month of the year in Tarawa is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.7 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Tarawa is from the east throughout the year. Water TemperatureTarawa 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.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Tarawa 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 Tarawa for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to mid November, with a peak score in the last week of August. Tourism Score in TarawaThe 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 Tarawa for hot-weather activities is from early May to mid November, with a peak score in the last week of August. Beach/Pool Score in TarawaMethodologyFor 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. Growing SeasonDefinitions 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 Tarawa 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. Solar EnergyThis 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 2.1 months, from August 26 to October 31, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Tarawa is October, with an average of 6.2 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from April 18 to July 11, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Tarawa is June, with an average of 5.2 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Tarawa are 1.328 deg latitude, 172.977 deg longitude, and 20 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Tarawa is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 43 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 1 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (56 feet). Within 50 miles is also essentially flat (79 feet). The area within 2 miles of Tarawa is covered by water (100%), within 10 miles by water (100%), and within 50 miles by water (100%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Tarawa, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere is only a single weather station, Bonriki International Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Tarawa. At a distance of 20 kilometers from Tarawa, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records. The station records are corrected for the elevation difference between the station and Tarawa according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis. Other DataAll 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. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . 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. 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. DisclaimerThe 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. |