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Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Gough Island St. Helena

At Gough Island, the summers are cool and mostly cloudy; the winters are long, cold, wet, and partly cloudy; and it is extremely windy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 46°F to 64°F and is rarely below 40°F or above 70°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Gough Island for warm-weather activities is from late December to mid March.

Climate at Gough Island

coolcoldcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow40%40%34%34%overcastclearprecipitation: 4.7 inprecipitation: 4.7 in2.2 in2.2 inmuggy: 2%muggy: 2%0%0%drydrytourism score: 5.0tourism score: 5.01.11.1
Gough Island weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 3.5 months, from December 12 to March 26, with an average daily high temperature above 61°F. The hottest month of the year at Gough Island is February, with an average high of 63°F and low of 54°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.9 months, from June 13 to October 9, with an average daily high temperature below 54°F. The coldest month of the year at Gough Island is August, with an average low of 46°F and high of 52°F.

Average High and Low Temperature at Gough Island

Average High and Low Temperature at Gough IslandwarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FAug 2052°FAug 2052°FJan 2264°FJan 2264°F46°F46°F55°F55°FDec 1261°FDec 1261°FMar 2661°FMar 2661°FJun 1354°FJun 1354°FOct 954°FOct 954°F53°F53°F54°F54°F48°F48°F47°F47°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 63°F63°F62°F60°F56°F54°F53°F52°F53°F55°F58°F62°F
Temp. 59°F59°F58°F56°F53°F51°F50°F49°F49°F52°F54°F57°F
Low 54°F54°F54°F52°F50°F48°F46°F46°F46°F48°F50°F53°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 at Gough Island

Average Hourly Temperature at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 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 AMNowNowcoldcoolcool
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.

Port Orford, Oregon, United States (9,149 miles away) and Vilaflor, Spain (4,758 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Gough Island (view comparison).

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The clearest month of the year at Gough Island is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 39% of the time.

The cloudiest month of the year at Gough Island is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 66% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories at Gough Island

Cloud Cover Categories at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Sep 1640%Sep 1640%Jun 1134%Jun 1134%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
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 61%61%63%64%64%66%65%64%61%62%63%63%
Clearer 39%39%37%36%36%34%35%36%39%38%37%37%

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

The wetter season lasts 6.1 months, from April 8 to October 12, with a greater than 36% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Gough Island is June, with an average of 13.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.9 months, from October 12 to April 8. The month with the fewest wet days at Gough Island is February, with an average of 8.1 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 at Gough Island is June, with an average of 13.3 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 46% on June 5.

Daily Chance of Precipitation at Gough Island

Daily Chance of Precipitation at Gough IslandwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jun 546%Jun 546%Feb 826%Feb 826%Apr 836%Apr 836%Oct 1236%Oct 1236%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 9.4d8.1d9.9d11.1d13.3d13.3d12.6d11.8d10.0d10.8d10.0d9.6d

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. Gough Island experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year at Gough Island. The month with the most rain at Gough Island is June, with an average rainfall of 4.4 inches.

The month with the least rain at Gough Island is February, with an average rainfall of 2.3 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall at Gough Island

Average Monthly Rainfall at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 in6 in6 in7 in7 inJun 24.7 inJun 24.7 inFeb 72.2 inFeb 72.2 inOct 233.1 inOct 233.1 inSep 82.7 inSep 82.7 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 2.5″2.3″3.1″3.7″4.3″4.4″3.4″3.1″2.7″3.0″2.9″2.7″

The length of the day at Gough Island varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 20, with 9 hours, 17 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 15 hours, 3 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at Gough Island

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 9 minSep 2212 hr, 9 minSep 2215 hr, 3 minDec 2115 hr, 3 minDec 2112 hr, 10 minMar 2012 hr, 10 minMar 209 hr, 17 minJun 209 hr, 17 minJun 20daydaynightNowNow
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 14.7h13.6h12.3h11.0h9.9h9.3h9.6h10.6h11.9h13.2h14.4h15.0h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:02 AM on December 8, and the latest sunrise is 3 hours, 1 minute later at 8:03 AM on June 27. The earliest sunset is at 5:19 PM on June 13, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 54 minutes later at 8:12 PM on January 4.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed at Gough Island during 2024.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight at Gough Island

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMDec 85:02 AMDec 85:02 AM8:12 PMJan 48:12 PMJan 4Jun 135:19 PMJun 135:19 PM8:03 AMJun 278:03 AMJun 27daynightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
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 at Gough Island

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 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 AM0000101010102020202030303030404050506060700000101010102020202030303040405050602673NowNow
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 at Gough Island

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 at Gough Island, 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 1% of 1% throughout.

Humidity Comfort Levels at Gough Island

Humidity Comfort Levels at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Aug 140%Aug 140%Feb 142%Feb 142%NowNowcomfortablecomfortabledrydryhumidhumid
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 0.4d0.4d0.4d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d

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 at Gough Island experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 4.8 months, from April 30 to September 24, with average wind speeds of more than 19.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Gough Island is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 22.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 7.2 months, from September 24 to April 30. The calmest month of the year at Gough Island is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 17.4 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed at Gough Island

Average Wind Speed at Gough IslandwindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph5 mph5 mph10 mph10 mph15 mph15 mph20 mph20 mph25 mph25 mph30 mph30 mphJul 2622.6 mphJul 2622.6 mphFeb 517.2 mphFeb 517.2 mphApr 3019.9 mphApr 3019.9 mphSep 2419.9 mphSep 2419.9 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) 17.717.417.518.921.022.022.422.120.619.018.018.2

The predominant average hourly wind direction at Gough Island is from the west throughout the year.

Wind Direction at Gough Island

Wind Direction at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestnorthsoutheast
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).

Gough Island 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 3.2 months, from January 14 to April 21, with an average temperature above 57°F. The month of the year at Gough Island with the warmest water is March, with an average temperature of 58°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.7 months, from July 13 to November 3, with an average temperature below 52°F. The month of the year at Gough Island with the coolest water is September, with an average temperature of 51°F.

Average Water Temperature at Gough Island

Average Water Temperature at Gough IslandwarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec48°F48°F50°F50°F52°F52°F54°F54°F56°F56°F58°F58°F60°F60°F62°F62°FMar 159°FMar 159°F51°FSep 1351°FSep 13Jan 1457°FJan 1457°FApr 2157°FApr 2157°FJul 1352°FJul 1352°FNov 352°FNov 352°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 57°F58°F58°F57°F55°F54°F52°F51°F51°F52°F53°F56°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at Gough Island 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 Gough Island for general outdoor tourist activities is from late December to mid March, with a peak score in the first week of February.

Tourism Score at Gough Island

Tourism Score at Gough Islandbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810105.05.01.11.1NowNowtemperaturetemperature 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 Gough Island for hot-weather activities is from late January to late February, with a peak score in the first week of February.

Beach/Pool Score at Gough Island

Beach/Pool Score at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810100.50.50.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitation
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 at Gough Island 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 at Gough Island

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%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 194%Jul 2694%Jul 26Feb 13100%Feb 13100%NowNowvery coldcoldcoolcomfortable
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 at Gough Island

Growing Degree Days at Gough IslandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°FAug 2590°FAug 2590°FJun 301,769°FJun 301,769°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 experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.4 months, from November 5 to February 17, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.5 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Gough Island is December, with an average of 6.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from April 26 to August 23, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Gough Island is June, with an average of 1.4 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at Gough Island

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at Gough IslandbrightbrightdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWh10 kWh10 kWhDec 286.5 kWhDec 286.5 kWhJun 191.3 kWhJun 191.3 kWhNov 55.5 kWhNov 55.5 kWhFeb 175.5 kWhFeb 175.5 kWhApr 262.4 kWhApr 262.4 kWhAug 232.4 kWhAug 232.4 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) 6.35.54.12.81.81.41.52.23.34.65.76.4

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Gough Island are -40.350 deg latitude, -9.883 deg longitude, and 171 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Gough Island contains large variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 2,425 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 381 feet. Within 10 miles also contains large variations in elevation (2,969 feet). Within 50 miles also contains large variations in elevation (2,969 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Gough Island is covered by water (100%), within 10 miles by water (99%), and within 50 miles by water (100%).

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

Temperature and Dew Point

Gough Island has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required.

There are no other weather stations in our network within 200 kilometers of this location. Consequently, in the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on NASA's MERRA-2 modern-era reanalysis , adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal differences between this station and the wide-area MERRA-2 reconstructed values.

Other Data

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.

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.

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.