Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Reunion RéunionIn Reunion, the wet season is oppressive and partly cloudy, the dry season is mostly clear, and it is warm and windy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 65°F to 86°F and is rarely below 62°F or above 88°F. Based on the beach/pool score, the best times of year to visit Reunion for hot-weather activities are from late March to mid June and from late September to mid December. Average Temperature in ReunionThe hot season lasts for 3.9 months, from December 14 to April 11, with an average daily high temperature above 84°F. The hottest month of the year in Reunion is February, with an average high of 85°F and low of 75°F. The cool season lasts for 3.6 months, from June 12 to September 29, with an average daily high temperature below 78°F. The coldest month of the year in Reunion is August, with an average low of 66°F and high of 77°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. CloudsIn Reunion, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in Reunion begins around April 19 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around November 20. The clearest month of the year in Reunion is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 91% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around November 20 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around April 19. The cloudiest month of the year in Reunion is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 62% 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 Reunion varies significantly throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 3.5 months, from December 21 to April 6, with a greater than 21% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Reunion is February, with an average of 10.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 8.5 months, from April 6 to December 21. The month with the fewest wet days in Reunion is July, with an average of 2.0 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 Reunion is February, with an average of 10.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 36% on February 22.
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. Reunion experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 7.7 months, from October 14 to June 4, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Reunion is February, with an average rainfall of 5.1 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 4.3 months, from June 4 to October 14. The month with the least rain in Reunion is July, with an average rainfall of 0.4 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Reunion varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 21, with 10 hours, 51 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 13 hours, 25 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:26 AM on November 27, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 29 minutes later at 6:55 AM on July 5. The earliest sunset is at 5:43 PM on June 6, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 22 minutes later at 7:05 PM on January 15. Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Reunion 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. Reunion experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 7.7 months, from October 12 to June 4, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 30% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Reunion is January, with 29.7 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in Reunion is August, with 2.7 days that are muggy or worse.
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 Reunion experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from May 27 to September 26, with average wind speeds of more than 12.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Reunion is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.9 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 8.0 months, from September 26 to May 27. The calmest month of the year in Reunion is November, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.4 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Reunion is from the east throughout the year. Water TemperatureReunion 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 4.0 months, from December 26 to April 25, with an average temperature above 81°F. The month of the year in Reunion with the warmest water is February, with an average temperature of 82°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.6 months, from July 3 to October 22, with an average temperature below 76°F. The month of the year in Reunion with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 74°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Reunion 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 Reunion for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to early November, with a peak score in the last week of August. Tourism Score in ReunionThe beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Reunion for hot-weather activities are from late March to mid June and from late September to mid December, with a peak score in the second week of May. Beach/Pool Score in ReunionMethodologyFor 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 Reunion 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 significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.4 months, from October 12 to January 25, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Reunion is November, with an average of 7.4 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from May 8 to August 11, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.6 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Reunion is June, with an average of 3.9 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Reunion are -21.100 deg latitude, 55.600 deg longitude, and 52 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Reunion contains extreme variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 4,075 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 3,952 feet. Within 10 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (10,026 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (10,026 feet). The area within 2 miles of Reunion is covered by trees (91%), within 10 miles by trees (71%) and grassland (14%), and within 50 miles by water (91%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Reunion, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. The details of the data sources used for this report can be found on the Roland Garros Airport page. 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. Other LocationsRéunion |