Current Climate

Climatology

This page presents Papua New Guinea's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit.  Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list. 

Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.

Papua New Guinea has a hot, humid tropical climate which is experienced all year round. The country experiences two distinctive seasons: wet (December – March) and dry (June – September). The average monthly rainfall ranges between 250 – 350 mm and average temperature is between 26 - 28°C. Humidity is relatively high, ranging between 70 – 90%. Papua New Guinea is home to one of the wettest climates of the world and annual rainfall in many areas of the country exceeds 2,500 mm, with the heaviest events occurring in the highlands. Temperatures are relatively steady across the country, and mean temperatures in Port Moresby range from 26°C to 28°C. Climate in this part of the Pacific is governed by a number of factors, including the trade winds and the movement of the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), a zone of high pressure rainfall zone that migrates across the Pacific south of the equator. Year to year variability in climate is also strongly influenced by the El Niño conditions in the southeast Pacific, which bring drought conditions to PNG, especially in the drier areas of the country. Areas with a pronounced wet and dry season that receive less than 2000 mm rainfall include: Markham Valley, Bulolo Valley, Maprik—Angoram area, Eastern highlands, and coastal areas near Cape Vogel, Port Moresby, and Daru.