Weather locations in Nauru

Nauru is one of the smallest republics in the world, a single raised coral island of about 21 square kilometres in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Its climate is tropical rainforest, and rain falls in some form on most days of the year.

Main climate types

Classified as Af, Nauru has no dry season. The island sits near the northern edge of the region where the South Pacific convergence zone brings heavy rain, and showers tumble off the plateau across the interior. Because there are no high mountains to force air upwards, totals here are lower than in the same latitude zone further west, but rain still arrives almost daily.

Temperatures

Temperatures are almost constant, with daytime highs around 31 degrees and nights near 25 or 26, giving an annual mean of roughly 28. The warmest days come in the months before the wet season peaks and the coolest in the southern winter. Humidity is high throughout, usually above 80 per cent, but the trade winds from the north-east bring some relief to the coastal strip.

Rainfall

Annual rainfall is commonly around 1,800 to 3,000 millimetres, and the total varies a great deal from year to year with the El Nino Southern Oscillation. The wettest months are usually from December to February and again around June to August, and heavy squalls can arrive with little warning. Because the island is small and its freshwater lens thin, most of the rain soaks straight into the phosphate rock.

When to go

There is no traditional dry season, but short spells between showers bring bright sunshine on most days, so travel is possible in any month. Wearing light, loose clothing and planning around the daily shower is more useful than picking a date. The island's attractions are few, and most visitors combine a stop here with flights onward to the Marshall Islands or Kiribati.