Papua-Neuguinea
Weather locations in Papua-Neuguinea
Choose a location in Papua-Neuguinea to view its available forecast products.
Papua-Neuguinea illustrated weather map
5 mapped locations
Only locations with a verified coordinate are marked. The complete location list is below.
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Climate of Papua-Neuguinea
Country climate guidePapua New Guinea covers the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and a scatter of islands to the south-east, straddling the equator and reaching well into the southern tropics. It is one of the wettest populated countries on earth, because the ocean, the mountains and the near-constant warm air combine to produce rain almost daily. There is no real winter, no cool season and, on the lowlands, almost no variation in temperature from one month to the next.
Main climate types
The lowlands, including the entire southern coast around Port Moresby and the northern coast around Madang, have a tropical rainforest climate with rain in every month. The highlands, standing between 1,500 and 4,500 metres on the spine of the island, have a montane climate that alternates between tropical conditions by day and cold nights at altitude. The north coast, facing the Pacific, is perhumid and receives among the highest totals recorded anywhere.
Temperatures
Temperatures depend far more on altitude than on the season. At sea level, places such as Port Moresby average about 26 °C in January and about 25 °C in July. In the highlands around Mount Hagen and Goroka, at roughly 1,500 metres, days average near 20 °C and nights fall close to 10 °C or below, and the highest valleys of the Wahgi and the southern highlands are colder still, with ground frost on clear mornings.
Rainfall
Annual rainfall is enormous almost everywhere. Port Moresby, on the leeward savanna side, takes about 1,000 mm to 1,200 mm, the highlands around Mount Hagen about 1,600 mm to 2,000 mm, and the northern coastal slopes, including stations near Madang and the Huon peninsula, commonly exceed 5,000 mm and can pass 10,000 mm. There is no true dry season on the main island, though the south does get a short drier break from about May to October, and El Niño years can bring serious drought.
When to go
The clearer months of June to September, when cloud is thinner and the highland roads pass more easily, are the best time to travel, especially for trekking and diving. The wet season from December to March brings heavy daily rain and, in some years, flooding around the lowland deltas.