Weather locations in Salomonen

The Solomon Islands are a scattered archipelago of high volcanic islands and coral atolls in the South Pacific, just south of the equator. Their climate is tropical rainforest: hot, humid and wet in every month of the year.

Main climate types

Classified as Af, the archipelago gets rain throughout the year and there is no dry season of the kind familiar further west; even the smallest atolls record over 100 millimetres in the wettest month. The high volcanic islands, such as Guadalcanal, Malaita and Makira, produce heavier rain on their slopes. Weather is driven by the Australian monsoon in the northern winter and by trade winds and convergence in the southern summer, both of which bring showers.

Temperatures

Honiara averages about 26 degrees in January and 25 in July, with a range of only about 1.5 degrees between the warmest and coldest months. Days usually reach 30 or 31 degrees on the coast and nights stay near 23 or 24, so there is no cool season at all. Inland on the larger islands the temperature falls with elevation, and the hill country is noticeably cooler after dark.

Rainfall

Annual rainfall is commonly around 2,000 to 3,000 millimetres, with more falling on the windward slopes of the larger islands than on the small atolls. The wettest months are usually December to April, when the north-west monsoon and occasional tropical cyclones deliver drenching rain. Even the driest months see regular heavy squalls, and the lagoon water turns brown for days after a big fall.

When to go

Because rain is constant, the month matters less than the plan; the last weeks of the year bring the heaviest downpours and the highest risk of tropical cyclones. The drier, slightly cooler months are usually around May to September. The main reason to come is the reefs, the wartime wrecks and the remote island cultures, and diving is best when the wind drops and the water clears.