Tokelau
Weather locations in Tokelau
Choose a location in Tokelau to view its available forecast products.
Tokelau illustrated weather map
2 mapped locations
Only locations with a verified coordinate are marked. The complete location list is below.
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Climate of Tokelau
Country climate guideTokelau is a group of three coral atolls, Nukunonu, Atafu and Fakaofo, in the South Pacific about 480 kilometres north of Samoa. It is one of the least modified reef environments in the region, and its climate is tropical, with a narrow range of temperature, heavy rain and a constant risk from tropical cyclones. There are no high islands anywhere in the group.
Main climate types
Under the conventional grouping Tokelau's atolls hold a tropical rainforest climate. With an average altitude of only a few metres there is no relief at all to affect the weather, and the ocean does everything else. The group gets a good deal of sunshine between passing squalls and is exposed on all sides to the Pacific. Atafu is the northernmost atoll and the closest to the equator, so it is slightly the warmest, while Fakaofo lies nearest the cyclone belt.
Temperatures
Monthly means stay close to 27 or 28 degrees Celsius throughout the year and rarely vary by more than two degrees between the hottest and the coolest month. Humidity is very high, and the trade winds, which blow from the north-east, bring cooling but also moisture. Sea temperatures sit near 27 or 28 degrees all year, and there is no cold season of any kind.
Rainfall
Annual rainfall is around 2,700 millimetres, and rain is recorded on most days of the year somewhere in the group even when the totals look modest. There is no real dry season anywhere. December to March is typically the wettest run of months, though showers can fall in any month and the group is regularly lashed by squalls.
When to go
Because conditions are so uniform, the best guide to travelling here is the cyclone risk, which is highest between November and April and lowest from June to October. There is no airport at all in the group, so any visit depends on the infrequent ship or on light aircraft from Samoa. The days of visitation are strictly limited.