Weather locations in Vanuatu

Vanuatu is an arc of more than 80 volcanic and coral islands in the South Pacific, running from close to the Solomon Islands towards New Caledonia. Its climate is tropical rainforest, with rain in almost every month and a distinctly wet season in the southern summer.

Main climate types

Classified as Af, Vanuatu has no real dry season, but the pattern of wind matters: the north-east trade winds carry moisture from the ocean onto the high volcanic islands, while the north-west monsoon, blowing in the southern summer from the Australian mainland, brings rain. The larger islands, Espiritu Santo and Malakula in particular, take much more rain on their windward slopes than the small southern islands do.

Temperatures

Port Vila, on Efate, averages about 25 degrees in the coolest months and 26 in January, with very little variation. Days usually reach the high 20s, and nights stay above 22 on the coast. The higher ground on Santo and Ambrym is cooler, and the clouds that form over the volcanoes each night often make the hill villages noticeably colder before dawn.

Rainfall

Annual rainfall is commonly around 2,000 to 2,500 millimetres on Efate and higher still on the windward slopes of Santo, where some sites exceed 4,000, while the small southern islands of Tanna and Anatom are drier. January to April is the wettest period, when tropical cyclones cross the archipelago bringing days of pounding rain and storm-force wind. June to September tends to be the driest.

When to go

Since showers occur in every month, the most reliable time to visit is from May to September, when the trade winds are steady, humidity lower and the sea calm for boat trips and diving. The volcano on Ambrym and the active crater on Tanna are usually reachable then. The cyclone season, from November to April, brings the heaviest rain and the genuine risk of storm disruption to island travel.