Papeete weather by month & the best time to visit
🇵🇫 French Polynesia · beach resort · tropical — wet & dry seasons climate
The best time to visit Papeete is September — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 88/100), with August and July close behind. Papeete averages about 2,742 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 26°C / 79°F and roughly 40 mm of rain in September.
Jump to: month-by-month table · sea temperature · nearby alternatives · embed this data
- Sun hours / year
- 2,742
- Sunniest month
- September
- Peak score
- 88/100
- Rain / year
- 1,331 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 12 (extreme)
- Sea at warmest
- 30°C / 86°F
- Population
- 26k
- Elevation
- Sea level
When is the best time to visit Papeete?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Papeete is September, then August and July. The dullest month is January (68/100, 190 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Papeete?
Papeete gets a lot of sun: around 2,742 hours a year. September (88/100) is noticeably better than January (68). It ranks #23 of 25 destinations in French Polynesia for annual sunshine, below the national median of 3,026 hours. Rain has a clear season: the wettest stretch, around January, carries about 44% of the annual 1,331 mm.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68 | 28° / 82°F | 27° / 81°F | 190 mm | 12 | 29° / 84°F |
| February | 68 | 28° / 82°F | 27° / 81°F | 175 mm | 12 | 29° / 84°F |
| March | 71 | 28° / 82°F | 27° / 81°F | 134 mm | 12 | 30° / 86°F |
| April | 74 | 28° / 82°F | 27° / 81°F | 116 mm | 10 | 29° / 84°F |
| May | 79 | 28° / 82°F | 26° / 79°F | 90 mm | 8 | 29° / 84°F |
| June | 82 | 27° / 81°F | 26° / 79°F | 69 mm | 7 | 28° / 82°F |
| July | 86 | 26° / 79°F | 25° / 77°F | 52 mm | 7 | 27° / 81°F |
| August | 87 | 26° / 79°F | 25° / 77°F | 47 mm | 9 | 27° / 81°F |
| September | 88 | 26° / 79°F | 25° / 77°F | 40 mm | 10 | 27° / 81°F |
| October | 80 | 27° / 81°F | 25° / 77°F | 84 mm | 11 | 28° / 82°F |
| November | 74 | 27° / 81°F | 26° / 79°F | 113 mm | 12 | 28° / 82°F |
| December | 68 | 28° / 82°F | 27° / 81°F | 221 mm | 12 | 29° / 84°F |
Sea temperature in Papeete by month
The sea off Papeete is warmest in March at around 30°C / 86°F, and coolest in July at 27°C / 81°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly all year round. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Papeete on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Motu Mute French Polynesia · 259 km · best in Sep · 2,872 h sun/yr
- Suva Fiji · 3,366 km · best in Jul · 2,348 h sun/yr
- Nadi Fiji · 3,487 km · best in Jul · 2,625 h sun/yr
- Tauranga New Zealand · 4,009 km · best in Jan · 2,513 h sun/yr
- Napier New Zealand · 4,043 km · best in Feb · 2,256 h sun/yr
- Auckland New Zealand · 4,094 km · best in Jan · 2,479 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Moorea-Maiao French Polynesia · 18 km · 2,742 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Fare French Polynesia · 179 km · 2,871 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Uturoa French Polynesia · 218 km · 2,871 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Tuherahera French Polynesia · 308 km · 2,997 h sun/yr · best in Aug
- Raitahiti French Polynesia · 358 km · 3,026 h sun/yr · best in Aug
Head-to-head
How Papeete compares month by month: Papeete vs Motu Mute · all comparisons
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