Climate - Norfolk Island

Index

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• Introduction - Kingston
• Sea temperature
• Cyclones
• When to go
• What to pack

Introduction

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In Norfolk Island, the climate is subtropical oceanic. The weather is spring-like most of the year, with frequent rain and wind, but also an acceptable amount of sunshine.
Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia, located in the South Pacific Ocean, about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) east of Australia and at 29 degrees south latitude.
In the north of the island there is a national park, very green and covered with hills, the highest of which is Mount Bates, 319 meters (1,017 feet) high.
In the warmest months, January and February, the temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F) during the day and around 20 °C (68 °F) at night. In the coolest months, July and August, highs are around 18 °C (64 °F) and lows around 14 °C (57 °F).
In winter, from June to August, the westerly winds, which prevail in this season, can bring waves of bad weather, with wind and rain.
Sometimes, from June to October, cold air masses of Antarctic origin can bring cool periods, with lows of 10/11 °C (50/52 °F) and highs of 16/17 °C (61/63 °F).
On warmer days, the temperature typically reaches 26/27 °C (79/81 °F) from January to March. The record is 28.5 °C (83 °F).

Kingston

Here are the average temperatures in Kingston, the capital.

Kingston - Average temperatures (1991-2020)

Month	Min (°C)	Max (°C)	Mean (°C)	Min (°F)	Max (°F)	Mean (°F)
January	19.7	24.3	22	67	76	71.6
February	20.4	24.8	22.6	69	77	72.6
March	19.7	24	21.8	67	75	71.3
April	18.3	22.6	20.4	65	73	68.8
May	16.7	20.8	18.8	62	69	65.8
June	15.2	19.2	17.2	59	67	62.9
July	14.3	18.3	16.3	58	65	61.4
August	13.8	18.2	16	57	65	60.8
September	14.6	19	16.8	58	66	62.2
October	15.4	20	17.7	60	68	63.9
November	16.6	21.4	19	62	70	66.2
December	18.4	23.2	20.8	65	74	69.5
Year	16.9	21.3	19.05	62.4	70.3	66.5

Precipitation is relatively abundant, in fact, 1,100 millimeters (43 inches) of rain fall per year. There is no real dry season, although the rains are a bit rarer in spring and early summer, from September to January, while they are more frequent in late autumn and winter, from May to August. The rainfall records are high in all months, which means that it can sometimes rain a lot even in spring and summer.
Here is the average precipitation in Kingston.

Kingston - Average precipitation

Month	Millimeters	Inches	Days
January	80	3.1	8
February	85	3.3	9
March	105	4.1	9
April	95	3.7	10
May	100	3.9	12
June	120	4.7	13
July	125	4.9	14
August	100	3.9	12
September	80	3.1	9
October	60	2.4	8
November	70	2.8	7
December	85	3.3	7
Year	1110	43.7	118

Norfolk Island gets 2,700 hours of sunshine per year. The sun shines mainly in the austral summer, from November to March (65-70% of the time).

Kingston - Sunshine hours

Month	Average	Total
January	9	285
February	9	260
March	8	250
April	6	175
May	5.5	175
June	5.5	170
July	5.5	175
August	5.5	175
September	8	245
October	7.5	235
November	9	275
December	9.5	290
Year	7.4	2710

Sea temperature

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The temperature of the sea is warm enough for swimming from January to April, while it becomes a bit cold in the winter months, since it goes down to 19 °C (66 °F) from July to September.

Kingston - Sea temperature

Month	Celsius (°C)	Fahrenheit (°F)
January	23	73
February	24	75
March	23	73
April	23	73
May	21	70
June	20	68
July	19	66
August	19	66
September	19	66
October	20	68
November	21	70
December	22	72
Year	21.2	70.1

Tropical cyclones

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Norfolk Island is not exactly in the path of tropical cyclones, but sometimes, one of them can leave the tropical belt and head to the south, passing over the island before weakening in the colder southern seas. This happens from November to April, but more often from January to March.

When to go

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The best time to visit Norfolk Island runs from November to March, when the rains are less heavy, sunshine more frequent and the temperature pleasant. The warmest months, where you can also swim in the sea, are January, February and March.
However, as mentioned above, from November to April, and especially from January to March, the remnants of tropical cyclones can sometimes affect the island.

What to pack

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In winter (June to August): bring spring/autumn clothes, a sweater, a jacket, and a raincoat or umbrella.
In summer (December to February): bring light clothes for the day, a scarf for the breeze, a sweatshirt and possibly a light jacket for the evening; a light raincoat or umbrella.

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