Tokelau, an archipelago consisting of three coral atolls (Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo), is a territory of New Zealand located in the Pacific Ocean, about 9 degrees south of the Equator, and has a
hot, humid and rainy climate throughout the year.
The
temperature is very stable: the daily average is around 29 °C (84 °F) throughout the year.
Here are the average temperatures in Nukunonu, the largest atoll.
Nukunonu - Average temperatures (1991-2020) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 25.8 | 31.3 | 28.6 | 78 | 88 | 83.4 |
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| February | 25.7 | 31.2 | 28.4 | 78 | 88 | 83.2 |
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| March | 25.7 | 31.4 | 28.5 | 78 | 88 | 83.4 |
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| April | 26.1 | 31.6 | 28.9 | 79 | 89 | 83.9 |
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| May | 26.2 | 31.6 | 28.9 | 79 | 89 | 84 |
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| June | 26.1 | 31.4 | 28.8 | 79 | 89 | 83.8 |
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| July | 26.1 | 31.2 | 28.6 | 79 | 88 | 83.5 |
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| August | 25.9 | 31.1 | 28.5 | 79 | 88 | 83.4 |
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| September | 26 | 31.4 | 28.7 | 79 | 88 | 83.7 |
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| October | 25.9 | 31.6 | 28.7 | 79 | 89 | 83.7 |
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| November | 25.9 | 31.7 | 28.8 | 79 | 89 | 83.9 |
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| December | 25.9 | 31.5 | 28.7 | 79 | 89 | 83.7 |
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| Year | 26 | 31.4 | 28.65 | 78.7 | 88.6 | 83.5 |
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is abundant, amounting to around 2,750 millimeters (108 inches) per year, with a rainier period between November and March, when it rains not less than 250 mm (10 in) per month, and a relatively less rainy period between April and September, when, however, precipitation doesn't go below 150 mm (6 in) per month. Here is the average precipitation in Nukunonu.
Nukunonu - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 360 | 14.2 | |
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| February | 290 | 11.4 | |
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| March | 245 | 9.6 | |
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| April | 180 | 7.1 | |
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| May | 165 | 6.5 | |
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| June | 205 | 8.1 | |
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| July | 195 | 7.7 | |
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| August | 170 | 6.7 | |
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| September | 175 | 6.9 | |
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| October | 200 | 7.9 | |
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| November | 245 | 9.6 | |
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| December | 310 | 12.2 | |
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| Year | 2745 | 108.1 | |
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The
sea in Tokelau is warm enough to swim in all year round, as we can see in the following table.
Nukunonu - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 29 | 85 | February | 29 | 85 | March | 30 | 85 | April | 30 | 85 | May | 30 | 85 | June | 29 | 85 | July | 29 | 84 | August | 29 | 84 | September | 29 | 84 | October | 29 | 85 | November | 30 | 85 | December | 30 | 85 | Year | 29.4 | 84.9 |
Tropical cyclones
Tokelau lies in the path of
tropical cyclones. Cyclones are usually formed from November to mid-May, though they are most likely from late December to early April. Sometimes, however, they have occurred outside of this period, as happened with Cyclone Keli in June 1997. A particularly destructive cyclone on these islands was Cyclone Percy at the end of February 2005.
Best Time
The best time to visit the Tokelaus runs from
mid-May to October, since it is the driest period of the year and out of the cyclone season, although showers and thunderstorms are still frequent. Given the albeit rare precedents in which cyclones have occurred outside of this period, for greater security, you can restrict the period to July-mid-October.
What to pack
All year round, pack tropics-friendly, loose-fitting clothing, a sun hat, a scarf for the breeze, a light sweatshirt for the evening, and a light raincoat or umbrella.