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Climate - Vanuatu


Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine

Flag - Vanuatu

Map - Vanuatu

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Index


  • Introduction
  • North - Vanua Lava
  • Center-South - Port Vila, Aneityum
  • Cyclones

Introduction



In Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides), the climate is influenced by the trade winds, and it's equatorial on the northern islands, ie hot and rainy all year round, while it's tropical on the central and southern islands, with a hot and rainy season from December to March and a cool and drier season from May to October.
In fact, the islands are scattered in the Pacific Ocean south of the Equator, over an axis oriented from north to south, about 900 kilometers (550 miles) long; the southernmost islands are located at a latitude of 20 degrees south (but there are also two small uninhabited islands, Matthew and Hunter, which are at the 22nd parallel).

Vanuatu, climatic zones

Many islands are volcanic, and have elevations in the interior which enhance precipitation. The rains are most abundant on the northernmost islands, where up to 4,000 millimeters (157 inches) of rain fall per year (see Vanua Lava), including 200 mm (8 in) per month even in the least rainy months (which are July and August) and more than 450 mm (17.5 in) in March (the rainiest month). Proceeding south, the rains gradually decrease, down to 2,200/2,500 mm (80/100 in) on the southernmost islands, even though they go down to 1,500 mm (60 in) on the smallest and flat islands.
The period from December to March is hot, humid, and rainy across the country, with highs around 29/31 °C (84/88 °F) and lows around 23/25 °C (73/77 °F). The rains occur in the form of intense downpours, which do not last long, so the sun comes out again after a while.
Instead, the May-October period gradually gets cooler as you head south.

North



The northern islands are divided into the province of Torba (an acronym based on the initial letters of the Torres Islands and the Banks Islands), the province of Sanma (which includes Espiritu Santo, the largest island of Vanuatu), the province of Malampa (which includes Malakula, the second largest island), and the province of Penama.

Vanua Lava

Climate chart - Sola
The winter season, from July to September, is warm on the northern islands, with highs around 28/29 °C (82/84 °F), as we can see from the average temperatures of Sola, on the island of Vanua Lava, belonging to the Banks Islands and located at almost 14 degrees south latitude.
Sola - Average temperatures (1991-2020)
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January243127.4758881.3
February243127.4758881.4
March243127.6758881.6
April243127.2758781.1
May243026.8758680.3
June242926.4758479.5
July232825.8748378.4
August232926748478.7
September232926.1748479
October232926.3748579.4
November243026.8758680.3
December243127.2758781
Year23.729.826.774.685.780

The rains in Vanua Lava are abundant throughout the year, as generally happens on the northern islands having an equatorial climate, although they decrease slightly in the austral winter. Here is the average rainfall.
Sola - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January41516.320
February36014.219
March44517.523
April42516.720
May37014.619
June2459.617
July2258.915
August2359.315
September3051217
October39015.418
November26510.414
December30011.817
Year3980156.7214

On the northern islands, the sea is warm enough to swim in all year round, as we can see in the following table.
Sola - Sea temperature
MonthCelsius (°C)Fahrenheit (°F)
January2985
February3085
March3085
April2985
May2984
June2883
July2882
August2781
September2781
October2882
November2883
December2984
Year28.583.3

Moving south, the winter becomes gradually cooler; however, on the islands of Espiritu Santo (see Luganville) and Malakula, the minimum temperature remains above 20 °C (68 °F) even in the coolest months.

Center-South



In the center of Vanuatu we find the province of Shefa, an acronym based on the Shepherd islands, as well as Epi and Efate. In the south we find the province of Tafea, an acronym based on the islands of Tanna, Aneityum, Futuna, Erromango and Aniwa.
On the central islands, the daytime temperature in winter is around 27 °C (81 °F), while on the southern islands, it drops to 25/26 °C (77/79 °F). At night, on these islands of the center and the south, the average temperatures are around 17/18 °C (63/64 °F), moreover, there may be cool periods, in which they drop to 12/13 °C (54/55 °F).

Port Vila

Climate chart - Port Vila
The capital, Port Vila, is located on the central island of Efate, at almost 14 degrees south latitude. Here are the average temperatures.
Port Vila - Average temperatures (1991-2020)
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January223126.4728879.6
February223126.7728880.1
March233126.7738780
April223025.7718678.2
May202824678375.2
June192723.1668173.6
July182722.1648071.8
August172722638071.5
September182822.6648272.7
October192923.6658474.5
November203024.7688576.5
December213025.8708778.4
Year19.92924.467.884.276

In Port Vila, and in general on the central and southern islands, the decrease in rainfall from May to October is evident, even though it remains above 100 mm (4 in) per month. Here is the average rainfall.
Port Vila - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January32012.618
February2801117
March36514.420
April2108.317
May1355.314
June1305.113
July1104.312
August1104.312
September1054.112
October1104.312
November1756.913
December1807.114
Year223087.8174

The amount of sunshine in Port Vila, and in general in Vanuatu, is not great but it's neither poor: the sun often shines, but some cloudiness, maybe associated with showers and thunderstorms, is always possible. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Port Vila - Sunshine hours
MonthAverageTotal
January7.5230
February7195
March6.5205
April7215
May6.5200
June6185
July6.5205
August7220
September7.5225
October8250
November8235
December8240
Year7.12605

The sea remains quite warm to swim in also on the central islands, where the sea temperature drops to 26 °C (79 °F) from June to October. Here are the average sea temperatures near Port Vila.
Port Vila - Sea temperature
MonthCelsius (°C)Fahrenheit (°F)
January2883
February2984
March2984
April2883
May2882
June2780
July2679
August2678
September2678
October2679
November2781
December2882
Year27.381.1

Aneityum

On the southernmost islands, the winter is even cooler, to the point that the average daily temperature drops to 21.5 °C (70.5 °F) in July and August, as we can see from the data of Aneityum (or Keamu), the southernmost island of Vanuatu, located in the province of Tafea.
Aneityum - Average temperatures (1991-2020)
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January223026.2728679.2
February233026.5738779.7
March233026.4738679.6
April222925.2718377.4
May202723.6688174.5
June192622.4667972.4
July182521.5647770.7
August172521.4637870.4
September182622647971.5
October192722.9668173.2
November202824.2698275.5
December212925.4718577.7
Year20.227.723.968.381.975

Consequently, on the southernmost islands, the sea is cooler as well, though it's still warm enough for swimming, in fact, the water temperature drops to 24 °C (75 °F) from July to October, as we can see from the data of Aneityum.
Aneityum - Sea temperature
MonthCelsius (°C)Fahrenheit (°F)
January2882
February2883
March2883
April2882
May2680
June2678
July2576
August2476
September2476
October2577
November2679
December2781
Year26.379.3

Vanuatu

Tropical cyclones



The Vanuatus are affected by tropical cyclones. Cyclones are usually formed from November to mid-May, though they are most likely from late December to early April. Outside of this period, there has been Cyclone Xavier, which brushed the northern islands in late October 2006. A particularly intense cyclone was Pam, which hit the islands in March 2015.

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