Karratha in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Karratha sees average daytime highs around 32°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 146 mm of rain over about 10 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 32°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Summer is Karratha's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Karratha's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 32°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 27°C
- Rainfall
- 146 mm
- 10 wet days
- Avg wind
- 20 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.2
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Karratha in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 32°C.
A typical summer day in Karratha reaches about 32°C and drops to 27°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in Karratha
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 90 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in summer is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Karratha weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32° / 27° | 45 | 3.9 | 13.1 | 5.0 |
| Feb | 32° / 28° | 81 | 4.9 | 12.7 | 4.8 |
| Mar | 32° / 28° | 68 | 3.4 | 12.1 | 4.8 |
| Apr | 31° / 26° | 25 | 1.7 | 11.5 | 5.8 |
| May | 28° / 22° | 25 | 2.6 | 11 | 7.8 |
| Jun | 25° / 19° | 31 | 2.7 | 10.8 | 8.7 |
| Jul | 24° / 18° | 12 | 1.3 | 10.9 | 9.3 |
| Aug | 25° / 19° | 3 | 0.5 | 11.3 | 9.5 |
| Sep | 27° / 20° | 2 | 0.2 | 11.9 | 9.1 |
| Oct | 29° / 23° | 1 | 0.2 | 12.5 | 7.7 |
| Nov | 30° / 25° | 1 | 0.2 | 13 | 6.8 |
| Dec | 31° / 26° | 20 | 1.2 | 13.2 | 5.8 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Karratha gets around 146 mm of rain over 10 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 20 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min in early December to 12 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Karratha
In summer, Karratha overlaps its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Karratha sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Is summer a good time to visit Karratha?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Karratha for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Karratha in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Karratha sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 10 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Karratha in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 29°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in March at about 30°C and coldest in August near 23°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 28 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | Tropical |
| Feb | 30 | Tropical |
| Mar | 30 | Tropical |
| Apr | 29 | Tropical |
| May | 27 | Warm |
| Jun | 24 | Warm |
| Jul | 23 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 23 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 24 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 25 | Warm |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 28 | Warm |
UV index in Karratha in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Karratha peaks around December 23 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 7 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 7 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 15 | Extreme |
Air quality in Karratha in Summer
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Karratha is worst in December — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 7.0× the cleanest month (July, 7 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 43 | 31 | 23 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 32 | 49 |
| Level | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | Poor |
| Feb | 31 | Moderate |
| Mar | 23 | Moderate |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 9 | Good |
| Jun | 8 | Good |
| Jul | 7 | Good |
| Aug | 7 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 20 | Moderate |
| Nov | 32 | Moderate |
| Dec | 49 | Poor |
Where is Karratha?
Karratha sits at 20.7°S, 116.8°E, 20 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Port Hedland, 190 km away.
Topography around Karratha
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Karratha.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Karratha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 123 m around an average of 23 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 170 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 m.
The land around Karratha is covered by grassland (54%) within 3 km, grassland (51%) and water (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (48%) and water (44%) within 80 km.
Australia travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type I
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 90% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $65,130
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.9 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Homicide rate
- 0.9
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 4.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Karratha (-20.7376°, 116.8463°, elevation 20 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.