Palmerston weather in August

In August, Palmerston sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 34°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of August to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Palmerston's 2nd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
6th warmest
Overnight low
19°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
7:03 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
37%
2nd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Palmerston is planned satellite city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
637/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 34°C by the end.

A typical August day in Palmerston reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°C warmer than July and about 2°C cooler than September.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13218
23218
33218
43218
53218
63218
73218
83318
93318
103318
113318
123318
133319
143319
153319
163319
173319
183319
193319
203319
213319
223319
233319
243419
253419
263419
273420
283420
293420
303420
313420

How August really feels in Palmerston

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Palmerston weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 25°43928.312.72.2
Feb32° / 25°39325.912.42.3
Mar33° / 25°30423.712.12.5
Apr33° / 23°1009.511.73.3
May33° / 21°152.611.44.3
Jun32° / 19°20.411.35.3
Jul32° / 18°10.211.35.3
Aug33° / 19°10.211.64.5
Sep35° / 22°122.711.93.1
Oct35° / 24°589.312.32.4
Nov35° / 25°17519.312.62.1
Dec33° / 25°33225.312.72.2

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 26%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37525
47525
57525
67426
77426
87426
97426
107426
117525
127525
137525
147525
157525
167525
177525
187525
197426
207426
217426
227426
237327
247426
257426
267426
277426
287327
297327
307327
317426

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Palmerston gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.2 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% and peaks near 4% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
160
170
180
190
200
211
221
231
241
252
262
272
283
293
303
314

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 22% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1392225131
2392225131
3392225131
4392225131
5392225131
6392225131
7382225141
8382125141
9382126142
10372126142
11372027152
12362027152
13361928152
14351928162
15351929162
16341929172
17331930172
18321830182
19311830192
20301831202
21291731212
22281731222
23261732232
24251632243
25241632263
26221632274
27201532284
28191532305
29181531316
30161431326
31151431337

Wind in August

Winds average 8 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of August to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 7:09 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 6:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.47:096:35
211.57:096:36
311.57:086:36
411.57:086:36
511.57:086:36
611.57:076:36
711.57:076:36
811.57:066:37
911.57:066:37
1011.57:066:37
1111.57:056:37
1211.57:056:37
1311.67:046:37
1411.67:046:37
1511.67:036:38
1611.67:036:38
1711.67:026:38
1811.67:026:38
1911.67:016:38
2011.67:016:38
2111.67:006:38
2211.66:596:38
2311.76:596:38
2411.76:586:38
2511.76:586:38
2611.76:576:38
2711.76:566:38
2811.76:566:38
2911.76:556:38
3011.76:546:38
3111.76:546:38

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 6.08 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in October across the year — August's 6.08 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
106.0Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Palmerston

In seasonPeak

None of Palmerston's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Palmerston sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Palmerston's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Palmerston?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Palmerston for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Palmerston in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Palmerston sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Palmerston in August

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in December at about 31°C and coldest in July near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct30Tropical
Nov31Tropical
Dec31Tropical

UV index in Palmerston in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Palmerston peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Palmerston in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Palmerston is worst in May — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (March, 6 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Palmerston's WHO annual average of 9.8 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1918 µg/m³Mar 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar6Good
Apr8Good
May19Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Palmerston?

Palmerston sits at 12.5°S, 131.0°E, 36 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Darwin, 16 km away.

SuaiAileuAtsabe

Topography around Palmerston

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Palmerston.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palmerston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m.

The land around Palmerston is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, trees (49%) within 16 km, and trees (40%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
47 m
16 km
57 m
80 km
229 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
August weather nearby: Darwin 16 km · Lospalos 620 km · Venilale 660 km · Baucau 666 km · Suai 718 km · Aileu 725 km · Atsabe 727 km · Dili 735 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
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

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 Palmerston (-12.486°, 130.9833°, elevation 36 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).