Port Hedland in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Port Hedland sees average daytime highs around 32°C and overnight lows near 28°C, with 198 mm of rain over about 13 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 68% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels miserable.

Summer is Port Hedland's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Port Hedland's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
32°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
28°C
Rainfall
198 mm
13 wet days
Avg wind
20 km/h
Travel score
4.9
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Port Hedland in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 32°C.

A typical summer day in Port Hedland reaches about 32°C and drops to 28°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

20°25°30°35°40°DecJanFeb

How summer really feels in Port Hedland

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.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
90
29 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Port Hedland 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 28°705.113.14.8
Feb32° / 28°100612.74.5
Mar33° / 28°804.512.14.3
Apr32° / 26°231.511.55.1
May28° / 22°222.3117.4
Jun25° / 19°232.110.88.7
Jul25° / 18°110.910.99.2
Aug26° / 18°40.611.39.2
Sep28° / 21°20.311.98.4
Oct30° / 24°10.112.56.7
Nov31° / 26°10.2136.1
Dec32° / 27°29213.25.4

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Port Hedland gets around 198 mm of rain over 13 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 20 km/h across summer.

0510152025DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min in early December to 12 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.3 kWh/m².

02468DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Port Hedland

In seasonPeak

In summer, Port Hedland overlaps its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

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

Is summer a good time to visit Port Hedland?

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.

4.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit Port Hedland for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Port Hedland in Summer

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

In summer, Port Hedland sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 28°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

light clothessun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Port Hedland in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 30°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 21 km away) is warmest in March at about 30°C and coldest in August near 22°C.

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

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May26Warm
Jun24Refreshing
Jul23Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep24Refreshing
Oct26Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Port Hedland in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Port Hedland peaks around January 24 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highVery highExtremeJan 24UV 15Jun 18UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Port Hedland in Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Port Hedland is worst in January — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (July, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateJan 1617 µg/m³Jul 246 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar9Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun6Good
Jul6Good
Aug6Good
Sep8Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Port Hedland?

Port Hedland sits at 20.3°S, 118.6°E, 5 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Karratha, 190 km away.

BroomeGeraldtonKalgoorlieWaingapuTambolakaKupangTaliwang

Topography around Port Hedland

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Hedland has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 189 m.

The land around Port Hedland is covered by water (41%) within 3 km, water (54%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
15 m
16 km
26 m
80 km
189 m
shrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
Summer weather nearby: Karratha 190 km · Broome 463 km · Geraldton 1,024 km · Kalgoorlie 1,195 km · Waingapu 1,198 km · Tambolaka 1,212 km · Kupang 1,248 km · Taliwang 1,300 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 Port Hedland (-20.3121°, 118.6106°, elevation 5 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.