Avarua in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Avarua sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 580 mm of rain over about 50 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 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Summer is Avarua's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Avarua has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Avarua's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 25°C
- Rainfall
- 580 mm
- 50 wet days
- Avg wind
- 23 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.4
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Avarua in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical summer day in Avarua reaches about 26°C and drops to 25°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Avarua 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 | 26° / 25° | 213 | 18.1 | 13.1 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 27° / 25° | 178 | 17 | 12.7 | 5.1 |
| Mar | 27° / 25° | 186 | 18.6 | 12.1 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 26° / 25° | 153 | 15 | 11.5 | 5.8 |
| May | 25° / 24° | 125 | 12.7 | 11 | 6.3 |
| Jun | 24° / 23° | 64 | 8.2 | 10.7 | 7.1 |
| Jul | 23° / 22° | 98 | 9.2 | 10.8 | 7.1 |
| Aug | 23° / 22° | 72 | 8.3 | 11.3 | 7.1 |
| Sep | 23° / 22° | 73 | 8.4 | 11.9 | 7.1 |
| Oct | 24° / 23° | 87 | 8.8 | 12.5 | 7.0 |
| Nov | 25° / 24° | 108 | 10.7 | 13 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 26° / 25° | 189 | 14.5 | 13.3 | 5.9 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Avarua gets around 580 mm of rain over 50 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 23 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 6.3 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Avarua?
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 Avarua for sightseeing.
What to pack for Avarua in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Avarua sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 50 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Avarua in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 27°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 14 km away) is warmest in March at about 28°C and coldest in August near 24°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) | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 28 | Warm |
| Mar | 28 | Warm |
| Apr | 27 | Warm |
| May | 26 | Warm |
| Jun | 25 | Warm |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 24 | Warm |
| Sep | 24 | Warm |
| Oct | 25 | Warm |
| Nov | 26 | Warm |
| Dec | 27 | Warm |
UV index in Avarua in Summer
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 Avarua peaks around February 13 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 6 (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 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 17 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Where is Avarua?
Avarua sits at 21.2°S, 159.8°W, 7 m above sea level, in Cook Islands. The nearest listed city is Bora Bora, 994 km away.
Topography around Avarua
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Avarua.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Avarua has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 440 m around an average of 65 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 478 m.
The land around Avarua is covered by trees (49%) and water (41%) within 3 km, water (92%) within 16 km, and water (98%) within 80 km.
Cook Islands travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type I
- 240 V · 50 Hz
- 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 Avarua (-21.2075°, -159.7755°, elevation 7 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.