Climate and average weather in Moorea

In Moorea, the weather is muggy, warm, wet, and partly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near warm levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around December.

Best: mid May to early November

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Moorea typically varies from 24°C to 27°C, and is rarely below 23°C or above 28°C. March is the hottest month of the year, while August is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Moorea for warm-weather activities is from mid May to early November.

Hottest
Mar
27°
Coldest
Aug
24°
Wettest
Dec
263 mm
Driest
Jul
47 mm
Rain / yr
1597 mm
174 wet days
Daylight
11.0–13.0 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
0 m
17.5°S
Clearest
Jul
40% cloud

Moorea weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid May to early November.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Moorea, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

Temperatures in Moorea stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is March, with an average high of 27°C and low of 26°C; the coolest is August, with an average low of 24°C and high of 25°C.

Days typically run about 1°C warmer than nights year-round.

18°20°22°24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2725
Feb2726
Mar2726
Apr2726
May2725
Jun2625
Jul2524
Aug2524
Sep2524
Oct2624
Nov2625
Dec2725

Average hourly temperature in Moorea

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on March afternoons, near 27°C, and coldest before dawn in August, near 24°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Moorea weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 25°23922.212.94.6
Feb27° / 26°22220.112.64.7
Mar27° / 26°17619.512.15.1
Apr27° / 26°13215.211.65.7
May27° / 25°10613.111.26.3
Jun26° / 25°689.3117.0
Jul25° / 24°478.811.17.4
Aug25° / 24°517.611.47.6
Sep25° / 24°588.411.97.3
Oct26° / 24°10411.812.46.7
Nov26° / 25°12915.912.85.7
Dec27° / 25°26322.3134.7

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Moorea gets about 1597 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.9 months, from around Nov 9 to May 7, peaking in February at about 75% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 13.

December is the wettest month by volume, with 263 mm over about 22 wet days; July is the driest, with 47 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetFeb 5 · 75%Aug 13 · 22%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan7322
Feb7220
Mar6220
Apr5215
May4213
Jun329
Jul289
Aug248
Sep298
Oct3812
Nov5316
Dec7022

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Moorea collects about 1597 mm of rain across 174 wet days — roughly 133 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 263 mm, while July is the driest at just 47 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 45% of the year’s total.

050100150200250300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec23922217613210668475158104129263
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan23922
Feb22220
Mar17620
Apr13215
May10613
Jun689
Jul479
Aug518
Sep588
Oct10412
Nov12916
Dec26322

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Moorea, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 6 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around October 30. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 78% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 31 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around May 5. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 64% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJul 18 · 79%Dec 31 · 31%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan3763
Feb4060
Mar4852
Apr5545
May6535
Jun7525
Jul7822
Aug7723
Sep7426
Oct6436
Nov5050
Dec3664

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 13 hours of light; the shortest, around May 30, only 11 hours — a swing of roughly 2 hours.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan12.95:406:37
Feb12.65:566:32
Mar12.16:056:13
Apr11.66:115:48
May11.26:205:31
Jun11.06:315:28
Jul11.16:345:36
Aug11.46:215:46
Sep11.95:575:51
Oct12.45:325:56
Nov12.85:196:10
Dec13.05:246:27

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Moorea averages about 12 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 5 and 17 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.7 months, from around May 6 to Oct 24. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 17 sunny days (bright).

The greyest month is January, down near 6 sunny days — about 62% fewer than the August peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightAug 417 daysJan 25 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan7Gloomy
Feb7Mixed
Mar10Mixed
Apr11Mixed
May14Mixed
Jun16Bright
Jul18Bright
Aug17Bright
Sep16Bright
Oct13Mixed
Nov9Mixed
Dec6Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

Moorea is humid all year round — on a typical day the air feels at least humid, and there is no real dry season to wait for.

The stickiest month is January, when it feels muggy, oppressive or miserable about 100% of the time. Even in August, the mildest month, the air is dry or comfortable only 3% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecmiserableoppressivemuggyhumid
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
Jan002889
Feb0018514
Mar0008317
Apr0048412
May0214822
Jun1724670
Jul21037510
Aug31544380
Sep1944470
Oct0527680
Nov0112870
Dec003943

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Moorea is typically breezy, near 22 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.0 months, from around May 25 to Oct 24. The windiest month is September, averaging about 25 km/h (breezy).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Oct 25 to May 24, with March the calmest month at about 19 km/h.

051015202530JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmerwindiercalmercalmlight breezebreezywindySep 9 · 25 km/hMar 21 · 19 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan20breezy
Feb21breezy
Mar19light breeze
Apr20light breeze
May21breezy
Jun24breezy
Jul24breezy
Aug24breezy
Sep25breezy
Oct23breezy
Nov21breezy
Dec20light breeze

Hazard calendar for Moorea

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Moorea's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Best time to visit Moorea

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Moorea throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late October, Moorea is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Moorea for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to early November, with a peak score in the second week of August.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 12 · 7.7

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan4.6fair
Feb4.7fair
Mar5.1fair
Apr5.7good
May6.3good
Jun7.0good
Jul7.4good
Aug7.6ideal
Sep7.3good
Oct6.7good
Nov5.7good
Dec4.7fair

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Moorea for hot-weather activities is from late March to mid November, with a peak score in the second week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 12 · 6.9

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Moorea, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

Moorea packs about the same all year — highs hold near 27°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In March, Moorea sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Moorea

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea offshore is warmest in March at about 29°C and coldest in September near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun28Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index (midday) in Moorea by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Moorea peaks around February 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 14UV 16Jun 17UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov15Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Moorea

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in February the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan8.57
Feb97
Mar86.5
Apr7.55.5
May6.54
Jun63
Jul6.54
Aug75
Sep7.55.5
Oct8.56.5
Nov97
Dec97
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Moorea is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecfrost-free year round
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Moorea banks about 5,682 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around March.

02,0004,0006,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan499
Feb456
Mar512
Apr494
May496
Jun460
Jul459
Aug449
Sep437
Oct462
Nov465
Dec493

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Moorea receives about 5.5 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.1 and 6.6 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.9 months, from around Sep 5 to Apr 3. The brightest month is November, averaging about 6.6 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is June, down near 4.1 kWh/m² — roughly 37% less than the November peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbrighterdimmerbrighterdimmoderatebrightintenseNov 176.6 kWhJun 204.1 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan6.2Intense
Feb6.0Intense
Mar5.9Bright
Apr5.2Bright
May4.5Bright
Jun4.1Bright
Jul4.3Bright
Aug5.0Bright
Sep5.8Bright
Oct6.3Intense
Nov6.6Intense
Dec6.3Intense

Where is Moorea?

Moorea sits at 17.5°S, 149.8°W, 0 m above sea level, in French Polynesia. The nearest listed city is Faaa, 24 km away.

Topography around Moorea

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Moorea has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,176 m around an average of 251 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,176 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,792 m.

The land around Moorea is covered by trees (95%) within 3 km, water (84%) within 16 km, and water (91%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,176 m
16 km
1,176 m
80 km
1,792 m
treesgrasslandwater
Nearby: Faaa 24 km · Punaauia 27 km · Papeete 28 km · Bora Bora 233 km · Avarua 1,120 km · Alofi 2,127 km · Adamstown 2,205 km · Pago Pago 2,260 km

French Polynesia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B / C / E / F
110 / 220 V · 50 / 60 Hz
GDP per capita
$22,440
2024
Safe drinking water
90%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.4
per 100k, 2009
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 54%Roman Catholic 30%other 10%no religion 6%

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 Moorea (-17.5328°, -149.828°, elevation 0 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).