Climate and average weather in Palu

In Palu, the weather is muggy, hot, wet, and mostly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near hot levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around October.

Best: early January to late December

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Palu typically varies from 21°C to 28°C, and is rarely below 20°C or above 30°C. May is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Palu for warm-weather activities is from early January to late December.

Hottest
May
28°
Coldest
Jul
21°
Wettest
Oct
342 mm
Driest
Feb
244 mm
Rain / yr
3683 mm
336 wet days
Daylight
11.9–12.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
9 m
0.9°S
Clearest
Aug
75% cloud

Palu is administrative city in Donggala Regency, Indonesia.

Founded
1978

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

Palu 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 early January to late December.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

Temperatures in Palu stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is May, with an average high of 28°C and low of 21°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 21°C and high of 27°C.

Days typically run about 7°C warmer than nights year-round.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2821
Feb2821
Mar2821
Apr2821
May2821
Jun2721
Jul2721
Aug2821
Sep2821
Oct2821
Nov2821
Dec2821

Average hourly temperature in Palu

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 May afternoons, near 28°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 21°C.

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

Palu 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
Jan28° / 21°25927.9123.5
Feb28° / 21°24425123.6
Mar28° / 21°28928.3123.5
Apr28° / 21°31327.8123.4
May28° / 21°34028.8123.4
Jun27° / 21°33228.311.93.5
Jul27° / 21°33128.4123.6
Aug28° / 21°31428.1123.7
Sep28° / 21°33528.2123.5
Oct28° / 21°34229.1123.4
Nov28° / 21°32128.6123.3
Dec28° / 21°26427.512.13.5

Chance of rain

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

Palu gets about 3683 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, and that barely changes with the seasons — rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.

October is the wettest month by volume, with 342 mm over about 29 wet days; February is the driest, with 244 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%110%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecmostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetNov 5 · 97%Feb 21 · 88%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan9028
Feb8925
Mar9128
Apr9328
May9329
Jun9428
Jul9228
Aug9128
Sep9428
Oct9429
Nov9529
Dec8928

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Palu collects about 3683 mm of rain across 336 wet days — roughly 307 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. October is the wettest month with 342 mm, while February is the driest at just 244 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 28% of the year’s total.

050100150200250300350400JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec259244289313340332331314335342321264
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan25928
Feb24425
Mar28928
Apr31328
May34029
Jun33228
Jul33128
Aug31428
Sep33528
Oct34229
Nov32129
Dec26428

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

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

The clearer part of the year begins around May 11 and lasts for 5.2 months, ending around October 16. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 21% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 17 and lasts for 6.8 months, ending around May 10. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 99% 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%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAug 20 · 23%Dec 26 · 1%partly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan298
Feb397
Mar496
Apr496
May1090
Jun1387
Jul1684
Aug2179
Sep1882
Oct991
Nov298
Dec199

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. Close to the equator, Palu barely changes through the year: days stay near 12 h 06 min of light in every season.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan12.06:086:11
Feb12.06:146:16
Mar12.06:106:10
Apr12.06:016:00
May12.05:585:56
Jun11.96:025:59
Jul12.06:086:05
Aug12.06:066:04
Sep12.05:555:55
Oct12.05:455:46
Nov12.05:455:47
Dec12.15:555:58

Sunny days

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

Palu gets about 0 sunny days a month gloomy — and it barely shifts through the year, holding between 0 and 1 days every month. Clear skies here are a flat line, not a season.

05JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgloomyAug 221 daysJan 10 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan0Gloomy
Feb0Gloomy
Mar0Gloomy
Apr0Gloomy
May1Gloomy
Jun1Gloomy
Jul1Gloomy
Aug1Gloomy
Sep1Gloomy
Oct0Gloomy
Nov0Gloomy
Dec0Gloomy

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.

Palu 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 January, the mildest month, the air is dry or comfortable only 0% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecoppressivemuggy
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan2674
Feb2476
Mar2080
Apr1090
May397
Jun892
Jul2179
Aug2476
Sep1684
Oct892
Nov892
Dec2179

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.

Wind in Palu is steady company: average speeds sit near 3 km/hcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmDec 24 · 4 km/hJun 4 · 3 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan4calm
Feb3calm
Mar3calm
Apr3calm
May3calm
Jun3calm
Jul3calm
Aug3calm
Sep3calm
Oct3calm
Nov3calm
Dec4calm

Best time to visit Palu

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

Around mid January, Palu is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

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. In Palu it holds close to 3.8 all year, so any month is about as good as another for general outdoor tourist activities.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDectravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitation

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
Jan3.5fair
Feb3.6fair
Mar3.5poor
Apr3.4poor
May3.4poor
Jun3.5fair
Jul3.7fair
Aug3.7fair
Sep3.5fair
Oct3.5poor
Nov3.3poor
Dec3.5fair

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. In Palu it holds close to 3.9 all year, so any month is about as good as another for hot-weather activities.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitation

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 Palu, 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.

Palu packs about the same all year — highs hold near 28°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In May, Palu sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Palu

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

The sea at the nearest coast (about 42 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in February near 29°C.

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

28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index (midday) in Palu 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 Palu peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 18UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Palu

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 8.5 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)
Jan86.5
Feb8.57
Mar8.56.5
Apr86.5
May86
Jun85.5
Jul7.55.5
Aug86
Sep86
Oct86.5
Nov86
Dec86
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Palu 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. Palu banks about 5,220 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around May.

02,0004,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan439
Feb399
Mar445
Apr436
May454
Jun428
Jul436
Aug438
Sep427
Oct445
Nov430
Dec444

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.

Palu receives about 4.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy — bright — and it stays remarkably steady, holding between 4.2 and 5.3 kWh/m² all year. For solar panels, output here is a flat line, not a seasonal wave.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmoderatebrightSep 225.3 kWhJun 134.2 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan4.5Bright
Feb4.7Bright
Mar4.8Bright
Apr4.7Bright
May4.5Bright
Jun4.3Bright
Jul4.5Bright
Aug5.0Bright
Sep5.3Bright
Oct5.1Bright
Nov4.6Bright
Dec4.4Bright

Where is Palu?

Palu sits at 0.9°S, 119.9°E, 9 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Poso, 112 km away.

PolewaliBontangBungkuSamarinda

Topography around Palu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 96 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,194 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,505 m.

The land around Palu is covered by artificial surfaces (78%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
96 m
16 km
2,194 m
80 km
2,505 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Poso 112 km · Masamba 190 km · Rantepao 229 km · Palopo 235 km · Polewali 287 km · Bontang 289 km · Bungku 296 km · Samarinda 307 km

Indonesia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,060
2025
Happiness
5.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
11.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 471
Religion
Muslim 87%Protestant 8%Roman Catholic 3%Hindu 2%

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 Palu (-0.9083°, 119.8708°, elevation 9 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).