Palu weather in August

In August, Palu sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 314 mm of rain across 28.1 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in August, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of August to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Palu's 1st-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
9th warmest
Overnight low
21°
4th coldest
Rainfall
314 mm
28.1 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:06 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
75%
1st clearest
Wind
3 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.04 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Palu is administrative city in Donggala Regency, Indonesia.

Founded
1978

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical August day in Palu reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12721
22721
32721
42721
52721
62721
72721
82721
92721
102721
112721
122721
132821
142821
152821
162821
172821
182821
192821
202821
212821
222821
232821
242821
252821
262821
272821
282821
292821
302821
312821

Palu weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

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

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in August, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
21981
31882
41981
51981
61981
71981
82080
92080
102080
112080
122080
132278
142278
152278
162278
172278
182377
192476
202476
212377
222377
232377
242377
252278
262278
272278
282278
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Palu gets around 314 mm of rain over 28.1 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 91% and peaks near 96% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
290
390
490
590
690
790
890
990
1089
1189
1289
1389
1489
1589
1689
1790
1890
1990
2090
2191
2291
2391
2492
2593
2693
2794
2894
2995
3095
3196

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the oppressive band about 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
12575
22575
32674
42674
52773
62773
72872
82872
92872
102872
112872
122872
132872
142773
152773
162674
172575
182575
192476
202377
212278
222278
232179
242179
252080
262080
272080
282080
292080
302080
312080

Wind in August

Winds average 3 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours at the start of August to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:08 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:086:05
212.06:086:05
312.06:086:05
412.06:086:05
512.06:076:05
612.06:076:05
712.06:076:05
812.06:076:05
912.06:076:05
1012.06:076:05
1112.06:076:05
1212.06:066:04
1312.06:066:04
1412.06:066:04
1512.06:066:04
1612.06:066:04
1712.06:056:04
1812.06:056:03
1912.06:056:03
2012.06:056:03
2112.06:046:03
2212.06:046:02
2312.06:046:02
2412.06:036:02
2512.06:036:02
2612.06:036:01
2712.06:026:01
2812.06:026:01
2912.06:026:01
3012.06:016:00
3112.06:016:00

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.04 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.25 kWh/m² to a high of 5.26 kWh/m² in September across the year — August's 5.04 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Palu?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Palu.

What to pack for Palu in August

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

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

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Palu in August

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 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 in Palu in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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
Location & terrain

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
August weather 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).