Climate and average weather in Payakumbuh

In Payakumbuh, 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 November.

Best: early May to late December

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Payakumbuh typically varies from 19°C to 29°C, and is rarely below 18°C or above 31°C. May is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Payakumbuh for warm-weather activities are from early January to late March and early May to late December.

Hottest
May
29°
Coldest
Jan
20°
Wettest
Nov
326 mm
Driest
Jun
135 mm
Rain / yr
2701 mm
307 wet days
Daylight
12.0–12.0 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
517 m
0.2°S
Clearest
Jun
77% cloud

Payakumbuh is city in West Sumatra Province, Indonesia.

Density
1,735/km²
people per km²
Founded
1956

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

Payakumbuh 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 May to late December.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

Temperatures in Payakumbuh stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is May, with an average high of 29°C and low of 20°C; the coolest is January, with an average low of 20°C and high of 27°C.

Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights year-round.

15°20°25°30°35°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2720
Feb2820
Mar2920
Apr2920
May2920
Jun2920
Jul2919
Aug2920
Sep2820
Oct2820
Nov2820
Dec2820

Average hourly temperature in Payakumbuh

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 29°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 20°C.

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

Payakumbuh 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° / 20°25127.1123.7
Feb28° / 20°19523.8123.6
Mar29° / 20°24827.6123.3
Apr29° / 20°26828123.0
May29° / 20°19925.8123.3
Jun29° / 20°13521.4123.8
Jul29° / 19°14521.7124.0
Aug29° / 20°17823.3123.8
Sep28° / 20°21325.2123.5
Oct28° / 20°25227.6123.3
Nov28° / 20°32627.8123.3
Dec28° / 20°29227.6123.5

Chance of rain

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

Payakumbuh gets about 2701 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 2.6 months, from around Feb 22 to May 10, peaking in April at about 93% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 24.

November is the wettest month by volume, with 326 mm over about 28 wet days; June is the driest, with 135 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetApr 3 · 93%Jun 24 · 69%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan8827
Feb8424
Mar8928
Apr9328
May8326
Jun7221
Jul6922
Aug7623
Sep8425
Oct8828
Nov9228
Dec8928

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Payakumbuh collects about 2701 mm of rain across 307 wet days — roughly 225 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. November is the wettest month with 326 mm, while June is the driest at just 135 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 33% of the year’s total.

050100150200250300350400JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec251195248268199135145178213252326292
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan25127
Feb19524
Mar24828
Apr26828
May19926
Jun13521
Jul14522
Aug17823
Sep21325
Oct25228
Nov32628
Dec29228

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

In Payakumbuh, 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 9 and lasts for 4.4 months, ending around September 19. The clearest month is June, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 22% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 20 and lasts for 7.6 months, ending around May 8. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 98% 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%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJun 23 · 24%Nov 26 · 1%partly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan397
Feb694
Mar793
Apr595
May1387
Jun2278
Jul2278
Aug1684
Sep1189
Oct694
Nov298
Dec298

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, Payakumbuh barely changes through the year: days stay near 12 hours of light in every season.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan12.06:266:27
Feb12.06:326:32
Mar12.06:276:27
Apr12.06:186:18
May12.06:146:13
Jun12.06:186:17
Jul12.06:236:23
Aug12.06:226:21
Sep12.06:126:12
Oct12.06:026:03
Nov12.06:026:03
Dec12.06:136:14

Sunny days

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

Payakumbuh gets about 1 sunny days a month gloomy — and it barely shifts through the year, holding between 0 and 3 days every month. Clear skies here are a flat line, not a season.

05JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgloomyJun 193 daysJan 10 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan0Gloomy
Feb0Gloomy
Mar0Gloomy
Apr0Gloomy
May1Gloomy
Jun3Gloomy
Jul2Gloomy
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.

Payakumbuh 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 99% 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
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan17722
Feb17227
Mar15248
Apr02773
May02773
Jun15543
Jul38017
Aug18217
Sep07920
Oct07228
Nov05644
Dec16634

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 Payakumbuh is steady company: average speeds sit near 4 km/hcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmJul 30 · 4 km/hApr 26 · 3 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan4calm
Feb4calm
Mar3calm
Apr3calm
May3calm
Jun4calm
Jul4calm
Aug4calm
Sep4calm
Oct4calm
Nov4calm
Dec4calm

Best time to visit Payakumbuh

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

Around late December, Payakumbuh 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. In Payakumbuh it holds close to 4.0 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
Jan3.7fair
Feb3.6fair
Mar3.3poor
Apr3.0poor
May3.3poor
Jun3.8fair
Jul4.0fair
Aug3.8fair
Sep3.5fair
Oct3.3poor
Nov3.3poor
Dec3.6fair

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Payakumbuh for hot-weather activities run from early February to mid March and again from early May to early October, with a peak score in the last week of June.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJun 23 · 5.1

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 Payakumbuh, 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.

Payakumbuh packs about the same all year — highs hold near 29°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, Payakumbuh sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Payakumbuh 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 Payakumbuh peaks around February 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 11 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 16UV 15Jul 11UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Payakumbuh

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 6.5 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
Feb8.56.5
Mar86.5
Apr86.5
May86
Jun7.55.5
Jul7.55.5
Aug86
Sep86.5
Oct86.5
Nov86
Dec86

Air quality in Payakumbuh by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Payakumbuh is worst in October — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (December, 22 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateOct 1139 µg/m³Dec 1822 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May26Moderate
Jun27Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep38Poor
Oct40Poor
Nov23Moderate
Dec22Moderate
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Payakumbuh 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. Payakumbuh banks about 5,130 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)
Jan420
Feb388
Mar439
Apr434
May454
Jun431
Jul434
Aug434
Sep418
Oct434
Nov418
Dec425

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.

Payakumbuh receives about 4.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy — bright — and it stays remarkably steady, holding between 4.0 and 5.0 kWh/m² all year. For solar panels, output here is a flat line, not a seasonal wave.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmoderatebrightSep 145.0 kWhDec 144.0 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan4.3Bright
Feb4.7Bright
Mar4.8Bright
Apr4.6Bright
May4.7Bright
Jun4.8Bright
Jul4.8Bright
Aug4.9Bright
Sep5.0Bright
Oct4.7Bright
Nov4.1Bright
Dec4.0Bright

Where is Payakumbuh?

Payakumbuh sits at 0.2°S, 100.6°E, 517 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Bukittinggi, 31 km away.

Topography around Payakumbuh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Payakumbuh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 508 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,770 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,877 m.

The land around Payakumbuh is covered by trees (45%), cropland (28%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (92%) within 80 km.

3 km
30 m
16 km
1,770 m
80 km
2,877 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Nearby: Bukittinggi 31 km · Padangpanjang 37 km · Solok 65 km · Sijunjung 66 km · Pariaman 73 km · Padang 87 km · Pekanbaru 121 km · Balai Pungut 160 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 Payakumbuh (-0.2159°, 100.6334°, elevation 517 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).