Tarawa in Summer
In summer (June, July and August), Tarawa sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 386 mm of rain over about 54 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Summer is Tarawa's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. Tarawa 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 Tarawa's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 26°C
- Rainfall
- 386 mm
- 54 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Tarawa in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical summer day in Tarawa reaches about 28°C and drops to 26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is June, the coolest July.
How summer really feels in Tarawa
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 22 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in summer is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Tarawa weather by month
How the three summer months (June, July and August) 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 | 28° / 26° | 211 | 17.8 | 11.9 | 5.1 |
| Feb | 28° / 26° | 156 | 14.8 | 12 | 5.3 |
| Mar | 28° / 26° | 221 | 20.5 | 12 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 28° / 26° | 206 | 22 | 12 | 4.5 |
| May | 28° / 27° | 143 | 19.8 | 12.1 | 4.8 |
| Jun | 28° / 27° | 139 | 19.1 | 12.1 | 4.7 |
| Jul | 28° / 26° | 134 | 18.8 | 12.1 | 4.9 |
| Aug | 28° / 27° | 112 | 15.6 | 12 | 5.4 |
| Sep | 28° / 27° | 89 | 13.9 | 12 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 28° / 27° | 91 | 12.8 | 12 | 5.6 |
| Nov | 28° / 27° | 93 | 12.9 | 11.9 | 5.5 |
| Dec | 28° / 27° | 185 | 17.7 | 11.9 | 5.1 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Tarawa gets around 386 mm of rain over 54 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 16 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min in early June to 12 hours by late August. 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 5.8 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Tarawa?
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 Tarawa for sightseeing.
What to pack for Tarawa in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Tarawa sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 54 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Tarawa in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 29°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in July at about 29°C and coldest in February near 28°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) | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | Tropical |
| Feb | 28 | Tropical |
| Mar | 28 | Tropical |
| Apr | 29 | Tropical |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 29 | Tropical |
| Dec | 29 | Tropical |
UV index in Tarawa in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tarawa peaks around March 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 12 (extreme).
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) | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 15 | Extreme |
| May | 14 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 14 | Extreme |
| Oct | 14 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Where is Tarawa?
Tarawa sits at 1.3°N, 173.0°E, 6 m above sea level, in Kiribati. The nearest listed city is Dalap-Uliga-Dorrit, 664 km away.
Topography around Tarawa
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Tarawa.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Tarawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9 m around an average of 0 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m.
The land around Tarawa is covered by water (98%) within 3 km, water (99%) within 16 km, and water (100%) within 80 km.
Kiribati travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type I
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 65% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $2,559
- 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 15%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 7.1
- per 100k, 2012
- Road deaths
- 1.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- 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 Tarawa (1.3278°, 172.977°, elevation 6 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.