Tarawa in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Tarawa sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 552 mm of rain over about 50 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Tarawa's 2nd-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
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 26°C
- Rainfall
- 552 mm
- 50 wet days
- Avg wind
- 20 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.2
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Tarawa in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical winter day in Tarawa reaches about 28°C and drops to 26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
How winter really feels in Tarawa
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 11 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Tarawa weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Tarawa gets around 552 mm of rain over 50 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 20 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min in early December to 12 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.8 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Tarawa?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Tarawa for sightseeing.
What to pack for Tarawa in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Tarawa sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection and a windbreaker. About 50 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Tarawa in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 29°C across winter — 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 Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 14 (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.