Noumea weather in August

In August, Noumea sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 67 mm of rain across 8 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of August to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Noumea's 4th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Noumea's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
12th warmest
Overnight low
17°
1st coldest
Rainfall
67 mm
8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:21 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
52%
4th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Noumea is capital city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia.

Density
2,036/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 21°C through the month.

A typical August day in Noumea reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 1°C cooler than September.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12117
22117
32117
42117
52117
62117
72117
82117
92117
102117
112117
122017
132017
142017
152017
162117
172117
182117
192117
202117
212117
222117
232117
242117
252117
262117
272117
282117
292117
302117
312117

Noumea weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 23°1401513.25.9
Feb27° / 23°13816.312.85.4
Mar26° / 23°18818.912.25.3
Apr25° / 22°12415.311.56.1
May23° / 20°9911.410.96.6
Jun22° / 19°789.710.76.6
Jul21° / 17°648.210.86.8
Aug21° / 17°67811.26.8
Sep22° / 18°486.811.97.3
Oct23° / 19°387.412.57.4
Nov24° / 20°658.513.17.3
Dec26° / 22°881213.36.6

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36436
46535
56535
66535
76634
86634
96733
106733
116733
126733
136832
146832
156832
166733
176634
186634
196535
206436
216436
226337
236337
246337
256238
266337
276436
286436
296436
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Noumea gets around 67 mm of rain over 8 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 26% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
330
429
529
629
728
828
927
1027
1126
1226
1326
1425
1525
1625
1725
1825
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2424
2524
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 37% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13237247
23237247
33237247
43237247
53337237
63437237
73537226
83637216
93737216
103837205
113937205
124036195
134136195
144135195
154235195
164234195
174234195
184234195
194233196
204133196
214033207
224033217
233933217
243833228
253733238
263533248
273433258
283333258
293234268
303134278
313034288

Wind in August

Winds average 15 km/h in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of August to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:31 AM to 6:08 AM, and sunset from 5:29 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:315:29
211.06:315:30
311.06:305:30
411.06:305:30
511.06:295:31
611.06:285:31
711.16:285:32
811.16:275:32
911.16:275:32
1011.16:265:33
1111.16:255:33
1211.26:245:34
1311.26:245:34
1411.26:235:34
1511.26:225:35
1611.26:215:35
1711.26:215:35
1811.36:205:36
1911.36:195:36
2011.36:185:37
2111.36:175:37
2211.36:175:37
2311.46:165:38
2411.46:155:38
2511.46:145:38
2611.46:135:39
2711.46:125:39
2811.56:115:39
2911.56:105:39
3011.56:095:40
3111.56:085:40

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 4 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
144.0Moderate
154.0Moderate
164.0Bright
174.0Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Noumea

In seasonPeak

None of Noumea's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Noumea sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Noumea's rainy season runs December–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Noumea?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Noumea for sightseeing.

What to pack for Noumea in August

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

In August, Noumea sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Noumea in August

The nearest coast averages about 22°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 14 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 22°C.

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

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr26Warm
May25Warm
Jun24Refreshing
Jul23Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct23Refreshing
Nov24Warm
Dec25Warm

UV index in Noumea in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Noumea peaks around February 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeFeb 13UV 14Jun 23UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Very high
May7High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Noumea?

Noumea sits at 22.3°S, 166.4°E, 26 m above sea level, in New Caledonia. The nearest listed city is Mont-Dore, 12 km away.

BourailOuvéa

Topography around Noumea

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Noumea has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,095 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,599 m.

The land around Noumea is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and water (37%) within 3 km, water (68%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and water (71%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
141 m
16 km
1,095 m
80 km
1,599 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
August weather nearby: Mont-Dore 12 km · Dumbéa 13 km · Bourail 126 km · Ouvéa 181 km · Port Vila 541 km · Kingston 769 km · Sigatoka 1,241 km · Nadi 1,248 km

New Caledonia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
GDP per capita
$29,213
2024
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.1
per 100k, 2009
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 85%unaffiliated 10%Muslim 3%other 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 Noumea (-22.2741°, 166.4488°, elevation 26 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).