Noumea in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Noumea sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 365 mm of rain over about 43 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Summer is Noumea's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Noumea 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 Noumea's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 22°C
- Rainfall
- 365 mm
- 43 wet days
- Avg wind
- 17 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Noumea in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical summer day in Noumea reaches about 26°C and drops to 22°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Noumea weather by month
How the three summer 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 | 26° / 23° | 140 | 15 | 13.2 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 27° / 23° | 138 | 16.3 | 12.8 | 5.4 |
| Mar | 26° / 23° | 188 | 18.9 | 12.2 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 25° / 22° | 124 | 15.3 | 11.5 | 6.1 |
| May | 23° / 20° | 99 | 11.4 | 10.9 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 22° / 19° | 78 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 6.6 |
| Jul | 21° / 17° | 64 | 8.2 | 10.8 | 6.8 |
| Aug | 21° / 17° | 67 | 8 | 11.2 | 6.8 |
| Sep | 22° / 18° | 48 | 6.8 | 11.9 | 7.3 |
| Oct | 23° / 19° | 38 | 7.4 | 12.5 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 24° / 20° | 65 | 8.5 | 13.1 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 26° / 22° | 88 | 12 | 13.3 | 6.6 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Noumea gets around 365 mm of rain over 43 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 17 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min in early December to 12 h 30 min by late February. 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 6.2 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Noumea
In summer, Noumea overlaps its cyclone and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
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.
Is summer a good time to visit Noumea?
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 Noumea for sightseeing.
What to pack for Noumea in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Noumea sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 43 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Noumea in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 26°C across summer — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 27 | Warm |
| Apr | 26 | Warm |
| May | 25 | Warm |
| Jun | 24 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 23 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 22 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 23 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 23 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 24 | Warm |
| Dec | 25 | Warm |
UV index in Noumea in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 14 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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
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.