Goroka weather in March

In March, Goroka sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 417 mm of rain across 29.6 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Goroka's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Goroka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
7th warmest
Overnight low
16°
11th coldest
Rainfall
417 mm
29.6 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:27 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
95%
11th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Goroka is Capital city of Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea.

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical March day in Goroka reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12416
22416
32416
42416
52416
62416
72416
82416
92416
102416
112416
122416
132416
142416
152416
162416
172416
182416
192416
202416
212416
222416
232416
242416
252416
262416
272416
282416
292416
302416
312416

Goroka weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 7th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 16°42528.512.33.7
Feb24° / 16°41326.712.23.6
Mar24° / 16°41729.6123.6
Apr23° / 15°25726.311.93.9
May24° / 15°1512211.74.8
Jun23° / 15°8816.711.75.5
Jul23° / 14°9616.611.75.5
Aug23° / 14°11218.111.85.4
Sep24° / 14°12919.5125.1
Oct24° / 15°16923.312.14.6
Nov24° / 15°23525.912.34.1
Dec24° / 16°32828.312.33.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 1% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 98%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1199
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10298
11298
12298
13298
14298
15298
16298
17199
18199
19199
20199
21199
22199
23199
24199
25199
26199
27199
28298
29298
30298
31298

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Goroka gets around 417 mm of rain over 29.6 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 95% and peaks near 96% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
196
296
396
496
596
696
796
895
995
1095
1195
1294
1394
1494
1594
1694
1794
1894
1994
2095
2195
2295
2395
2495
2595
2695
2795
2895
2994
3094
3194

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the humid band about 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
19892
29892
39892
49892
59892
610882
710882
810882
910882
1010891
1111881
1211881
1311881
1411881
1511881
1610891
1710891
1810891
1910891
209901
219901
229901
238911
248911
258911
268911
278911
288911
298911
308911
319901

Wind in March

Winds average 3 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:28 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:286:35
212.16:286:35
312.16:286:35
412.16:286:34
512.16:286:34
612.16:286:34
712.16:286:33
812.16:286:33
912.16:286:32
1012.16:276:32
1112.16:276:32
1212.16:276:31
1312.16:276:31
1412.16:276:30
1512.06:276:30
1612.06:276:29
1712.06:276:29
1812.06:276:28
1912.06:266:28
2012.06:266:27
2112.06:266:27
2212.06:266:27
2312.06:266:26
2412.06:266:26
2512.06:266:25
2612.06:266:25
2712.06:256:24
2812.06:256:24
2912.06:256:23
3012.06:256:23
3112.06:256:22

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.32 kWh/m² in October across the year — March's 4.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Goroka

In seasonPeak

In March, Goroka sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Goroka's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is March a good time to visit Goroka?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Goroka.

What to pack for Goroka in March

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

In March, Goroka sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 30 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Goroka in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 18 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Goroka peaks around March 11 at about 18 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 12 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 11UV 18Jun 20UV 12
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar18Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep15Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov15Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Goroka in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Goroka is worst in July — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.5× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1839 µg/m³Jan 246 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr7Good
May9Good
Jun19Moderate
Jul41Poor
Aug27Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Goroka?

Goroka sits at 6.1°S, 145.4°E, 1,574 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Madang, 106 km away.

MadangMount HagenBuloloMendiLaeWewakDaruPort Moresby

Topography around Goroka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Goroka has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 335 m around an average of 1,549 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,179 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,443 m.

The land around Goroka is covered by trees (71%) within 3 km, trees (76%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
335 m
16 km
2,179 m
80 km
4,443 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaces
March weather nearby: Madang 106 km · Mount Hagen 130 km · Bulolo 186 km · Mendi 191 km · Lae 191 km · Wewak 342 km · Daru 410 km · Port Moresby 424 km

Papua New Guinea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type I
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 58% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,020
2025
Homicide rate
9.3
per 100k, 2010
Road deaths
12.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 64%Roman Catholic 26%other Christian 5%non-Christian 1%

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 Goroka (-6.085°, 145.3867°, elevation 1,574 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).