Lae weather in March

In March, Lae sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 618 mm of rain across 26.2 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Lae's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lae's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
618 mm
26.2 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:20 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
91%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Lae is city in 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 27°C through the month.

A typical March day in Lae reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12824
22824
32824
42824
52824
62824
72824
82824
92824
102824
112824
122824
132824
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302724
312724

Lae weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 24°57325.712.33.8
Feb28° / 24°42522.912.23.9
Mar27° / 24°61826.2123.8
Apr27° / 24°69724.411.94.0
May26° / 24°65224.411.74.2
Jun26° / 23°59223.611.64.3
Jul25° / 23°51824.811.64.3
Aug25° / 23°52525.111.84.4
Sep26° / 23°46622.9124.5
Oct26° / 23°48923.112.14.5
Nov27° / 24°58023.212.34.2
Dec27° / 24°68226.312.43.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in March, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 94%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1496
2496
3496
4496
5496
6496
7496
8397
9397
10397
11496
12496
13595
14595
15595
16595
17595
18595
19694
20694
21694
22694
23892
24892
25892
26892
27892
28892
29892
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Lae gets around 618 mm of rain over 26.2 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 84% and peaks near 87% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
182
282
382
482
582
682
782
882
982
1082
1183
1283
1383
1484
1585
1685
1786
1886
1987
2087
2187
2287
2387
2487
2586
2686
2785
2885
2984
3083
3183

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 96% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
13952
23952
32962
42962
52962
62962
72962
82962
93952
103952
113952
123952
133952
143952
153952
163952
173952
183961
193961
203961
213961
223961
233961
243961
253970
263970
273970
283970
294960
304960
314960

Wind in March

Winds average 4 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 6:21 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:216:29
212.16:216:29
312.16:216:29
412.16:216:28
512.16:216:28
612.16:216:28
712.16:216:27
812.16:216:27
912.16:216:26
1012.16:216:26
1112.16:216:25
1212.16:216:25
1312.16:216:24
1412.16:206:24
1512.16:206:24
1612.06:206:23
1712.06:206:23
1812.06:206:22
1912.06:206:22
2012.06:206:21
2112.06:206:21
2212.06:206:20
2312.06:196:20
2412.06:196:19
2512.06:196:19
2612.06:196:18
2712.06:196:18
2812.06:196:17
2912.06:196:17
3012.06:196:16
3112.06:186:16

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.28 kWh/m² to a high of 4.64 kWh/m² in October across the year — March's 4.35 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Lae

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is March a good time to visit Lae?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lae.

What to pack for Lae in March

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

In March, Lae sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Lae in March

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 22 km away) is warmest in January at about 30°C and coldest in August near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov30Tropical
Dec30Tropical

UV index in Lae in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lae peaks around March 10 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 10UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Lae?

Lae sits at 6.7°S, 147.0°E, 44 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Bulolo, 66 km away.

GorokaMadangPopondettaPort MoresbyMount HagenKimbeMendi

Topography around Lae

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lae has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 181 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,440 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,081 m.

The land around Lae is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (57%) and water (35%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
181 m
16 km
1,440 m
80 km
4,081 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
March weather nearby: Bulolo 66 km · Goroka 191 km · Madang 214 km · Popondetta 265 km · Port Moresby 307 km · Mount Hagen 320 km · Kimbe 371 km · Mendi 375 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 Lae (-6.7233°, 146.9961°, elevation 44 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).