Lae weather in October

In October, Lae sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 489 mm of rain across 23.1 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in October, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of October to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Lae's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lae's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
8th warmest
Overnight low
23°
4th coldest
Rainfall
489 mm
23.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
5:53 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
81%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Lae is city in Papua New Guinea.

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical October day in Lae reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12623
22623
32623
42623
52623
62623
72623
82623
92623
102623
112623
122623
132623
142623
152623
162623
172623
182623
192623
202623
212623
222623
232623
242623
252623
262623
272623
282623
292623
302623
312623

Lae weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 10th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
21981
31981
42080
52080
62080
72080
82179
92179
102179
112179
122080
132080
142080
151981
161882
171882
181783
191684
201684
211585
221585
231585
241486
251486
261387
271387
281387
291486
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Lae gets around 489 mm of rain over 23.1 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 75% and peaks near 78% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
176
275
375
474
574
673
773
872
972
1072
1172
1272
1372
1472
1573
1673
1774
1874
1975
2075
2176
2276
2377
2477
2577
2677
2777
2878
2977
3077
3177

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the oppressive band about 62% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
134354
234354
334354
434255
534255
634156
734156
834057
934057
1033958
1133859
1233859
1333760
1433661
1533661
1633562
1733562
1833463
1923464
2023365
2123365
2223266
2313267
2413168
2513168
2613069
2713069
2812970
2912871
3002773
3102674

Wind in October

Winds average 5 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 6 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:59 AM to 5:48 AM, and sunset from 6:03 PM to 6:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:596:03
212.15:596:03
312.15:586:02
412.15:586:02
512.15:576:02
612.15:576:02
712.15:566:02
812.15:566:02
912.15:556:02
1012.15:556:02
1112.15:556:02
1212.15:546:02
1312.15:546:02
1412.15:536:02
1512.15:536:02
1612.25:536:02
1712.25:526:02
1812.25:526:02
1912.25:516:02
2012.25:516:02
2112.25:516:02
2212.25:516:02
2312.25:506:02
2412.25:506:02
2512.25:506:02
2612.25:496:02
2712.25:496:02
2812.25:496:02
2912.25:496:02
3012.25:496:02
3112.25:486:03

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.64 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — October's 4.64 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Lae

In seasonPeak

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

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 October a good time to visit Lae?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Lae for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lae in October

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

In October, Lae sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 23°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Lae in October

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 15 (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
October 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).