Lae in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Lae sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 1680 mm of rain over about 75 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 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Summer is Lae's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Lae 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 Lae's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 24°C
- Rainfall
- 1680 mm
- 75 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.8
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Lae in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical summer day in Lae reaches about 28°C and drops to 24°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Lae 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 | 28° / 24° | 573 | 25.7 | 12.3 | 3.8 |
| Feb | 28° / 24° | 425 | 22.9 | 12.2 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 27° / 24° | 618 | 26.2 | 12 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 27° / 24° | 697 | 24.4 | 11.9 | 4.0 |
| May | 26° / 24° | 652 | 24.4 | 11.7 | 4.2 |
| Jun | 26° / 23° | 592 | 23.6 | 11.6 | 4.3 |
| Jul | 25° / 23° | 518 | 24.8 | 11.6 | 4.3 |
| Aug | 25° / 23° | 525 | 25.1 | 11.8 | 4.4 |
| Sep | 26° / 23° | 466 | 22.9 | 12 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 26° / 23° | 489 | 23.1 | 12.1 | 4.5 |
| Nov | 27° / 24° | 580 | 23.2 | 12.3 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 27° / 24° | 682 | 26.3 | 12.4 | 3.8 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Lae gets around 1680 mm of rain over 75 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 4 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min in early December to 12 h 06 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 4.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Lae
In summer, Lae overlaps 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.
Is summer a good time to visit Lae?
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 weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lae.
What to pack for Lae in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Lae sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 75 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Lae in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 30°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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | Tropical |
| Feb | 30 | Tropical |
| Mar | 30 | Tropical |
| Apr | 30 | Tropical |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 28 | Tropical |
| Aug | 28 | Warm |
| Sep | 28 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 30 | Tropical |
| Dec | 30 | Tropical |
UV index in Lae in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 14 | Extreme |
| Oct | 15 | Extreme |
| Nov | 14 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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
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.