Port Moresby weather in August

In August, Port Moresby sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 34 mm of rain across 6.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in August, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Port Moresby's 1st-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Moresby's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
11th warmest
Overnight low
23°
1st coldest
Rainfall
34 mm
6.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:25 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
65%
1st clearest
Wind
17 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Port Moresby is capital of Papua New Guinea.

Density
1,182/km²
people per km²
Founded
1873

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical August day in Port Moresby reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 5°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, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12722
22722
32722
42722
52722
62722
72722
82822
92822
102822
112822
122822
132822
142822
152822
162822
172822
182823
192823
202823
212823
222823
232823
242823
252823
262823
272823
282823
292823
302823
312823

How August really feels in Port Moresby

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Port Moresby weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 24°22922.912.53.4
Feb29° / 24°19520.912.33.4
Mar29° / 24°27624.912.13.4
Apr29° / 24°17720.211.84.0
May29° / 24°8112.211.65.2
Jun28° / 23°518.611.56.2
Jul28° / 23°295.211.56.8
Aug28° / 23°346.411.76.8
Sep28° / 23°457.811.95.9
Oct29° / 24°621112.25.2
Nov30° / 24°11015.512.44.4
Dec30° / 24°17021.212.53.6

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in August, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34159
44258
54258
64258
74258
84258
94258
104258
114258
124258
134258
144159
154159
164258
174159
184060
194060
204060
213961
223862
233862
243862
253763
263664
273565
283565
293565
303565
313664

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Port Moresby gets around 34 mm of rain over 6.4 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 20% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
322
422
523
622
722
822
922
1021
1121
1220
1319
1418
1518
1617
1717
1816
1916
2017
2117
2217
2318
2419
2519
2620
2721
2822
2922
3023
3123

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the oppressive band about 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 89% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10103951
20113851
30113752
40123652
50123652
60133552
71133452
81133353
91133353
101133353
111133353
121133452
131133452
141133551
151123651
161123651
170113752
180113752
190103852
200103852
21093853
22093754
23093754
24083656
25083557
26083458
27083458
28083260
29183160
30183061
31183061

Wind in August

Winds average 17 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:30 AM to 6:17 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:306:05
211.66:306:05
311.66:306:05
411.66:296:05
511.66:296:05
611.66:296:05
711.66:286:06
811.66:286:06
911.66:286:06
1011.66:276:06
1111.66:276:06
1211.76:276:06
1311.76:266:06
1411.76:266:06
1511.76:256:06
1611.76:256:06
1711.76:246:06
1811.76:246:06
1911.76:246:06
2011.76:236:06
2111.76:236:06
2211.76:226:06
2311.76:226:06
2411.76:216:06
2511.86:216:06
2611.86:206:06
2711.86:196:06
2811.86:196:06
2911.86:186:06
3011.86:186:06
3111.86:176:06

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.92 kWh/m² in November across the year — August's 4.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Port Moresby

In seasonPeak

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

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

Port Moresby's monsoon runs December–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is August a good time to visit Port Moresby?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Port Moresby for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Port Moresby in August

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

In August, Port Moresby sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Port Moresby in August

The nearest coast averages about 25°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in January at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Port Moresby in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Port Moresby peaks around March 10 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 10UV 16Jun 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Port Moresby?

Port Moresby sits at 9.5°S, 147.2°E, 25 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Popondetta, 143 km away.

PopondettaBuloloLaeGorokaDaruMadangMount HagenMendi

Topography around Port Moresby

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Moresby has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 402 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,978 m.

The land around Port Moresby is covered by water (69%) within 3 km, water (53%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
229 m
16 km
402 m
80 km
3,978 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
August weather nearby: Popondetta 143 km · Bulolo 259 km · Lae 307 km · Goroka 424 km · Daru 435 km · Madang 497 km · Mount Hagen 515 km · Mendi 534 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 Port Moresby (-9.4772°, 147.1509°, elevation 25 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).