Port Moresby weather in March

In March, Port Moresby sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 276 mm of rain across 24.9 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°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 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Port Moresby's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Moresby's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
9th coldest
Rainfall
276 mm
24.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:19 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
90%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical March day in Port Moresby reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
242924
252924
262924
272924
282924
292924
302924
312924

How March really feels in Port Moresby

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Port Moresby weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 6th-warmest and 1st-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 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 93%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1694
2595
3595
4595
5496
6496
7496
8496
9496
10496
11496
12496
13496
14496
15496
16595
17694
18694
19793
20793
21793
22991
23991
24991
251090
261090
271090
281090
291090
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Port Moresby gets around 276 mm of rain over 24.9 wet days in March, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 80% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
178
278
379
480
581
682
782
883
983
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1683
1783
1882
1982
2081
2180
2279
2379
2478
2578
2677
2777
2877
2976
3076
3175

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 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
147323
247323
347323
447323
547323
647323
747422
847422
947521
1047521
1147620
1247620
1347719
1447719
1547719
1647719
1747719
1847719
1947719
2037819
2137720
2237720
2337621
2437522
2537423
2637324
2737225
2837126
2937126
3037027
3137027

Wind in March

Winds average 9 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:19 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:196:31
212.26:196:30
312.26:196:30
412.26:196:29
512.26:196:29
612.26:196:28
712.16:196:28
812.16:196:27
912.16:196:27
1012.16:196:26
1112.16:196:26
1212.16:196:25
1312.16:196:25
1412.16:196:24
1512.16:196:24
1612.16:196:23
1712.16:196:22
1812.06:196:22
1912.06:196:21
2012.06:196:21
2112.06:196:20
2212.06:196:20
2312.06:196:19
2412.06:196:18
2512.06:196:18
2612.06:196:17
2712.06:196:17
2812.06:196:16
2911.96:196:15
3011.96:196:15
3111.96:186:14

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.88 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 — March's 4.88 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Port Moresby

In seasonPeak

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

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 March a good time to visit Port Moresby?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Port Moresby.

What to pack for Port Moresby in March

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

In March, Port Moresby sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Port Moresby in March

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 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 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 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
March 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).