Port Moresby in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Port Moresby sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 114 mm of rain over about 20 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Port Moresby's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Port Moresby 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 Port Moresby's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 23°C
- Rainfall
- 114 mm
- 20 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.6
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Port Moresby in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical winter day in Port Moresby reaches about 28°C and drops to 23°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is June, the coolest August.
How winter really feels in Port Moresby
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter 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 the three winter months (June, July and August) 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 | 30° / 24° | 229 | 22.9 | 12.5 | 3.4 |
| Feb | 29° / 24° | 195 | 20.9 | 12.3 | 3.4 |
| Mar | 29° / 24° | 276 | 24.9 | 12.1 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 29° / 24° | 177 | 20.2 | 11.8 | 4.0 |
| May | 29° / 24° | 81 | 12.2 | 11.6 | 5.2 |
| Jun | 28° / 23° | 51 | 8.6 | 11.5 | 6.2 |
| Jul | 28° / 23° | 29 | 5.2 | 11.5 | 6.8 |
| Aug | 28° / 23° | 34 | 6.4 | 11.7 | 6.8 |
| Sep | 28° / 23° | 45 | 7.8 | 11.9 | 5.9 |
| Oct | 29° / 24° | 62 | 11 | 12.2 | 5.2 |
| Nov | 30° / 24° | 110 | 15.5 | 12.4 | 4.4 |
| Dec | 30° / 24° | 170 | 21.2 | 12.5 | 3.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Port Moresby gets around 114 mm of rain over 20 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 16 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min in early June to 11 h 48 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Port Moresby
None of Port Moresby's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
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.
Is winter a good time to visit Port Moresby?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter 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 Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Port Moresby sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Port Moresby in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 26°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 29 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | Tropical |
| Feb | 29 | Tropical |
| Mar | 29 | Tropical |
| Apr | 29 | Tropical |
| May | 28 | Warm |
| Jun | 27 | Warm |
| Jul | 26 | Warm |
| Aug | 25 | Warm |
| Sep | 25 | Warm |
| Oct | 26 | Warm |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 29 | Tropical |
UV index in Port Moresby in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 10 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 14 | Extreme |
| Oct | 14 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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 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.