Honiara in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Honiara sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 1052 mm of rain over about 82 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Summer is Honiara's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Honiara 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 Honiara's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 24°C
- Rainfall
- 1052 mm
- 82 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.7
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Honiara in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical summer day in Honiara reaches about 27°C and drops to 24°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest December.
Honiara 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 | 27° / 24° | 367 | 28.4 | 12.5 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 27° / 24° | 349 | 26.1 | 12.3 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 27° / 24° | 366 | 28.6 | 12.1 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 27° / 24° | 301 | 27.4 | 11.8 | 3.7 |
| May | 27° / 24° | 228 | 27.1 | 11.6 | 3.9 |
| Jun | 26° / 24° | 172 | 24.8 | 11.5 | 4.1 |
| Jul | 26° / 23° | 203 | 25.2 | 11.5 | 4.3 |
| Aug | 26° / 23° | 189 | 24.9 | 11.7 | 4.3 |
| Sep | 26° / 23° | 209 | 24.6 | 11.9 | 4.2 |
| Oct | 26° / 23° | 271 | 27.3 | 12.2 | 3.9 |
| Nov | 27° / 23° | 287 | 26.9 | 12.4 | 3.8 |
| Dec | 27° / 24° | 337 | 27.7 | 12.5 | 3.8 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Honiara gets around 1052 mm of rain over 82 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 8 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min in early December to 12 h 12 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 5.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Honiara
In summer, Honiara overlaps its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Honiara sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Is summer a good time to visit Honiara?
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 Honiara.
What to pack for Honiara in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Honiara sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 82 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Honiara 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 offshore 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 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
| Comfort | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | 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 | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 29 | Tropical |
| Dec | 30 | Tropical |
UV index in Honiara 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 Honiara peaks around March 13 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 10 (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 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 16 | Extreme |
| Mar | 17 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 15 | Extreme |
| Oct | 15 | Extreme |
| Nov | 14 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Where is Honiara?
Honiara sits at 9.4°S, 159.9°E, 49 m above sea level, in Solomon Islands. The nearest listed city is Tandai, 2.0 km away.
Topography around Honiara
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Honiara.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Honiara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m around an average of 44 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,012 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,309 m.
The land around Honiara is covered by water (41%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and water (39%) within 16 km, and water (73%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.
Solomon Islands travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type I
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 75% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $2,086
- 2025
- Homicide rate
- 3.7
- per 100k, 2008
- Road deaths
- 16.5
- 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 Honiara (-9.4333°, 159.95°, elevation 49 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.