The Climate of
East Timor
Areia Branca, Dili
Climate Map
Climate map of East Timor
What is the climate of East Timor like?
East Timor (Timor-Leste) is a small country comprises the largely mountainous eastern half of the island of Timor in the Malay Archipelago. The western half of the island is part of Indonesia. East Timor includes two islands, Atauro and Jaco, and an enclave around Ocusse on the northwest coast.
East Timor has an equatorial climate with two basic seasons: the hot northwest monsoon of November through May, and the cooler southeast monsoon of April through December. The average annual temperature in Dili is 27°C (80°F), with a range of 20°C to 32°C (68°F to 90°F) and humidity averaging 73 percent. However, the land rises to 2,963 meters (9,721 feet) at its highest point, and the average temperatures are lower with increased elevation.
Temperatures in the dry season, from May to November, average 20° to 30°C (68–86°F). The weather during this season is pleasant and dry. Around October or November, oppressive humidity arrives, and monsoon cloud activity builds up. The wet season, from December to April, sees temperatures rise a little, with heavy rains and flooding. In the mountains, day temperatures are warm to hot, but are cool at night.
On average, from 1,000 to 1,500 millimeters (40 to 60 inches) of rain falls on East Timor each year. Rainfall varies greatly according to coast location and terrain. Due to its proximity to Australia, the south receives more rain than the north. East Timor is occasionally affected by strong winds associated with tropical cyclones.
| Climate data for Dili (1914-1963) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.5 (88.7) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.1 (86.2) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.5 (86.9) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.1 (88.0) | 30.9 (87.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.0 (80.6) | 26.8 (80.2) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.1 (77.2) | 25.4 (77.7) | 26.0 (78.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.6 (79.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.1 (75.4) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.5 (74.3) | 22.8 (73.0) | 21.9 (71.4) | 20.8 (69.4) | 20.1 (68.2) | 20.5 (68.9) | 21.5 (70.7) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.6 (74.5) | 22.4 (72.3) |
| Average precipitaion mm (inches) | 139.5 (5.49) | 138.7 (5.46) | 132.7 (5.22) | 104.3 (4.11) | 74.9 (2.95) | 58.4 (2.30) | 20.1 (0.79) | 12.1 (0.48) | 9.0 (0.35) | 12.8 (0.50) | 61.4 (2.42) | 144.9 (5.70) | 908.8 (35.77) |
| Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst | |||||||||||||
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
East Timor
In summary:
East Timor has an equatorial climate with two seasons: the hot northwest monsoon of November through May, and the cooler southeast monsoon of April through December. The average annual temperature is 21°C (70°F), with a range of 18°C to 32°C (64°F to 90°F).
On average, from 1200 to 1500 mm (47 to 59 in) of rain falls on East Timor each year. Rainfall varies greatly according to coast location and terrain.