The Climate of
Fiji
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Town of Sigatoka, Viti Levu
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What is the climate of Fiji like?
The Fiji Islands occupy 840 islands and islets to the east of Vanuatu and west of Tonga. They are roughly one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii. They share with neighbouring countries the features of a typical tropical oceanic climate.
Fiji’s tropical climate is modified by the perpetual southeasterly trade winds which blow during the greater part of the year. From April to November the winds are steady between southeast and northeast, and the climate is cool and dry, after which the weather becomes uncertain and the winds often northerly, this being the wet warm season. The hurricane season lasts from November to April, but disastrous hurricanes are rare.
Temperature variation between seasons is modest. The daily range of temperature is quite small—about 4°C/10°F. High temperatures in the summer (October to March) reach 29°C (85°F); winter lows drop to only 20°C (68°F). Cooler temperatures are recorded at higher elevations; in the hills the temperature sometimes falls below 10°C (50°F).
Annual rainfall ranges from an average of 1,800 millimeters (70 inches) on the drier leeward sides of the islands to 3,000 millimeters (120 inches) on the windward sides. The leeward sides have a dry season from April to October, while rainfall is distributed throughout the year on the windward sides.
Except in the wettest places, where cloud is more frequent, the country has moderately large amounts of sunshine, averaging from six to eight hours a day. Much of the rainfall comes in short, heavy showers, often after a sunny morning, but longer periods of heavy rain lasting a day or so occur in the wetter months.
Temperature and humidity are very similar from one island to another. The climate may generally be described as pleasant, although the combination of high temperature and humidity can be a little oppressive when not tempered by sea breezes or a brisk wind. Suva, Fiji's capital, shows weather that is typical of the country.
| Climate data for Suva (1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.8 (87.4) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.9 (87.6) | 29.9 (85.8) | 28.5 (83.3) | 27.7 (81.9) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.7 (80.1) | 27.2 (81.0) | 28.2 (82.8) | 29.3 (84.7) | 30.3 (86.5) | 28.9 (84.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.6 (81.7) | 26.4 (79.5) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.4 (77.7) | 24.6 (76.3) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.7 (74.7) | 24.1 (75.4) | 25.1 (77.2) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.9 (80.4) | 25.6 (78.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.2 (72.0) | 21.4 (70.5) | 20.7 (69.3) | 20.7 (69.3) | 21.0 (69.8) | 21.9 (71.4) | 22.8 (73.0) | 23.5 (74.3) | 22.4 (72.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 371 (14.6) | 265 (10.4) | 374 (14.7) | 366 (14.4) | 270 (10.6) | 163 (6.4) | 136 (5.4) | 158 (6.2) | 177 (7.0) | 221 (8.7) | 245 (9.6) | 277 (10.9) | 3,023 (119.0) |
| Source: Fiji Meteorological Service | |||||||||||||
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
Fiji
In summary:
A tropical climate with little temperature variation between seasons. Temperatures at sea level range from 20° to 29°C (68°–85°F).
Annual rainfall is well distributed and averages 3000 mm (120 in) in Suva. At sea level on the leeward sides of the islands there are well-defined wet and dry seasons, with a mean annual average of 1800 mm (70 in) of rain. The cyclone season is from November to April.