The Climate of
Micronesia
Traditional meeting house, Yap
What is the climate of Micronesia like?
The Federated States of Micronesia comprises more than six hundred of the Caroline Islands located in the western Pacific north of the equator. The country is located about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia.
Micronesia has a typical tropical oceanic climate, with moderately high temperatures and humidity which vary little from month to month. The daily range of temperature is quite small—about 4°C/10°F. All of the country's islands have abundant or moderately heavy rainfall, with a somewhat drier period around January to April. Islands near the equator have rainfall more evenly spread throughout the year. The actual amount of rainfall on each island depends both on the altitude of the land and on exposure to the dominant winds: the northeast trade winds in the low sun period and the southeast monsoon in the high sun period.
The short and torrential nature of the rainfall, which decreases from east to west, results in an annual average of 5,000 millimeters (200 inches) of rain in Pohnpei and 3,000 millimeters (120 inches) in Yap. Pohnpei is one of the wettest places on Earth. The eastern islands are located on the southern edge of the typhoon belt and occasionally suffer severe damage from typhoons, which are a threat from June through December.
Micronesia has moderately large amounts of sunshine, averaging between six and eight hours a day in spite of a large number of days on which some rain falls. Much of the rainfall is in the form of short, heavy showers, but days with continuous rain are more frequent in the wetter months. Although the combination of temperature and humidity is often rather muggy and oppressive, particularly at night, the daytime temperatures are usually moderate and feel more comfortable because of the brisk winds, both daytime sea breezes and the predominant and regular trade winds.
| Climate data for Palikir (Pohnpei) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.9 (85.8) | 30.0 (86.0) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.4 (86.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.0 (80.6) | 26.8 (80.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.9 (73.2) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.3 (74.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 377 (14.8) | 279 (11.0) | 353 (13.9) | 462 (18.2) | 502 (19.8) | 464 (18.3) | 504 (19.8) | 515 (20.3) | 464 (18.3) | 469 (18.5) | 421 (16.6) | 392 (15.4) | 5,202 (204.9) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Yap | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.1 (86.2) | 30.2 (86.4) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.7 (87.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.2 (81.0) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.5 (74.3) | 24.0 (75.2) | 24.1 (75.4) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.7 (74.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 186 (7.33) | 152 (5.98) | 151 (5.96) | 146 (5.76) | 230 (9.06) | 322 (12.69) | 369 (14.54) | 386 (15.20) | 343 (13.51) | 304 (11.97) | 230 (9.07) | 228 (8.99) | 3,050 (120.06) |
| Source: Weatherbase.com | |||||||||||||
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
Micronesia
In summary:
The climate in Micronesia is maritime tropical, with little variation in temperature, which averages 27°C (80°F) year-round.
The short and torrential nature of the rainfall, which decreases from east to west, results in an annual average of 5000 mm (200 in) in Pohnpei and 3000 mm (120 in) in Yap.