The Climate of
New Caledonia
View of the Ouaieme ferry, Grande Terre
Climate Map
Climate map of New Caledonia
What is the climate of New Caledonia like?
New Caledonia (Nouvelle-Calédonie) is a French overseas territory northeast of Australia in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies between 18° and 23°S. The main island is about 400 km (250 mi) long and 50 km (30 mi) wide. It is mountainous and partly surrounded by coral reefs.
The territory has a tropical oceanic climate. Very similar conditions prevail throughout the year, with high temperatures and humidity. The daily range of temperature is quite small—about 4°–5°C/10°F. There is abundant rainfall. Being south of the equator, New Caledonia has its season of maximum rainfall between November and April. On some islands there is no great difference between the amount of rain from month to month. Tropical cyclones are less frequent than in the Pacific north of the equator.
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.
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. The amount of rainfall varies with altitude and with exposure of the coast to the dominant southeast trade winds. The number of wet days varies from island to island much less than the amount of rain.
The climate for Nouméa is typical for that of the western coast of New Caledonia which is a little bit protected from the prevailing southeast trade winds. The climate for Touho shows the rather wetter east coast.
| Climate data for Nouméa (1991−2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.5 (85.1) | 29.9 (85.8) | 29.0 (84.2) | 27.4 (81.3) | 25.6 (78.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 24.7 (76.5) | 26.2 (79.2) | 27.6 (81.7) | 29.1 (84.4) | 26.7 (80.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.2 (79.2) | 24.7 (76.5) | 22.9 (73.2) | 21.6 (70.9) | 20.6 (69.1) | 20.5 (68.9) | 21.5 (70.7) | 22.9 (73.2) | 24.3 (75.7) | 25.8 (78.4) | 23.7 (74.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.4 (74.1) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.5 (74.3) | 22.0 (71.6) | 20.2 (68.4) | 18.9 (66.0) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.5 (63.5) | 18.3 (64.9) | 19.6 (67.3) | 21.0 (69.8) | 22.5 (72.5) | 20.7 (69.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 107.2 (4.22) | 128.3 (5.05) | 161.9 (6.37) | 118.3 (4.66) | 89.9 (3.54) | 77.5 (3.05) | 69.8 (2.75) | 67.5 (2.66) | 39.3 (1.55) | 36.3 (1.43) | 44.2 (1.74) | 64.0 (2.52) | 1,004.2 (39.54) |
| Source: Météo-France | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Touho (1991−2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.2 (84.6) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.2 (84.6) | 28.0 (82.4) | 26.5 (79.7) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.3 (75.7) | 25.2 (77.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 27.3 (81.1) | 28.4 (83.1) | 27.0 (80.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.0 (80.6) | 26.7 (80.1) | 25.5 (77.9) | 23.9 (75.0) | 22.6 (72.7) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.5 (70.7) | 22.4 (72.3) | 23.6 (74.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 25.8 (78.4) | 24.3 (75.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.1 (75.4) | 23.0 (73.4) | 21.4 (70.5) | 20.0 (68.0) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.6 (65.5) | 19.6 (67.3) | 20.9 (69.6) | 22.0 (71.6) | 23.3 (73.9) | 21.7 (71.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 298.4 (11.75) | 333.7 (13.14) | 377.0 (14.84) | 256.1 (10.08) | 187.5 (7.38) | 138.5 (5.45) | 102.8 (4.05) | 110.5 (4.35) | 96.8 (3.81) | 106.3 (4.19) | 143.2 (5.64) | 217.3 (8.56) | 2,368.1 (93.23) |
| Source: Météo-France | |||||||||||||
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
New Caledonia
In summary:
New Caledonia has a tropical oceanic climate with high temperatures and humidity. Temperatures average around 20°C (68°F) in July and August, and rise to 27°C (80°F) in January and February. Maximum rainfall occurs between November and April.