Tonga weather by month

Tonga comprises three groups of islands situated southeast of Fiji. These islands share a tropical oceanic climate, which means high temperatures and rain year round, with heaviest downpours occurring between December and April - the hottest and most humid months of the year. However, sea breezes modify humidity along the islands' coasts.

Although heavy cloud cover can mean a few miserable days in the wettest periods, this is comparatively rare. Generally speaking, the islands enjoy frequent bouts of strong sunshine between rain showers.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °F	84	84	84	82	79	79	77	77	77	79	81	82
Days with some rainfall	18	17	18	13	9	5	4	3	4	4	6	12
Sea temperature °F	81	81	81	81	79	77	75	73	73	75	77	79

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More about Tonga

Tonga by month

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Recommended for Tonga

The climate guide for Tonga (Nuku'alofa) shows long term monthly weather averages processed from data supplied by CRU (University of East Anglia), the Met Office & the Netherlands Meteorological Institute. Find out more about our data sources.

Tonga climate overview

The Kingdom of Tonga is a South Pacific archipelago lying to the east of Fiji, made up of 172 tropical islands. Named 'the Friendly Isles' by Captain Cook, Tonga has the distinction of being the only island group in the South Pacific never to have been colonised, although it became a British Protectorate in 1900. Today its people still follow a traditional lifestyle and their respect for time-honoured customs has helped Tonga retain its distinctive character as one of the most intact cultures of old Polynesia.

The islands have a mixture of volcanic and raised coral origins, resulting in widely varying geography and vegetation. In the north the Niuas and Vava'u island groups are generally more mountainous supporting dense woodland. However most of the islands, particularly in the south, consist of low-lying coral formations. About two thirds of the population live on Tongatapu where the capital Nuku'alofa backs onto a large lagoon.

A number of islands are volcanically active including Falcon Island, a rare submerged volcano that periodically erupts underwater. Beautiful beaches and coral reefs also fringe most islands, while on Late and Tofua there are still some areas of high diversity native forest still standing.

The climate is tropical with rainfall in all months becoming heaviest during February and March. This is also the hottest time of the year although, with fairly constant south-east trade winds and its relatively southern location, Tonga is not as hot as Fiji and Samoa. From April to October there is a cooler drier period when it is also likely to be sunnier.

Tropical cyclones are possible from January to April, and are more likely in the north.

What to pack for Tonga weather

Pack light clothes with warmer wraps for the evenings and mountain trips. Be prepared for rain at any time of year.

Tonga temperature by month

Compare the average temperature by month for popular destinations in Tonga. Select a place from below to see more long term weather averages by month.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Nuku'alofa	84	84	84	82	79	79	77	77	77	79	81	82
Vava'u	84	86	84	82	81	81	79	79	81	81	82	82

All Tonga destinations

Temperature in Tonga (°F)

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max temperature (daytime)	84	84	84	82	79	79	77	77	77	79	81	82
Min temperature (night-time)	75	75	75	73	70	70	68	68	68	70	72	73
Heat & Humidity	H	H	H	H	M	L	L	L	L	M	M	H
Sea temperature	81	81	81	81	79	77	75	73	73	75	77	79