Climate of Pitcairn Islands

Climate of Pitcairn Islands

The Pitcairn Islands are the country with the lowest population in the world. The fairly large amounts of annual rainfall (an average of 1670 millimeters of precipitation per year) and the pleasant subtropical climate provide excellent conditions for the development of flora and fauna on the fertile volcanic soil. Due to the low population of the island of Pitcairn (43 registered inhabitants in January 2020), nature can take its course almost undisturbed. As a result, there is an excellent balance between people and nature on Pitcairn. If you want to visit Pitcairn, you will have to spend a fairly long journey: the Pitcairn Islands do not have an airport, so you will have to sail to Pitcairn by boat.

The Pitcairn Islands have a warm maritime climate, with precipitation throughout the year and relatively small differences in the average temperature per month. There can be fairly large differences in absolute temperatures, because during the local summer months (December-March) the temperature can rise above thirty degrees, while during the winter it can drop to just above ten degrees. The Pitcairn Islands are located in the hurricane zone in the Pacific Ocean. So there is always a (pretty small) chance that a fresh typhoon or tropical depression will pass over the Pitcairn Islands.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Maximum temperature Minimum temperature Hours of sunshine per day Days of rainfall per month Water temperature
January 28℃ 18℃ 7 16 24℃
February 28℃ 19℃ 8 17 25℃
March 27℃ 18℃ 8 19 24℃
April 27℃ 17℃ 8 16 23℃
May 26℃ 17℃ 7 15 23℃
June 25℃ 16℃ 7 16 22℃
July 24℃ 15℃ 7 15 22℃
August 24℃ 16℃ 7 15 22℃
September 25℃ 17℃ 8 15 22℃
October 26℃ 17℃ 7 17 23℃
November 27℃ 18℃ 6 20 24℃
December 28℃ 18℃ 7 18 24℃

Best time to visit Pitcairn Islands

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Pitcairn Islands? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. The chances that you will ever travel to the Pitcairn Islands are pretty slim. This archipelago is one of the furthest possible destinations from the Netherlands. The lack of an airport means that you will only reach Pitcairn, the only inhabited island, after a few days of travel. For the few who do travel to the Pitcairn Islands, we want to say that you can go to this special destination all year round. The subtropical climate of the Pitcairn Islands ensures that there is rainfall all year round. There are big differences between the different months. The wettest months can count on an average of about 160 millimeters of precipitation, while the driest months still account for at least 100 to 120 millimeters of rainwater. Temperatures range from about 22 to 26 degrees during the day during the local winter. It falls at the same time as our summer, because the Pitcairn Islands are in the southern hemisphere. Because of this, the seasons are opposite. During the local summer, the average daytime temperature is between 26 and 30 degrees Celsius.

Tropical Cyclones

The Pitcairn Islands are located in a region where hurricanes can occur. Its location near the Tropic of Capricorn means that the risk of a severe tropical cyclone actually being the Best time to travel to the Pitcairn Islands is not that great. This opportunity does exist from November to April. Because there is no airport, evacuation in the event of a hurricane is not an option. You would be much more vulnerable on the water than if you were in a good shelter on the island.

Pitcairn Islands