Climate of Tonga

Climate of Tonga

Where is the country of Tonga located? Tonga is a kingdom in the continent of Oceania. Tonga consists of no fewer than 176 islands, of which only 36 are permanently inhabited. In total, more than a hundred thousand people live on these islands, almost all of whom have a Polynesian descent. Tonga is the only country in the region that has never been governed by other countries. The country has no colonial past and has never lost its independence. Tonga has a tropical rainforest climate, with less precipitation in this region than in many neighboring countries. The long-term average on the islands of Tonga varies from 1400 to more than two thousand millimeters per year.

Precipitation and temperature

Tonga has an average of 132 to 180 days with rain per year. This rain almost always falls in the form of showers. Heavy tropical showers mainly occur during the wettest months (February and March). During the other months the showers can still be fierce, but you will see that there are more often milder showers. This also leads to an average precipitation sum per month that is slightly lower than in the other months. The temperature during the day is between the values ​​that many consider very pleasant of 24 to 29 degrees Celsius. Temperatures higher than 32 degrees are never actually measured in Tonga. At night the temperature drops to an average of 18 to 24 degrees Celsius.

Hurricanes

Tonga is located in an area where hurricanes can occur from December to May. The northern islands of Tonga, in particular, have a relatively high risk of being hit by severe tropical storms. Heavy tropical depressions that can develop into a cyclone arise over relatively warm seawater. If they actually grow into a hurricane-force storm, this is often accompanied by large amounts of precipitation. In addition to direct storm damage, floods, mudslides and tidal waves can cause additional misery.

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 29℃ 24℃ 6 18 27℃
February 29℃ 24℃ 5 16 27℃
March 29℃ 24℃ 5 18 27℃
April 28℃ 23℃ 5 13 27℃
May 26℃ 21℃ 6 9 26℃
June 26℃ 21℃ 6 6 25℃
July 25℃ 20℃ 7 5 24℃
August 25℃ 20℃ 7 4 23℃
September 25℃ 20℃ 7 5 23℃
October 26℃ 21℃ 6 5 24℃
November 27℃ 22℃ 6 7 25℃
December 28℃ 23℃ 5 12 26℃

Best time to visit Tonga

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Tonga? 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. Tonga is an archipelago and independent country in Polynesia. It consists of no fewer than 177 islands, of which only a fifth part is permanently inhabited. Tonga has a tropical climate in which there is a clearly wetter period. It depends on the location how much rain falls. The northern islands are significantly wetter than the islands belonging to the southern Ha’apai group, with annual rainfall of up to about 2500 millimeters. There you have to count on about 1500 to 1800 millimeters of rain per year.

Temperatures

Temperatures are fairly constant in Tonga. During the day the thermometer goes towards 30 degrees Celsius. In the period from June to October, the temperature regularly stays just below this level, from January to April it regularly gets a degree warmer. It is slightly cooler in the southern archipelagos of Tongatapu and Eua. The local winter, which coincides with our summer, has maximum temperatures that reach around 24 to 26 degrees Celsius. Due to the warm sea water, temperatures drop only a few degrees at night. You will never get close to freezing in Tonga.

Best time to visit

The best time to travel to Tonga is based on the amounts of rainfall you can expect per month. The local summer months are wet, with sometimes more than three hundred millimeters of rain per month. That is approximately what falls in the Netherlands in about five months. Fortunately Tonga has a drier period. It runs approximately from June to mid-October. This is therefore the best travel time for a holiday to Tonga. You immediately avoid the period in which a tropical cyclone could occur. The hurricane season runs from November through May.

Tonga