4 Billion Years On

Papua New Guinea Climate – July 2026 Update

Top 5 Cities: Port Moresby, Lae, Arawa, Mount Hagen, and Popondetta

Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Papua New Guinea

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At a Glance

Temperature – Average

Papua New Guinea
Global
Land + Ocean
Jul
+0.5°C· 28th
22.5°C
+1.0°C· 2nd
17.0°C
Record
23.7°C (2022)
17.0°C (2024)
May–Jul
+0.7°C· 16th
23.1°C
+1.0°C· 2nd
16.5°C
Record
23.9°C (2022)
16.5°C (2024)
2025
+1.3°C· 3rd
24.1°C
+1.0°C· 3rd
15.0°C
Record
24.4°C (2024)
15.2°C (2024)
Headline: anomaly vs your selected baseline (falls back to the 1961–1990 mean for a column without enough history for it) · Small figure: the actual value · Record = value on record for the ranking above

Climate Map – Global

Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.

Typical Climate – Papua New Guinea

Köppen Af · Tropical

Papua New Guinea has a tropical climate (Köppen Af: Tropical rainforest), with little variation in temperature or rainfall across the year. January is typically the warmest month, averaging 24.5°C, while July is the coldest at 23.2°C. Annual precipitation averages around 3107mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.

Warmest month
Jan 24°C
Coldest month
Jul 23°C
Annual rainfall
3107mm
Wettest month
Mar 351mm

Monthly climate normals (20162025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly precipitation.

Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).

Long-Term Trends

Combined TimelinePapua New Guinea

Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.

MetricTemperature
10-Yr AverageActual Year

Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).

Heatwave Days – Papua New Guinea

Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.

Heatwave Days per Year2022 (Record)10-Yr Avg

Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.

Year-on-Year Trends

The 4byo Climate Helix – Papua New Guinea

1940202619611990 baselineColdest (1943)20162025 meanWarmest (2024)2026 so far
2026Jul
2024
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec21°22°23°24°25°
Temp
23.7°C
+0.8 vs base
Precipitation
1,480mm
-1,605 vs base
ENSO
RONI 3-mo mean
Playback
8×
Mode
Presets

Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).

Monthly TemperaturePapua New Guinea

All years since 19432024 (Warmest)1943 (Coldest)2026 (Current Year)

Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).

Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).

Records – Papua New Guinea

Latest data Jul 2026
Warmest year
2024
24.4°C
Coldest year
1943
21.9°C
2026 so far
#14/87
23.7°C

Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean

Shifting Seasons

Weakly seasonalKöppen Af · Tropical

Papua New Guinea is weakly seasonal - temperature barely changes across the year (1.1°C range) and rainfall is fairly even. The clearest climate signal here is overall warming: monthly temperature has risen in every month.

Baseline vs recent monthly temperature climatology. Biggest warming: Jan (+1.6°C). The warmest month has shifted from Dec to Jan.

Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).

Climate Systems

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Emissions & Energy

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Data Sources

Data Sources for Papua New Guinea

Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.

FAQs

FAQs

How is the climate in Papua New Guinea changing?

Papua New Guinea is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.

What is the climate like in Papua New Guinea?

Papua New Guinea has a tropical climate (Köppen Af: Tropical rainforest), with little variation in temperature or rainfall across the year. January is typically the warmest month, averaging 24.5°C, while July is the coldest at 23.2°C. Annual precipitation averages around 3107mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.

Where does the climate data for Papua New Guinea come from?

Climate data for Papua New Guinea comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.

What is the climate baseline used on this page?

Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.

Which areas does the Papua New Guinea climate data cover?

The Papua New Guinea climate profile covers Port Moresby, Lae, Arawa, Mount Hagen and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Papua New Guinea

How often is the Papua New Guinea climate update refreshed?

The Papua New Guinea climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.

What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Papua New Guinea climate page?

Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.

Does the Papua New Guinea climate page include frost and snow data?

Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.