Solomon Islands Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Honiara, Gizo, Auki, Noro, and Tulagi
Summary
The Solomon Islands experienced elevated tropical temperatures in July 2026, maintaining a pattern of consistent warm conditions throughout the middle of the year. While regional ocean surroundings moderated short-term temperature spikes relative to global extremes, the broader three-month period ranked among the warmest on record for the island nation. Seasonal forecasts indicate that above-average warmth is likely to persist over the coming months.
This month in numbers
During July 2026, the average temperature across the Solomon Islands reached 25.78°C, which sits +0.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline and ranks as the 16th warmest on record for the month since 1940. Worldwide, land temperatures for the month averaged 15.8°C (+1.6°C anomaly), making it the 3rd warmest July in 87 years of global observation.
What changed
Across May–July 2026, the average temperature in the Solomon Islands reached 26.4°C, standing +0.8°C above baseline as the 9th warmest such three-month span on record. Globally, the May–July land temperature averaged 14.34°C, representing a +1.5°C anomaly that ranks as the 2nd warmest equivalent period on record. This local thermal trend reflects the nation's long-term warming of +0.87°C above historic averages, coming shortly after 2025 finished as the 2nd warmest full year on record with an annual average of 26.76°C.
What’s driving change?
As a tropical archipelago, the climate of the Solomon Islands reflects the reality that , allowing surrounding waters to buffer against the sharpest temperature spikes seen over continental regions. On a broader scale, tropical Pacific climate dynamics are influenced by ENSO phase swings, which modulate sea surface temperatures and trade wind patterns across the region.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate projections suggest that sea surface temperatures around the Solomon Islands will remain above normal over the next 1-3 months, sustaining elevated humidity and above-average warmth into spring.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
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 – Solomon Islands
Köppen Af · TropicalSolomon Islands 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 27.1°C, while August is the coldest at 26.1°C. Annual precipitation averages around 3583mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - 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 Timeline – Solomon Islands
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Solomon Islands
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
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 – Solomon Islands
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Solomon Islands
Latest month is provisional and may be revised by the data provider in the next update cycle.
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 – Solomon Islands
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Weakly seasonalKöppen Af · TropicalSolomon Islands is weakly seasonal - temperature barely changes across the year (0.8°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: Jul (+1.1°C).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Solomon Islands
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.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Solomon Islands changing?
Solomon Islands 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 Solomon Islands?
Solomon Islands 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 27.1°C, while August is the coldest at 26.1°C. Annual precipitation averages around 3583mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.
Where does the climate data for Solomon Islands come from?
Climate data for Solomon Islands 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 Solomon Islands climate data cover?
The Solomon Islands climate profile covers Honiara, Gizo, Auki, Noro and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Solomon Islands
How often is the Solomon Islands climate update refreshed?
The Solomon Islands 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 Solomon Islands 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 Solomon Islands 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.