Palu climate — normals and trends
Palu (Indonesia) has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 23.1 °C and it receives 3,556 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is May (23.5 °C on average) and the coldest is January (22.8 °C). Rainfall peaks in September.
Palu averages 0 frost days, 8 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 340 rainy days per year.
Palu has warmed by +2.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.28 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 32.3 °C (on 2 December 2017) and the coldest 16.5 °C (on 5 December 1942).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
PaluCentral Sulawesi
- coords
- -0.91°, 119.87°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
23.1°C
Average daily high
27.0°C
Average daily low
20.5°C
Annual rainfall
3,556mm
Sunshine / day
9.5h
Mean relative humidity
90%
Average peak wind
6.9km/h
Seasonal range
0.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
8 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
340 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
32.3 °C
Average feels-like low
23.8 °C
Average peak gust
28.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
277 d/yr
Solar radiation
17.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.4 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.88 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
32.3 °C
2 December 2017
Coldest day
16.5 °C
5 December 1942
Wettest day
182 mm
30 April 2008
Windiest day
14.5 km/h
20 November 1973
Strongest gust
79.6 km/h
27 December 1993
Hottest feels-like
39.4 °C
16 October 2025
Coldest feels-like
16.8 °C
5 December 1942
Sunniest day
12.0 h
9 April 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.4 °C | +1.8 °C | 352 mm | +109 mm |
| Feb | 29.0 °C | +2.2 °C | 209 mm | -22 mm |
| Mar | 28.3 °C | +1.2 °C | 333 mm | +58 mm |
| Apr | 28.4 °C | +1.2 °C | 246 mm | -51 mm |
| May | 29.0 °C | +1.7 °C | 314 mm | -14 mm |
| Jun | 28.1 °C | +1.2 °C | 358 mm | +40 mm |
| Jul | 28.6 °C | +1.9 °C | 211 mm | -98 mm |
| Aug | 28.0 °C | +1.1 °C | 387 mm | +53 mm |
| Sep | 28.9 °C | +1.9 °C | 487 mm | +133 mm |
| Oct | 28.8 °C | +1.6 °C | 452 mm | +118 mm |
| Nov | 29.1 °C | +2.0 °C | 127 mm | -164 mm |
| Dec | 28.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 166 mm | -77 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Palu?
Palu has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 23.1 °C and it receives 3,556 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Palu?
The hottest day measured in Palu between 1940 and 2025 was 2 December 2017, reaching 32.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Palu?
The coldest day measured in Palu between 1940 and 2025 was 5 December 1942, at 16.5 °C.
Does it snow in Palu?
Almost never: Palu sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Palu warmed?
Yes: Palu warmed by +2.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Palu?
The wettest day measured in Palu between 1940 and 2025 was 30 April 2008, with 182 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Palu?
The windiest day measured in Palu between 1940 and 2025 was 20 November 1973, with winds reaching 14.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Palu?
The warmest month in Palu is May (23.5 °C on average); the coldest is January (22.8 °C).
How much does it rain in Palu?
Palu receives on average 3,556 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 340 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Palu?
Palu gets on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,468 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Palu?
Yes: Palu has on average 277 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Palu?
In Palu, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 39.4 °C on 16 October 2025, and the lowest was 16.8 °C on 5 December 1942.
Compare Palu with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Palu